Today In History

Today is Saturday, June 20, the 172nd day of 2020. There are 194 days left in the year. Summer begins at 5:44 p.m., Eastern time.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› 1921: U.S. Rep. Alice Mary Robertson, R-Okla., became the first woman to preside over a session of the House of Representatives.

ON THIS DATE

› 1782: Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States, featuring the emblem of the bald eagle.

› 1943: Race-related rioting erupted in Detroit; federal troops were sent in two days later to quell the violence that resulted in more than 30 deaths.

› 1967: Boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted and was sentenced to five years in prison. (Ali’s conviction was ultimately overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court).

› 1972: Three days after the arrest of the Watergate burglars, President Richard Nixon met at the White House with his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman; the secretly made tape recording of this meeting ended up with the notorious 18 1/2-minute gap.

› 1990: South African black nationalist Nelson Mandela and his wife, Winnie, arrived in New York City for a ticker-tape parade in their honor.

› 2014: The Obama administration granted an array of new benefits to same-sex couples.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Actress Bonnie Bartlett is 91. Actress Olympia Dukakis is 89. Actor James Tolkan is 89. Movie director Stephen Frears is 79. Singer-songwriter Brian Wilson is 78. Actress Candy Clark is 73. Producer Tina Sinatra is 72. R&B singer Lionel Richie is 71. Actor John Goodman is 68. Rock musician Michael Anthony is 66. Pop musician John Taylor is 60. Rock musician Mark degli Antoni is 58. Christian rock musician Jerome Fontamillas (Switchfoot) is 53. Movie director Robert Rodriguez is 52. Actor Peter Paige is 51. Rock musician Jeordie White (aka Twiggy Ramirez) is 49. Country-folk singer-songwriter Amos Lee is 43. Country singer Chuck Wicks is 41. Christian rock musician Chris Dudley (Underoath) is 37. Rock singer Grace Potter (Grace Potter & the Nocturnals) is 37. Actor Mark Saul is 35. Actress Dreama Walker is 34. Actor Chris Mintz-Plasse is 31. Actress Maria Lark is 23.