TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT June 19, 1953

Julius Rosenberg, 35, and his wife, Ethel, 37, convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, were executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, N.Y.

ALSO ON THIS DATE 1775

George Washington was commissioned by the Continental Congress as commander in chief of the Continental Army.

1865

Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over, and that all remaining slaves in Texas were free — an event celebrated to this day as “Juneteenth.”

1867

The inaugural running of the Belmont Stakes took place; the winner was a filly named Ruthless.

1917

During World War I, King George V ordered the British royal family to dispense with German titles and surnames; the family took the name “Windsor.”

1944

During World War II, the twoday Battle of the Philippine Sea began, resulting in a decisive victory for the Americans over the Japanese.

1952

The U.S. Army Special Forces, the elite unit of fighters known as the Green Berets, was established at Fort Bragg, N.C.

1964

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved by the U.S. Senate, 73-27, after surviving a lengthy filibuster.

1978

The comic strip “Garfield,” created by Jim Davis, was first published in 41newspapers.

2013

Afghan President Hamid Karzai suspended talks with the United States on a new security deal to protest the way his government was left out of initial peace negotiations with the Taliban.