On this date:
In 1778, the Revolutionary War Battle of Monmouth took place in New Jersey; from this battle arose the legend of “Molly Pitcher,” a woman who was said to have carried water to colonial soldiers, then taken over firing her husband’s cannon after he was disabled.
In 1836, the fourth president of the United States, James Madison, died in Montpelier, Virginia.
In 1838, Britain’s Queen Victoria was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
In 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were shot to death in Sarajevo (sahruh-YAY’-voh) by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip (gavh-REE’-loh PREEN’seep) — an act which sparked World War I.
In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles (vehr-SY’) was signed in France, ending the First World War. In Independence, Missouri, future president Harry S. Truman married Elizabeth Virginia Wallace.
In 1928, New York Gov. Alfred E. Smith was nominated for president at the Democratic national convention in Houston.
In 1939, Pan American Airways began regular trans-Atlantic air service with a flight that departed New York for Marseilles, France.
In 1944, the Republican national convention in Chicago nominated New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey for president and Ohio Gov. John W. Bricker for vice president.
In 1951, a TV version of the radio comedy program “Amos ‘N’ Andy” premiered on CBS. (It was the first network TV series to feature an all-black cast, but came under criticism for racial stereotyping.)
In 1978, the Supreme Court ordered the University of California-Davis Medical School to admit Allan Bakke (BAHK’-ee), a white man who argued he’d been a victim of reverse racial discrimination.
In 1989, about 1 million Serbs gathered to mark the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.
In 1997, in a wild rematch, Evander Holyfield retained the WBA heavyweight boxing championship after his opponent, Mike Tyson, was disqualified for biting Holyfield’s ear during the third round of their fight in Las Vegas.
Ten years ago: Presidential rivals John McCain and Barack Obama vied for the support of Hispanics in separate appearances before the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials conference in Washington, with each vowing to remake immigration policy. Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo of the Angels combined to keep the Los Angeles Dodgers hitless, but the Dodgers won 1-0. (The Dodgers became the fifth team in modern major league history to win without getting a hit, but since they didn’t have to bat in the ninth, the game did not qualify as a nohitter.)
Five years ago: Tens of thousands of supporters and opponents of President Mohammed Morsi rallied in Cairo, and both sides fought each other in Egypt’s second-largest city of Alexandria, where two people — including an American — were killed and scores injured.