TODAY IN HISTORY

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

June 19, 1867

Maximilian I, emperor of Mexico since 1864, was executed by firing squad a month after being taken prisoner by the forces of President Benito Juarez. The inaugural running of the Belmont Stakes took place; the winner was a filly named Ruthless.

ALSO ON THIS DATE 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.”

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.”

1937

The city of Bilbao fell to the Nationalist Army during the Spanish Civil War.

1944

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