Associated Press
On June 18, 1940, with the World War II Battle of Britain looming, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill urged his countrymen to conduct themselves so that future generations would say, “this was their finest hour.”
1812 The United States declared war against Britain.
1815 British and Prussian troops defeated the French under Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo in Belgium.
1873 Suffragist Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.
1928 Aviator Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean as she completed a flight from Newfoundland to Wales in about 21 hours.
1948 The United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted the International Declaration of Human Rights.
1948 Columbia Records unveiled its new long-playing, 33 1/3 rpm phonograph record.
1979 President Jimmy Carter and Soviet President Leonid I. Brezhnev signed the SALT II strategic arms limitation treaty in Vienna.
1983 Astronaut Sally K. Ride became America’s first woman in space as she and four colleagues blasted off aboard the space shuttle Challenger.
2002 A Palestinian detonated a nail-studded bomb in a Jerusalem bus, killing 19 passengers and himself.
2004 European Union leaders agreed on the first constitution for the bloc’s 25 members.
2006 Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected the first female presiding bishop for the Episcopal Church, the U.S. arm of the global Anglican Communion.
2011 Saxophone player Clarence Clemons of the E Street Band died at age 69.
Today’s Birthdays:
Rock musician Paul McCartney turns 73 years old today.
Jay Rockefeller, Former U.S. senator, D-W.Va, 78
Lou Brock, Baseball Hall of Famer, 76
Mike Johanns, Former U.S. senator, R-Neb, 65
Carol Kane, Actress, 63
Isabella Rossellini, Actress, 63
Alison Moyet, Rock singer, 54
Bruce Smith, Football Hall of Famer, 52
Alana de la Garza, Actress (“Law and Order”), 39
Antonio Gates, Football player, 35