June 29

Today in History - June 29


Today is Sunday, June 29, the 181st day of 2008. There are 185 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On June 29, 1776, the Virginia state constitution was adopted, and Patrick Henry made governor.

On this date:

In 1767, the British Parliament approved the Townshend Acts, which imposed import duties on certain goods shipped to America. (Colonists bitterly protested, prompting Parliament in 1770 to repeal the duties on all goods — except tea.)

In 1908, American composer Leroy Anderson, known for light orchestral pieces such as "The Typewriter" and "The Syncopated Clock," was born in Cambridge, Mass.

In 1946, authorities in British-mandated Palestine arrested more than 2,700 Jews in an attempt to stamp out extremists.

In 1954, the Atomic Energy Commission voted against reinstating J. Robert Oppenheimer's access to classified information.

In 1958, a bomb exploded at the Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala.; there were no injuries.

In 1966, the United States bombed fuel storage facilities near the North Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Haiphong.

In 1967, Jerusalem was reunified as Israel removed barricades separating the Old City from the Israeli sector.

In 1970, the United States ended a two-month military offensive into Cambodia.

In 1972, the Supreme Court, in Furman v. Georgia, ruled the death penalty, as it was being meted out, could constitute "cruel and unusual punishment." (The ruling prompted states to revise their capital punishment laws.)

In 1988, the Supreme Court, in Morrison v. Olson, upheld the independent counsel law.

Ten years ago: Students at Peking University peppered President Clinton with polite but critical questions about America's human rights record, Taiwan policy and views on China in an exchange televised live across the vast nation. With negotiations on a new labor agreement at a standstill, the NBA announced that a lockout would be imposed at midnight.

Five years ago: Thirteen people were killed when a third-floor porch collapsed during a party in Chicago. Actress Katharine Hepburn, one of the last stars from Hollywood's Golden Age, died in Old Saybrook, Conn., at age 96.

One year ago: British police defused two car bombs left to blow up near packed nightclubs and pubs in central London. The first Apple iPhones went on sale. Death claimed movie critic Joel Siegel at age 63 and George McCorkle, a founding member of the Marshall Tucker Band, at age 60.

Today's Birthdays: Movie producer Robert Evans is 78. Songwriter L. Russell Brown is 68. Actor Gary Busey is 64. Comedian Richard Lewis is 61. Actor-turned-radio personality Fred Grandy is 60. Rock musician Ian Paice (Deep Purple) is 60. Singer Don Dokken (Dokken) is 55. Rock singer Colin Hay (Men At Work) is 55. Actress Maria Conchita Alonso is 51. Actress Sharon Lawrence is 47. Actress Amanda Donohoe is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Stedman Pearson (Five Star) is 44. Actress Kathleen Wilhoite is 44. Musician Dale Baker is 42. Actress Melora Hardin is 41. Rap DJ Shadow is 36. Country musician Todd Sansom (Marshall Dyllon) is 30. Singer Nicole Scherzinger is 30.

Thought for Today: "Sin ... has been made not only ugly but passe. People are no longer sinful, they are only immature or underprivileged or frightened or, more particularly, sick." — Phyllis McGinley, American poet (1905-1978).