Today in History — June 28

updated 12:00 a.m. ET June 28, 2007

Today is Thursday, June 28, the 179th day of 2007. There are 186 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serb nationalist — the event that triggered World War I.

On this date:
In 1491, England’s King Henry VIII was born at Greenwich.

In 1778, the Revolutionary War Battle of Monmouth took place in New Jersey; it was from this battle that the legend of “Molly Pitcher” arose, although her actual existence is a matter of historical debate.

In 1836, the fourth president of the United States, James Madison, died in Montpelier, Va.

In 1838, Britain’s Queen Victoria was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed in France, ending World War I.

In 1939, Pan American Airways began regular trans-Atlantic air service.

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 1950, North Korean forces captured Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

In 1978, the Supreme Court ordered the University of California-Davis Medical School to admit Allan Bakke, a white man who argued he’d been a victim of reverse racial discrimination.

In 1996, the Citadel voted to admit women, ending a 153-year-old men-only policy at the South Carolina military school.

Ten years ago: President Clinton, unable to meet his own July 4 deadline for campaign finance reform, blamed the inaction on Congress in his weekly radio address. 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.

Five years ago: WorldCom Inc. began laying off 17,000 employees worldwide after disclosing accounting irregularities that later forced it into bankruptcy protection. Xerox Corp. announced it had improperly reported $1.9 billion in revenue over the previous five years and would restate those financial results.

One year ago: Thousands of Israeli troops backed by tanks penetrated the Gaza Strip to pressure Islamic militants into releasing a kidnapped soldier. “Miracle on Ice” coach Herb Brooks and Patrick Roy, the NHL’s winningest goaltender, were among four honorees elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Star Jones Reynolds was booted from “The View,” one day after surprising ABC and Barbara Walters by saying on the air that she wouldn’t be returning to the daytime talk show in the fall.

Today’s Birthdays: Blues singer-musician David “Honeyboy” Edwards is 92. Comedian-movie director Mel Brooks is 81. Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., is 73. Former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta is 69. Rock musician Dave Knights (Procul Harum) is 62. Actor Bruce Davison is 61. Actress Kathy Bates is 59. Actress Alice Krige is 53. Football Hall of Famer John Elway is 47. Record company chief executive Tony Mercedes is 45. Actress Jessica Hecht is 42. Rock musician Saul Davies (James) is 42. Actress Mary Stuart Masterson is 41. Actor John Cusack is 41. Actor Gil Bellows is 40. Actress-singer Danielle Brisebois is 38. Jazz musician Jimmy Sommers is 38. Actress Tichina Arnold is 36. Actor Alessandro Nivola is 35. Rock musician Tim Nordwind (OK Go) is 31. Country singer Kellie Pickler is 21.

Thought for Today: “The glory of each generation is to make its own precedents.” — Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood, American social reformer (1830-1917).

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