Today in History

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Today is Monday, June 23, the 174th day of 2008. There are 191 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
On June 23, 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for his "Type-Writer."
On this date:
In 1757, forces of the East India Co. led by Robert Clive defeated troops loyal to the provincial governor of Bengal in the Battle of Plassey, which effectively marked the beginning of British colonial rule in India.
In 1836, Congress approved the Deposit Act, which contained a provision for turning over surplus federal revenue to the states.
In 1931, aviators Wiley Post and Harold Gatty took off from New York on a round-the-world flight that lasted eight days and 15 hours.
In 1938, the Civil Aeronautics Authority was established.
In 1947, the Senate joined the House in overriding President Truman's veto of the Taft-Hartley Act, designed to limit the power of organized labor.
In 1956, Gamal Abdel Nasser was elected president of Egypt.
In 1967, President Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin held the first of two meetings at Glassboro State College in New Jersey.
In 1969, Warren E. Burger was sworn in as chief justice by the man he was succeeding, Earl Warren.
In 1972, President Nixon and White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman discussed a plan to use the CIA to obstruct the FBI's Watergate investigation. (Revelation of the tape recording of this conversation sparked Nixon's resignation in 1974.)
In 1985, all 329 people aboard an Air-India Boeing 747 were killed when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland, after a bomb on board exploded.
Ten years ago: President Clinton said the reported discovery of traces of deadly nerve gas on an Iraqi missile warhead gave the United States new ammunition to maintain tough U.N. sanctions against the Baghdad government.
Five years ago: A divided Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, allowed the nation's colleges and universities to select students based in part on race. The Supreme Court said the government could require public libraries to equip computers with anti-pornography filters. Democrat Howard Dean formally announced his presidential campaign. Maynard Jackson Jr., the first black mayor of Atlanta, died in Washington, D.C., at age 65.
One year ago: Searchers in Summit County, Ohio, found the body of Jessie Davis, a missing 26-year-old pregnant woman. (Bobby Cutts Jr., a former Canton police officer who was the father of Davis' unborn child, was later convicted of murder and aggravated murder and sentenced to 57 years to life in prison.)
Today's Birthdays: Singer Diana Trask is 68. Musical conductor James Levine is 65. Rhythm-and-blues singer Rosetta Hightower (The Orlons) is 64. Actor Ted Shackelford is 62. Actor Bryan Brown is 61. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is 60. "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson is 52. Actress Frances McDormand is 51. Rock musician Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) is 46. Actor Paul La Greca is 46. Rhythm-and-blues singer Chico DeBarge is 38. Actress Selma Blair is 36. Rock singer KT Tunstall is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Virgo Williams (Ghostowns DJs) is 33. Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz is 31. Rock singer Duffy is 24. Country singer Katie Armiger is 17.
Thought for Today: "One today is worth two tomorrows." — Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790).