History of 20 June
1910 – Mexican President Porfirio Diaz proclaimed martial law and arrested hundreds.
1910 – Fanny Brice debuted in the New York production of the “Ziegfeld Follies”.
1923 – France announced it would seize the Rhineland to assist Germany in paying its war debts.
1928 – Washburn-Crosby Company merged with 26 other mills to become General Mills.
1941 – The U.S. Army Air Forces was established, replacing the Army Air Corps. The Army Air Forces were abolished with the creation of the United States Air Force in 1947.
1943 – Race-related rioting erupted in Detroit. Federal troops were sent in two days later to end the violence that left more than 30 dead.
1947 – Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was murdered in Beverly Hills, CA, at the order of mob associates angered over the soaring costs of his project, the Flamingo resort in Las Vegas, NV.
1948 – “Toast of the Town” debuted on CBS-TV. The show was hosted by Ed Sullivan.
1950 – Willie Mays graduated from high school and immediately signed with the New York Giants.
1955 – The AFL and CIO agreed to combine names and a merge into a single group.
1963 – The United States and the Soviet Union signed an agreement to set up a hotline communication link between the two countries.
1966 – The U.S. Open golf tournament was broadcast in color for the first time.
1967 – Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted. The U.S. Supreme Court later overturned the conviction.
1977 – The Trans-Alaska Pipeline began operation.
1979 – ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart was shot to death in Managua, Nicaragua, by a member of President Anastasio Somoza’s national guard.
1983 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employers must treat male and female workers equally in providing health benefits for their spouses.
1997 – The tobacco industry agreed to a massive settlement in exchange for major relief from mounting lawsuits and legal bills.
2001 – Barry Bonds (San Francisco Giants) hit his 38th home run of the season. The home run broke the major league baseball record for homers before the midseason All-Star break.
2002 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the execution of mentally retarded murderers was unconstitutionally cruel. The vote was 6 in favor and 3 against.
2003 – The Wikimedia Foundation is founded in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Celebrating Birthday Today
- 1981 – Brede Hangeland, Norwegian footballer
- 1982 – Aleksei Berezutski, Russian footballer
- 1982 – Vasili Berezutski, Russian footballer
- 1982 – Example, English singer/rapper
- 1983 – Josh Childress, American basketball player
- 1983 – Darren Sproles, American football player
- 1984 – Hassan Adams, American basketball player
- 1985 – Saki Aibu, Japanese actress
- 1985 – Aurélien Chedjou, Cameroonian footballer
- 1985 – Matt Flynn, American football player
- 1986 – Dreama Walker, American actress
- 1987 – A-fu, Taiwanese singer and songwriter
- 1987 – Carsten Ball, an Australian tennis player
- 1987 – Asmir Begovic, Bosnian footballer
- 1987 – Joseph Ebuya, Kenyan runner
- 1989 – Christopher Mintz-Plasse, American actor
- 1989 – Javier Pastore, the Argentinian footballer
- 1989 – Terrelle Pryor, American football player
- 1990 – DeQuan Jones, American basketball player
- 1991 – Kalidou Koulibaly, Senegalese footballer
- 1991 – Rick ten Voorde, Dutch footballer
- 1993 – Sead Kolašinac, Bosnian footballer
- 1994 – Leonard Williams, American football player
- 1996 – Sam Bennett, Canadian ice hockey player