TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is Friday, June 15, the 166th day of 2018. There are 199 days left in the year.

HIGHLIGHTS IN HISTORY

On June 15, 1215, England’s King John put his seal to the agna Carta (“the Great Charter”) at Runnymede.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

• Rhythm and blues singer Ruby Nash Garnett (Ruby and he Romantics) is 84. • Chinese President Xi Jinping is 65. Actor-comedian Jim Belushi is 64. • Country singer Terri ibbs is 64. • Actress Julie Hagerty (“Airplane!”) is 63 • Baseall Hall of Famer Wade Boggs is 60. • Actress Helen Hunt is 5. • Actress Courteney Cox is 54. • Contemporary Christian musician Rob Mitchell is 52. • Actor-rapper Ice Cube is 49. • Actress Leah Remini is 48. • Actor Neil Patrick Harris is 45. • Rock musician Wayne Sermon (Imagine Dragons) is 34. • Olympic gold medal gymnast Madison Kocian is 21.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“In trying to make something new, half the undertaking lies in discovering whether it can be done. Once it has been established that it can, duplication is inevitable.” — Helen Gahagan Douglas, U.S. Congress (1900-80).

ON THIS DATE

In 1520, Pope Leo X issued a papal bull in which he threatened to excommunicate Martin Luther if he did not recant his religious beliefs, a threat that was carried out the following January.

In 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously to appoint George Washington head of the Continental Army.

In 1904, more than 1,000 people died when fire erupted aboard the steamboat General Slocum in New York’s East River.

In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an act making the National Guard part of the U.S. Army in the event of war or national emergency.

In 1944, American forces began their successful invasion of Saipan during World War II. B-29 Superfortresses carried out their first raids on Japan.

In 1969, the variety show “Hee Haw,” a fast-paced mixture of country music and comedy skits, debuted on CBS-TV.

In 1993, former Texas Gov. John Connally, who was wounded in the gunfire that killed President John F. Kennedy, died in Houston at age 76.