Published: June 19, 2009 07:43 am      

Today in History

Today is Friday, June 19, the 170th day of 2009. There are 195 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 19, 1865, Union troops commanded by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over, and that all remaining slaves in Texas were free.

On this date:

In 1862, slavery was outlawed in U.S. territories.

In 1910, Father’s Day was celebrated for the first time, in Spokane, Wash.

In 1917, during World War I, King George V ordered the British royal family to dispense with German titles and surnames; the family took the name “Windsor.”

In 1934, the Federal Communications Commission was created; it replaced the Federal Radio Commission.

In 1938, four dozen people were killed when a railroad bridge in Montana collapsed, sending a train known as the “Olympian” hurtling into Custer Creek.

In 1952, the celebrity-panel game show “I’ve Got A Secret” made its debut on CBS-TV with Garry Moore as host.

In 1953, Julius Rosenberg, 35, and his wife, Ethel, 37, convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, were executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, N.Y.

Today’s Birthdays: Singer Spanky McFarlane (Spanky and Our Gang) is 67. Actress Phylicia Rashad is 61. Rock singer Ann Wilson (Heart) is 59. Actress Kathleen Turner is 55. Country singer Doug Stone is 53. Singer-dancer-“American Idol” judge Paula Abdul is 47. Rock musician Brian “Head” Welch is 39. Actress Robin Tunney is 37. Actor Bumper Robinson is 35. Actress Poppy Montgomery is 34. Actress Lauren Lee Smith is 29. Actor Paul Dano is 25.

Thought for Today: “Free thinkers are generally those who never think at all.” — Laurence Sterne, English author (1713-1768).