This Day In History

On June 20
1837 Queen Victoria ascended the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV.
1863 The National Bank of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, PA, became the first bank to receive a charter from the U.S. Congress.
1910 Fanny Brice debuted in the New York production of the "Ziegfeld Follies."
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 merge into a single group.
1963 The United States and Soviet Union signed an agreement to set up a hot line communication link between the two countries.
1966 The U.S. Open golf tournament was broadcast in color for the first time.
1979 ABC News correspondent, Bill Stewart, was shot to death in Managua, Nicaragua, by a member of President Anastasio Somoza's national guard.
1997 The tobacco industry agreed to a massive settlement in exchange for major relief from mounting lawsuits and legal bills.
2001 In Texas, Andrea Yates was arrested for drowning her five children in a bathtub.
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.