Dr. Daniel Ellsberg at news conference in Cambridge, Mass., on July 1, 1971. Ellsberg has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles on charges of unauthorized possession of secret documents. (AP Photo/J. Walter Green/Frank C. Curtin)

Today is Sunday, June 26, the 177th day of 2022. There are 188 days left in the year.

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Today’s Highlight in History

On June 26, 1945, the charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco.

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Pope Paul VI raises both arms turning toward the faithful during the solemn mass he celebrated June 29, 1978 on the occasion of the anniversary of his 15th year of pontificate. In his speech he said he felt his death was nearing and appealed to those who walk in the path of "Heresy and schism" to spare further risks to the church. (Ap Photo/Arturo Mari)

On this date

In 1917, the first troops of the American Expeditionary Force deployed to France during World War I landed in St. Nazaire.

In 1925, Charles Chaplin’s classic comedy “The Gold Rush” premiered at Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

In 1948, the Berlin Airlift began in earnest after the Soviet Union cut off land and water routes to the isolated western sector of Berlin.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he delivered his famous speech expressing solidarity with the city’s residents, declaring: “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner).

Actor Steve McQueen, sits in his new Ford-Cobra roadster, June 28, 1963, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Dick Stroebel)

In 1977, 42 people were killed when a fire sent toxic smoke pouring through the Maury County Jail in Columbia, Tennessee. Elvis Presley performed his last concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush went back on his “no-new-taxes” campaign pledge, conceding that tax increases would have to be included in any deficit-reduction package worked out with congressional negotiators.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced the U.S. had launched missiles against Iraqi targets because of “compelling evidence” Iraq had plotted to assassinate former President George H.W. Bush.

In 1996, the Supreme Court ordered the Virginia Military Institute to admit women or forgo state support.

In 1997, the first Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling (ROHL’-ing), was published in the United Kingdom (it was later released in the United States under the title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”).

Former President Richard Nixon wipes his face as funeral services begin for his wife, former first Pat Nixon on Saturday, June, 26, 1993 in Yorba Linda, California. Others from left, son-in-law Ed Cox, grandson Christopher Cox, and daughter Tricia Nixon Cox. (AP Photo/Eric Draper)

In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a handgun ban in the District of Columbia as it affirmed, 5-4, that an individual right to gun ownership existed.

In 2013, in deciding its first cases on the issue, the U.S. Supreme Court gave the nation’s legally married gay couples equal federal footing with all other married Americans and also cleared the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California.

In 2020, after protesters in Washington, D.C., attempted to pull down a statue of Andrew Jackson, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect monuments, memorials and statues. Texas and Florida reversed course and clamped down on bars as the daily number of confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S. surged to an all-time high of 40,000.

Ten years ago: Sen. Orrin Hatch won the GOP Senate primary in Utah, handily turning back a challenge from tea party-backed Dan Liljenquist (lihl-IHN’-kwihst). Essayist, author and filmmaker Nora Ephron, 71, died in New York.

Five years ago: President Donald Trump welcomed India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (nah-REN’-drah MOH’-dee) to the White House as the two leaders heralded an increasingly close strategic partnership. The Supreme Court said Trump could forge ahead with a limited version of his ban on travel from six mostly Muslim countries. Helmsman Peter Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand won the America’s Cup with a resounding romp against software tycoon Larry Ellison’s two-time defending champion Oracle Team USA. Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook capped his historic season at the NBA’s inaugural awards show, winning the 2016-17 Most Valuable Player award.

One year ago: Fire and smoke from inside the remains of a collapsed 12-story condominium tower near Miami hampered search efforts. Former President Donald Trump returned to a rally stage in Ohio for his first campaign-style event since leaving the White House; he reprised his election grievances and baseless claims of fraud. The Celebrity Edge became the first cruise ship to leave a U.S. port since the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a 15-month standstill; the number of passengers was limited to 40 percent capacity as the ship left Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with virtually all of them vaccinated against COVID-19.

Today’s Birthdays: Jazz musician-film composer Dave Grusin is 88. Actor Josef Sommer is 88. Singer Billy Davis Jr. is 84. Rock singer Georgie Fame is 79. Actor Clive Francis is 76. R&B singer Brenda Holloway is 76. Actor Michael Paul Chan is 72. Actor Robert Davi is 71. Singer-musician Mick Jones is 67. Actor Gedde Watanabe (GEH’-dee wah-tah-NAH’-bee) is 67. Rock singer Chris Isaak is 66. Rock singer Patty Smyth is 65. Singer Terri Nunn (Berlin) is 63. U.S. Bicycling Hall of Famer Greg LeMond is 61. Country musician Eddie Perez (The Mavericks) is 54. Rock musician Colin Greenwood (Radiohead) is 53. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson is 52. Actor Sean Hayes is 52. Actor Matt Letscher is 52. Actor Chris O’Donnell is 52. Actor Nick Offerman is 52. Actor Rebecca Budig is 49. Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter is 48. Contemporary Christian musician Jeff Frankenstein (Newsboys) is 48. Country singer Gretchen Wilson is 48. Rock musician Nathan Followill (Kings of Leon) is 43. Pop-rock singer-musician Ryan Tedder (OneRepublic) is 43. Actor-musician Jason Schwartzman is 42. Actor Aubrey Plaza is 38. Actor-singer Jennette McCurdy is 30. Actor-singer Ariana Grande is 29.

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JUNE 27

On June 27, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its strongest defense of abortion rights in a quarter-century, striking down Texas’ widely replicated rules that sharply reduced abortion clinics.

In 1844, Mormon leader Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois.

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JUNE 28

On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles (vehr-SY’) was signed in France, ending the First World War.

In 1838, Britain’s Queen Victoria was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

In 2000, seven months after he was cast adrift in the Florida Straits, Elian Gonzalez was returned to his native Cuba.

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JUNE 29

On June 29, 1613, London’s original Globe Theatre, where many of Shakespeare’s plays were performed, was destroyed by a fire sparked by a cannon shot during a performance of “Henry VIII.”

In 1520, Montezuma II, the ninth and last emperor of the Aztecs, died in Tenochtitlan (tay-nohch-TEET’-lahn) under unclear circumstances (some say he was killed by his own subjects; others, by the Spanish).

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JUNE 30

On June 30, 1982, the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution expired, having failed to receive the required number of ratifications for its adoption, despite having its seven-year deadline extended by three years.

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JULY 1

On July 1, 1966, the Medicare federal insurance program went into effect.

In 1867, Canada became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain as the British North America Act took effect.

In 1903, the first Tour de France began. (It ended on July 19; the winner was Maurice Garin.)

In 1944, delegates from 44 countries began meeting at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, where they agreed to establish the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

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JULY 2

On July 2, 1937, aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first round-the-world flight along the equator.