Today is Monday, June 15, the 166th day of 2026. There are 199 days left in the year.
Today in History
On June 15, 1904, more than 1,000 people died when fire erupted aboard the steamboat PS General Slocum in New York’s East River; it remained the deadliest individual event in the New York area until 9/11.
Also on this date: In 1215, England’s King John placed his seal on the Magna Carta, which curtailed the absolute power of the monarchy. In 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted unanimously to appoint George Washington head of the Continental Army.
In 1864, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton signed an order establishing a military burial ground that became Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. In 1895, a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 8.5 earthquake struck the coast of northeastern Japan, killing more than 22,000 people.
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. Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established by Congress the same year.
In 1982, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Plyler v. Doe that states cannot deny students a free K-12 public education because of their immigration status, citing the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
Today’s Birthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Billy Williams is 88. Former MLB player and manager Dusty Baker is 77. Actor Simon Callow is 77. Singer Russell Hitchcock (Air Supply) is 77.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
