Today is Saturday, June 20, the 171st day of 2009. There are 194 days left in the year.
1782 _ Congress approves Great Seal of U.S. and the eagle as its symbol
1837 _ Queen Victoria at 18 ascends British throne following death of
uncle King William IV who ruled for 63 years ending in 1901
1867 _ President Andrew Johnson announces purchase of Alaska
1895 _ Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras form a short-lived confederation
1943 _ National Congress of Racial Equality organizes
1944 _ Congress charters Central Intelligence Agency
1963 _ U.S. and USSR agree to set up ``hot line"
1968 _ Jim Hines becomes first person to run 100 meters in under 10 seconds
1990 _ 40,000-50,000 die in a 7.6-Richter scale earthquake in Iran
1990 _ Nelson Mandela lands in NYC to begin a tour of the U.S.