Today in History: June 27

1904:  American lecturer and writer Helen Adams Keller (1880 - 1968) on the day of her graduation from Radcliffe College, Massachusetts. Blind, deaf and mute from the age of one, she was taught to read Braille, speak and lipread with her fingers by teacher Anne Sullivan.  (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)
In 1880, author-lecturer Helen Keller, who lived most of her life without sight or hearing, was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama. 1904: American lecturer and writer Helen Adams Keller (1880 – 1968) on the day of her graduation from Radcliffe College, Massachusetts. Blind, deaf and mute from the age of one, she was taught to read Braille, speak and lipread with her fingers by teacher Anne Sullivan. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)
A group of people begin the grim task of identifying those killed when hurricane Audrey swept through this small coastal town in Cameron, La., on June 29, 1957. About 50 persons are known dead and about 150 are missing. (AP Photo/Randy Taylor)
In 1957, more than 500 people were killed when Hurricane Audrey slammed through coastal Louisiana and Texas. Here, a group of people begin the grim task of identifying those killed when Hurricane Audrey swept through this small coastal town in Cameron, La., on June 29, 1957. (AP Photo/Randy Taylor)
President Richard Nixon talked hopefully of the possibility that the Soviet Union might help in achieving a settlement in the Middle East and in Vietnam, during a news conference, March 4, 1969 in the White House in Washington.  The president used the news conference to report to the nation news of his journey to allied capitals in Europe. (AP Photo)
In 1974, President Richard Nixon opened an official visit to the Soviet Union. Here, President Richard Nixon talked hopefully of the possibility that the Soviet Union might help in achieving a settlement in the Middle East and in Vietnam, during a news conference, March 4, 1969 in the White House in Washington. The president used the news conference to report to the nation news of his journey to allied capitals in Europe. (AP Photo)
In 1985, the legendary Route 66, which originally stretched from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, passed into history as officials decertified the road. In this Dec. 10, 2015 photo provided by Henry Lackey a sign of the Route 66 Junkyard Brewery is seen in Grants, N.M. The brewery is facing a U.S. federal lawsuit from the Cyprus-based Lodestar Anstalt over claims the hangout is illegally using the iconic American highway in its name. According to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, Lodestar owns the U.S. trademark for Route 66 beers in the country and the highway’s “shield” that go on labels for beer. (Henry Lackey via AP)
A casually-attired Mike Tyson poses with tuxedoed Michael Spinks Wednesday, March 30, 1988 in New York, where they attended news conference confirming their scheduled June 27 fight in Atlantic City, N.J., for the world heavyweight boxing title now held by Tyson. (AP Photo/ Marty Lederhandler)
In 1988, Mike Tyson retained the undisputed heavyweight crown as he knocked out Michael Spinks 91 seconds into the first round of a championship fight in Atlantic City, New Jersey. A casually-attired Mike Tyson poses with tuxedoed Michael Spinks Wednesday, March 30, 1988 in New York, where they attended news conference confirming their scheduled June 27 fight in Atlantic City, N.J., for the world heavyweight boxing title now held by Tyson. (AP Photo/ Marty Lederhandler)
On June 27, 1990, NASA announced a flaw in the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope was preventing the instrument from achieving optimum focus. (The problem was traced to a mirror that had not been ground to exact specifications; corrective optics were later installed to fix the problem.) (AP Photo)

In this April 25, 1990 photograph provided by NASA, most of the giant Hubble Space Telescope can be seen as it is suspended in space by Discovery's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) following the deployment of part of its solar panels and antennae. This was among the first photos NASA released on April 30 from the five-day STS-31 mission.  The Hubble Space Telescope, one of NASA'S crowning glories, marks its 25th anniversary on Friday, April 24, 2015. With more than 1 million observations, including those of the farthest and oldest galaxies ever beholden by humanity, no man-made satellite has touched as many minds or hearts as Hubble.  (NASA via AP)
In 1990, NASA announced a flaw in the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope was preventing the instrument from achieving optimum focus. (The problem was traced to a mirror that had not been ground to exact specifications; corrective optics were later installed to fix the problem.) (AP Photo) Here, most of the giant Hubble Space Telescope can be seen as it is suspended in space by Discovery’s Remote Manipulator System (RMS) following the deployment of part of its solar panels and antennae in this April 25, 1990 provided by NASA (NASA via AP)
FILE - In this June 28, 1991 file photo, then-retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall faces cameras and reporters during a news conference in the Supreme Court in Washington. As a young lawyer working for Marshall, Elena Kagan repeatedly expressed her concern that a conservative Supreme Court was looking for ways to cut back on the rights of women, criminal defendants and prisoners. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi, File)
In 1991, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first black jurist to sit on the nation’s highest court, announced his retirement. (His departure led to the contentious nomination of Clarence Thomas to succeed him.) In this June 28, 1991 file photo, then-retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall faces cameras and reporters during a news conference in the Supreme Court in Washington. As a young lawyer working for Marshall, Elena Kagan repeatedly expressed her concern that a conservative Supreme Court was looking for ways to cut back on the rights of women, criminal defendants and prisoners. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi, File)
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1904:  American lecturer and writer Helen Adams Keller (1880 - 1968) on the day of her graduation from Radcliffe College, Massachusetts. Blind, deaf and mute from the age of one, she was taught to read Braille, speak and lipread with her fingers by teacher Anne Sullivan.  (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)
A group of people begin the grim task of identifying those killed when hurricane Audrey swept through this small coastal town in Cameron, La., on June 29, 1957. About 50 persons are known dead and about 150 are missing. (AP Photo/Randy Taylor)
President Richard Nixon talked hopefully of the possibility that the Soviet Union might help in achieving a settlement in the Middle East and in Vietnam, during a news conference, March 4, 1969 in the White House in Washington.  The president used the news conference to report to the nation news of his journey to allied capitals in Europe. (AP Photo)
A casually-attired Mike Tyson poses with tuxedoed Michael Spinks Wednesday, March 30, 1988 in New York, where they attended news conference confirming their scheduled June 27 fight in Atlantic City, N.J., for the world heavyweight boxing title now held by Tyson. (AP Photo/ Marty Lederhandler)
On June 27, 1990, NASA announced a flaw in the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope was preventing the instrument from achieving optimum focus. (The problem was traced to a mirror that had not been ground to exact specifications; corrective optics were later installed to fix the problem.) (AP Photo)

In this April 25, 1990 photograph provided by NASA, most of the giant Hubble Space Telescope can be seen as it is suspended in space by Discovery's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) following the deployment of part of its solar panels and antennae. This was among the first photos NASA released on April 30 from the five-day STS-31 mission.  The Hubble Space Telescope, one of NASA'S crowning glories, marks its 25th anniversary on Friday, April 24, 2015. With more than 1 million observations, including those of the farthest and oldest galaxies ever beholden by humanity, no man-made satellite has touched as many minds or hearts as Hubble.  (NASA via AP)
FILE - In this June 28, 1991 file photo, then-retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall faces cameras and reporters during a news conference in the Supreme Court in Washington. As a young lawyer working for Marshall, Elena Kagan repeatedly expressed her concern that a conservative Supreme Court was looking for ways to cut back on the rights of women, criminal defendants and prisoners. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi, File)

Today is Thursday, June 27, the 178th day of 2019. There are 187 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 27, 1991, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first black jurist to sit on the nation’s highest court, announced his retirement. (His departure led to the contentious nomination of Clarence Thomas to succeed him.)

On this date:

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

In 1846, New York and Boston were linked by telegraph wires.

In 1880, author-lecturer Helen Keller, who lived most of her life without sight or hearing, was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama.

In 1905, the Industrial Workers of the World was founded in Chicago.

In 1944, during World War II, American forces liberated the French port of Cherbourg (SHEHR’-boorg) from the Germans.

In 1957, Hurricane Audrey slammed into coastal Louisiana and Texas as a Category 4 storm; the official death toll from the storm was placed at 390, although a variety of state, federal and local sources have estimated the number of fatalities at between 400 and 600.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon opened an official visit to the Soviet Union.

In 1984, the Supreme Court ended the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s monopoly on controlling college football telecasts, ruling such control violated antitrust law.

In 1988, at least 56 people were killed when a commuter train ran into a stationary train at the Gare de Lyon terminal in Paris. In 1988, Mike Tyson retained the undisputed heavyweight crown as he knocked out Michael Spinks 91 seconds into the first round of a championship fight in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In 1990, NASA announced that a flaw in the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope was preventing the instrument from achieving optimum focus. (The problem was traced to a mirror that had not been ground to exact specifications; corrective optics were later installed to fix the problem.)

In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled, in a pair of 5-4 decisions, that displaying the Ten Commandments on government property was constitutionally permissible in some cases but not in others. BTK serial killer Dennis Rader pleaded guilty to ten murders that had spread fear across Wichita, Kansas, beginning in the 1970s. (Rader later received multiple life sentences.)

In 2008, North Korea destroyed the most visible symbol of its nuclear weapons program, the cooling tower at its main atomic reactor at Yongbyon. (However, North Korea announced in September 2008 that it was restoring its nuclear facilities.)

Ten years ago: Dr. Conrad Murray, the cardiologist who was with Michael Jackson during the pop star’s final moments two days earlier, sat down with investigators for the first time to explain his actions. Actress Gale Storm, 87, died in Danville, California.

Five years ago: Over Russian objections, Ukraine’s new president, Petro Poroshenko (por-oh-SHEHN’-koh), signed a free-trade agreement binding his country more closely to Western Europe. Leslie Manigat, 83, a prominent figure in the Haitian political establishment whose rule as president was cut short by a military coup in 1988, died in Port-au-Prince. Bobby Womack, 70, a colorful and highly influential R&B singer-songwriter who had influenced artists from the Rolling Stones to Damon Albarn, died in Los Angeles.

One year ago: Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose vote often decided cases on abortion, gay rights and other contentious issues, announced his retirement. The Supreme Court ruled that government workers can’t be forced to contribute to labor unions that represent them in collective bargaining. Joe Jackson, the patriarch of the singing Jackson family, died in Las Vegas at the age of 89.

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