18 June: "Two White Supremacists," Not To Be Confused W/ "Two White Supremacist Brothers;" David Bowie Gets An Owie

By The Associated Press Today is Thursday, June 18, the 169th day of 2009. There are 196 days left in the year. AP. A/V. UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: On June 18, 1940, during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill urged his countrymen to conduct themselves in a manner that would prompt future generations to say, "This was their finest hour." Hear Churchill babble about "Christian Civilization". On this date: In 1778, American forces entered Philadelphia as the British withdrew during the Revolutionary War. In 1812, the United States declared war against Britain. In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte met his Waterloo as British and Prussian troops defeated the French in Belgium. [Is that really correct usage there? Napoleon meeting "his Waterloo?" — Ed.] In 1873, suffragist Susan B. Anthony was found guilty by a judge in Canandaigua, N.Y., of breaking the law by casting a vote in the 1872 presidential election. (The judge fined Anthony $100, but she never paid the penalty.) In 1908, William Howard Taft was nominated for president by the Republican national convention in Chicago. In 1928, aviatrix Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean as she completed a flight from Newfoundland to Wales in about 21 hours. In 1945, William Joyce, known as "Lord Haw-Haw," was charged in London with high treason for his English-language wartime broadcasts on German radio. (He was hanged the following January.) [Two words: Rush Limbaugh. — Ed.] In 1975, Saudi Arabian Prince Museid was publicly beheaded in Riyadh for the assassination of King Faisal. Thirty years ago, in 1979, President Jimmy Carter and Soviet President Leonid I. Brezhnev signed the SALT II strategic arms limitation treaty in Vienna. President Carter babbles. In 1983, astronaut Sally K. Ride became America's first woman in space as she and four colleagues blasted off aboard the space shuttle Challenger.Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, Alan Berg, a Denver radio talk show host, was shot to death outside his home. (Two white supremacists were later convicted of civil rights violations in the slaying.) In 1990, James Edward Pough, 42, whose car had been repossessed, killed eight people and wounded five more before committing suicide at a General Motors Acceptance Corp. loan office in Jacksonville, Fla. He was believed to have killed two others a day earlier. In 1996, Unabomber suspect Theodore Kaczynski was charged with two killings in California; he pleaded innocent. Charges from New Jersey would come later. Ten years ago: The House rejected gun control legislation, 280-147, with many Democrats rebelling against National Rifle Association-backed provisions in the bill. The Group of 7 nations opened a three-day summit in Cologne, Germany. Arsonists struck three synagogues in the Sacramento, Calif., area. (Two white supremacist brothers were later convicted of federal charges and received sentences of 21 to 30 years in prison.) Five years ago: An al-Qaida cell in Saudi Arabia beheaded American engineer Paul M. Johnson Jr., posting grisly photographs of his severed head; hours later, Saudi security forces tracked down and killed the alleged mastermind of the kidnapping and murder. European Union leaders agreed on the first constitution for the bloc's 25 members. One year ago: With gasoline topping $4 a gallon, President George W. Bush urged Congress to lift its long-standing ban on offshore oil and gas drilling, saying the United States needed to increase its energy production; Democrats quickly rejected the idea. French filmmaker Jean Delannoy died in Guainville, France, at age 100. Today's Birthdays: Actor Ian Carmichael is 89. Columnist Tom Wicker is 83. Rock singer-composer-musician Paul McCartney is 67. Movie critic Roger Ebert is 67. Actress Constance McCashin is 62. Actress Linda Thorson is 62. Actress Isabella Rossellini is 57. Actress Carol Kane is 57. Rock singer Alison Moyet is 48. Country singer-musician Tim Hunt is 42. Rock singer-musician Sice (The Boo Radleys) is 40. R&B singer Nathan Morris (Boyz II Men) is 38. Actress Mara Hobel is 38. Rapper Silkk the Shocker is 34. Actress Alana de la Garza is 33. Country singer Blake Shelton is 33. San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates is 29. Today In Entertainment History -- In 1959, actress Ethel Barrymore died in Los Angeles at age 79. In 1977, Sex Pistols singer Johnny Rotten was slashed on his face and hands by young people armed with knives. They apparently objected to the band's song "God Save The Queen." The next day, guitarist Paul Cook was beaten up. In 1980, "The Blues Brothers" movie opened. Music stars making cameo appearances included James Brown, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. In 1987, a woman sued Motley Crue for $5,000, claiming she lost part of her hearing because the concert was too loud. [What? — Ed.] Bruce Springsteen officially separated from his wife, model-actress Julianne Phillips. In 2004, David Bowie was hit in the eye with a lollipop thrown onto the stage while he was performing in Oslo, Norway. He was not seriously hurt. Thought for Today: "The basic discovery about any people is the discovery of the relationship between its men and women." — Pearl S. Buck, American author (1892-1973).