Today in History: ‘Under God’ added to the Pledge of Allegiance

Today is Friday, June 14, the 166th day of 2024. There are 200 days left in the year. This is Flag Day.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 14, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a measure adding the phrase “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance.

On this date:

In 1775, the Continental Army, forerunner of the United States Army, was created.

In 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the design of the original American flag.

In 1846, a group of U.S. settlers in Sonoma proclaimed the Republic of California.

In 1911, the British ocean liner RMS Olympic set out on its maiden voyage for New York, arriving one week later. (The ship’s captain was Edward John Smith, who went on to command the ill-fated RMS Titanic the following year.)

In 1919, John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown embarked on the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1940, German troops entered Paris during World War II; the same day, the Nazis began transporting prisoners to the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland.

In 1943, the U.S. Supreme Court, in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, ruled 6-3 that public school students could not be forced to salute the flag of the United States.

In 1967, California Gov. Ronald Reagan signed a bill liberalizing his state’s abortion law.

In 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency ordered a ban on domestic use of the pesticide DDT, to take effect at year’s end.

In 1982, Argentine forces surrendered to British troops on the disputed Falkland Islands.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2005, Michelle Wie, 15, became the first female player to qualify for an adult male U.S. Golf Association championship, tying for first place in a 36-hole U.S. Amateur Public Links sectional qualifying tournament.

In 2013, The Associated Press reported Minnesota resident Michael Karkoc had been a top commander of a Nazi SS-led unit accused of burning villages filled with women and children, then lied to American immigration officials to get into the United States after World War II.

In 2017, fire ripped through the 24-story Grenfell Tower in West London, killing 71 people.

In 2018, a Justice Department watchdog report on the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe criticized the FBI and its former director, James Comey, but did not find evidence that political bias tainted the investigation.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Marla Gibbs is 93. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., is 85. Country-rock musician Spooner Oldham is 81. Rock singer Rod Argent (The Zombies; Argent) is 79. Former President Donald Trump is 78. Singer Janet Lennon (The Lennon Sisters) is 78. Rock musician Barry Melton is 77. Actor Will Patton is 70. Olympic gold medal speed skater Eric Heiden is 66. Jazz musician Marcus Miller is 65. Singer Boy George is 63. Rock musician Chris DeGarmo is 61. Actor Traylor Howard is 58. Actor Yasmine Bleeth is 56. Actor Faizon Love is 56. Actor Stephen Wallem is 56. International Tennis Hall of Famer Steffi Graf is 55. Actor Sullivan Stapleton is 47. Screenwriter Diablo Cody is 46. Classical pianist Lang Lang is 42. Actor Lawrence Saint-Victor is 42. Actor Torrance Coombs is 41. Actor J.R. Martinez is 41. Actor-singer Kevin McHale is 36. Actor Lucy Hale is 35. Pop singer Jesy Nelson (Little Mix) is 35. Country singer Joel Crouse is 31. Actor Daryl Sabara is 32.