25 Years Ago

June 6, 1978 California voters approve Proposition 13 imposing strict limits on property taxes.

June 28, 1978 In Bakke v. Regents of the University of California , the U.S. Supreme Court rules that inflexible racial quotas are illegal in university admissions.

50 Years Ago

June 18, 1953 A U.S. Air Force plane crashes near Tokyo, killing 129 people, the world’s worst air disaster up to this point.

June 19, 1953 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a married couple who gave nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union, are executed at Sing Sing Prison in New York State.

July 27, 1953 North Korean and United Nations officials sign a truce that ends the Korean War.

100 Years Ago

July 4, 1903 The first transpacific cable is completed, stretching from San Francisco to Manila, in the Philippines. President Theodore Roosevelt sends the inaugural message over the cable.

July 26, 1903 The first transcontinental automobile trip comes to an end as a Winton driven by two men arrives in New York City after leaving San Francisco on May 23. One month later a Packard will complete a similar journey.