Today in History: June 14, German troops occupy Paris

Today is Sunday, June 14, the 165th day of 2026. There are 200 days left in the year. This is Flag Day. Today in history: On June 14, 1940, German troops entered Paris during World War II; the same day, the Nazis transported their first prisoners to the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland. Also on this date: In 1775, the Continental Army, forerunner of the United States Army, was created by the Second Continental Congress. In 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the design of the first “stars and stripes” American flag. In 1846, a group of U.S. settlers in Sonoma proclaimed the breakaway state of the California Republic, declaring independence from Mexico.In 1919, British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown embarked on the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. They flew a twin-engine biplane more than 16 hours and 1,890 miles (3,041 kilometers) from Newfoundland, Canada, to Ireland.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 or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill adding the phrase “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1972, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered a ban on domestic use of the pesticide DDT, to take effect at year’s end. Popular ReadsIn 1982, Argentine forces surrendered to British troops on the disputed Falkland Islands, ending the 74-day Falklands War and returning the islands to British control. In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced his nomination of 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 2017, fire ripped through the 24-story Grenfell Tower residential building in West London, killing 72 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.In 2025, former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were gunned down at their suburban Minneapolis home in what authorities called a politically motivated killing. Before that, authorities say, the gunman wounded another Democrat, Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife a few miles away. (Vance Boelter has pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder charges in the shootings.)Today’s Birthdays: Actor Marla Gibbs is 95. U.S. President Donald Trump is 80. Olympic speed skating gold medalist Eric Heiden is 68. Jazz musician Marcus Miller is 67. Singer Boy George is 65. Tennis Hall of Famer Steffi Graf is 57. Classical pianist Lang Lang is 44. Actor J.R. Martinez is 43. Actor Lucy Hale is 37. Actor Daryl Sabara is 34. Rapper Gunna is 33. Singer Ayra Starr is 24. Actor Tamara Smart is 21.

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