Today is Tuesday, June 24, the 175th day of 2003. There are 190 days left in the year. On this date

Today is Tuesday, June 24, the 175th day of 2003. There are 190 days left in the year. On this date in 1948, Communist forces cut off all land and water routes between West Germany and West Berlin, prompting the western allies to organize the massive Berlin Airlift.
In 1314, the forces of Scotland's King Robert I defeat the English in the Battle of Bannockburn. In 1509, Henry VIII is crowned king of England. In 1647, Margaret Brent, a niece of Lord Baltimore, is ejected from the Maryland Assembly after demanding a place and vote in that governing body. In 1793, the first republican constitution in France is adopted. In 1908, the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, Grover Cleveland, dies in Princeton, N.J., at age 71. In 1940, France signs an armistice with Italy during World War II. In 1968, "Resurrection City," a shantytown constructed as part of the Poor People's March on Washington, D.C., is closed down by authorities. In 1975, 113 people are killed when an Eastern Airlines Boeing 727 crashes while attempting to land during a thunderstorm at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. In 1983, the space shuttle "Challenger" -- carrying America's first woman in space, Sally K. Ride -- coasts to a safe landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In 1987, comedian-actor Jackie Gleason dies at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at age 71.
June 24, 1978: Mark Boyd, a Cardinal Mooney High School graduate who will begin pre-medical studies in September, wins the National Forensic League original oratory championship at Northwestern University. He is the first Youngstowner to win first place in the national speech tournament.
Boardman police clear the Southern Park Mall area and search in vain for over three hours for a suspected shoplifter who pulled a gun on a special police officer who was questioning him and bolted.
The Rev. Edgar Lee Jr., former pastor of the Elizabeth Park Sunday School Mission, Akron, is named pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, Campbell.
June 24, 1963: Former Youngstown Mayor Frank R. Franko is among the witnesses called to testify before the federal grand jury in Cleveland that is investigating rackets and alleged government corruption.
Lack of interest in financing the local share of a $376,000 sewage treatment plant in Austintown costs the county a $112,800 federal grant for one third of the cost. Commissioners reluctantly withdraw the project.
Philip A. Snyder, a member of the General Fireproofing Co. advertising department since 1955, has been appointed director of public information at Westminster College, New Wilmington.
June 24, 1953: "Youngstown can be the safest city in the nation by the end of the year, with crime and traffic deaths falling, if citizens continue to cooperate with law enforcement agencies," Police Chief Edward J. Allen tells the North Side Merchants and Civic Association.
The Lincoln Park Bridge, which has come to be called "suicide lane bridge," claims another life when Robert J. Double, 25, of Harmony, Pa., strikes the bridge's cement abutment. Dr. David A. Belinky, Mahoning County coroner, says the bridge's nickname is a misnomer because it transfers the blame to the driver. It should be called homicide bridge, the coroner says.
A pollworker found guilty of tampering with ballots in Youngstown's Third Ward during the November election is placed on five years' probation by Judge David Jenkins. She could have faced five years in the penitentiary.
June 24, 1928: Five thousand Masons and their families attend the annual Masonic picnic at Idora Park. Children are given lollipops and free rides on the amusement devices and free dancing ruled at the pavilion.
Dr. James F. Elder, Youngstown district health commissioner, says milk is the indispensable food for children, but parents should be bringing the milk in from the stoop before the sun warms it, keep the milk cool and do not let it be contaminated by flies or animals.
The Rev. Alexander Savage, D.D., has served 52 years at the church of his first and only call, the Darlington, Pa., Reformed Presbyterian Church. In 1877 when he became pastor, the congregation numbered 204. It has grown to nearly 400.