THIS DAY IN HISTORY

June 29, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Today is Monday, June 29, the 180th day of 2009. There are 185 days left in the year. On this date in 1776, the Virginia state constitution is adopted, and Patrick Henry is made governor.

In 1767, the British Parliament approves the Townshend Acts, which imposes import duties on certain goods shipped to America. (Colonists bitterly protest, prompting Parliament in 1770 to repeal the duties on all goods, except tea.) In 1946, authorities in British-rule Palestine arrest more than 2,700 Jews in an attempt to stamp out extremists. In 1959, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously strikes down a New York State obscenity ban on exhibiting a French movie version of the D.H. Lawrence novel “Lady Chatterley’s Lover.” In 1966, the United States bombs fuel storage facilities near the North Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Haiphong. In 1967, Jerusalem is reunified as Israel removes barricades separating the Old City from the Israeli sector. . In 1972, the Supreme Court rules the death penalty as it is being meted out could constitute “cruel and unusual punishment.” (The ruling prompts states to revise their capital punishment laws.) .

June 29, 1984: Three Youngstown and New Castle scrap dealers are indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of fixing prices for metal they purchased from two Rockwell International plants in New Castle.

Charles Mollenkopf is named executive director of Junior Achievement of Youngstown and will oversee the programs in Youngstown and Warren.

The Boardman Board of Education takes a step toward borrowing from the state emergency loan fund for schools by voting to request an audit of the district’s books.

June 29, 1969: In little more than a year, motorists will be able to travel the breadth of Ohio on Interstate 80 after six segments of the highway, all in the Youngstown area, are completed.

Mahoning County’s elected and appointed governmental heads have requested a record $7.4 million to run the county in 1970, leaving commissioners with the task of cutting $1.5 million from the requests to balance the budget.

June 29, 1959: The Rev. Charles D. MacLagan, minister of education at Trinity Methodist Church, is named pastor of Grace Methodist Church by Bishop Hazen G. Werner at the 21st Northeast Ohio Annual Conference at Lakeside, Ohio.

Youngstown hospital emergency wards are jammed when at least 66 people suffer food poisoning after eating tainted potato salad at a wedding reception at the Croatian Hall in Campbell.

June 29, 1934: With the temperature reaching 99 degrees, five steel workers are taken to hospitals for treatment of heat prostration.

A lion that is believed to have escaped from a circus is prowling an area between Conneaut, Ohio, and Summerville, Pa. It has been spotted by a Toledo motorcycle rider and a Bessemer line railroad conductor.

Ray Goddard of Warren is chosen a delegate to the national convention of the United Spanish War Veterans at the conclusion of the state convention in Toledo.