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On This Day: Eisenhower takes command of U.S. forces in Europe

On June 25, 1942, U.S. Army Gen. Dwight Eisenhower took command of the U.S. World War II forces in Europe.
By UPI Staff   |   June 25, 2018 at 3:00 AM
Gen. Dwight Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie Eisenhower, attend a 1947 New Year's Day football game in Miami. On June 25, 1942, Eisenhower took command of the U.S. World War II forces in Europe. UPI File Photo Organized by the United Nations Civil Assistance Command, the distribution of a daily ration of rice to the population of Seoul started three days after the liberation of the city on March 17, 1951.On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces invaded South Korea, beginning the Korean War. File Photo United Nations/UPI A fan signs a large poster at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on July 6, 2009. The venue was the planned location for late pop star Michael Jackson's memorial service scheduled for July 7, 2009. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI Former Prime Minister of Canada Kim Campbell speaks at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington on April 13, 2008. Campbell was sworn in as Canada's first female prime minister on this day in 1993. File Photo by Patrick D. McDermott/UPI

On this date in history:

In 1876, U.S. Army Gen. George Custer and his force of 208 men were killed by Chief Sitting Bull's Sioux warriors at Little Big Horn in Montana.

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In 1942, U.S. Army Gen. Dwight Eisenhower took command of the U.S. World War II forces in Europe.

In 1950, North Korean forces invaded South Korea, beginning the Korean War.

In 1951, CBS aired the first color television broadcast. At the time, no color TV sets were owned by the public.

In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision interpreted as barring prayer in public schools.

In 1973, White House attorney John Dean told a U.S. Senate committee that U.S. President Richard Nixon joined in a plot to cover up the Watergate break-in.

File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

In 1991, Slovenia and Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia, sparking civil war.

In 1993, Kim Campbell was sworn in as Canada's first woman prime minister, taking the post after the retirement of Brian Mulroney. Campbell was prime minister until November, leaving office after her Progressive Conservative Party was defeated in the federal election.

In 1994, Japanese Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata resigned two months after taking office rather than face a no-confidence vote by Parliament.

In 1997, about half of Mir's power supply was knocked out when an unmanned cargo ship collided with the Russian space station and put a hole in it.

In 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president of Iran.

File Photo by Reza Madadi/UPI

In 2006, Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped by militants from the Gaza Strip. He was released Oct. 18, 2011.

In 2009, entertainment superstar Michael Jackson, known as "the king of pop," a vast influence on the music scene of his day, died of cardiac arrest at age 50 while preparing a comeback.

In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that mandatory sentencing of teenage killers to life without parole is unconstitutional.

In 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that police must get a warrant before searching the cellphone of a person who is arrested.

File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI