On This Day, June 14: Grenfell Tower fire kills 72 in London

A 24-story building containing more than 120 flats lies in ruins after catching fire in the early hours of June 14, 2017, killing nearly 80 people. File Photo Hugo Philpott/UPI
A 24-story building containing more than 120 flats lies in ruins after catching fire in the early hours of June 14, 2017, killing nearly 80 people. File Photo Hugo Philpott/UPI

On this date in history:

In 1623, in the first breach-of-promise lawsuit in the United States, the Rev. Greville Pooley sued Cicely Jordan in Charles City, Va., for jilting him for another man.

In 1775, the Continental Congress established the Army as the first U.S. military service.

In 1777, the Stars and Stripes became the national U.S. flag.

In 1922, Warren G. Harding became the first U.S. president to broadcast a message over the radio. The occasion was the dedication of the Francis Scott Key Memorial in Baltimore.

Teachers and students recite the Pledge of Allegiance prior to the arrival of President Barack Obama at Buck Lodge Middle School in Adelphi, Md., on February 4, 2014. On June 14, 1954, the phrase "under God" was formally added to U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI
Teachers and students recite the Pledge of Allegiance prior to the arrival of President Barack Obama at Buck Lodge Middle School in Adelphi, Md., on February 4, 2014. On June 14, 1954, the phrase "under God" was formally added to U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. File Photo by Pat Benic/UPI

In 1933, the first Superman comic book -- Action Comic No. 1 -- was published.

File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
Adolf Hitler attending a Nazi party rally in Nuremberg, Germany, circa 1928. On June 14, 1940, German troops marched down Paris' Champs-Élysées as Allied forces abandoned the French capital. File Photo courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration
Adolf Hitler attending a Nazi party rally in Nuremberg, Germany, circa 1928. On June 14, 1940, German troops marched down Paris' Champs-Élysées as Allied forces abandoned the French capital. File Photo courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration

In 1940, German troops marched down Paris' Champs-Élysées as Allied forces abandoned the French capital.

In 1951, Univac I, the world's first commercial computer, designed for the U.S. Census Bureau, was introduced.

Prime Minister Leo Varadkar of Ireland speaks during a meeting with President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 15. On June 14, 2017, Ireland's parliament elected Varadkar, the country's youngest and first openly gay prime minister. File Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI
Prime Minister Leo Varadkar of Ireland speaks during a meeting with President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 15. On June 14, 2017, Ireland's parliament elected Varadkar, the country's youngest and first openly gay prime minister. File Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI

In 1954, the phrase "under God" was formally added to U.S. Pledge of Allegiance.

In 1982, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced a cease-fire with Argentina, bringing to an end the Falkland Islands War after 74 days.

In 1985, Shiite Muslim gunmen highjacked TWA Flight 847 carrying 153 passengers and crew from Athens to Rome. The ordeal ended 17 days later in Beirut, where one of the hostages, a U.S. sailor, was killed.

In 1998, the Chicago Bulls won their sixth NBA title in eight years and third in a row, defeating the Utah Jazz in the championship series.

In 2003, the Czech Republic voted overwhelmingly to join the European Union.

In 2013, Hassan Rouhani was elected president of Iran.

File Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI
File Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI

In 2017, Ireland's parliament elected Leo Varadkar, the country's youngest and first openly gay prime minister.

In 2017, a fire at Grenfell Tower, a high-rise apartment building in west London, killed 72 people.

In 2017, a gunman opened fire at a Republican team charity baseball practice in suburban Washington, D.C, seriously injuring House Republican Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana. The shooting also left three others injured by gunfire and two more sustained injuries trying to flee.

In 2022, Canada and Denmark formally settled a territorial dispute dubbed the "Whiskey War" that lasted for nearly 50 years.

In 2023, nearly 80 people died after a boat carrying migrants capsized in Greek waters, the deadliest shipping accident off the nation's coast since the 2015 migrant crisis.

File Photo by Bougiotis Evangelos/EPA-EFE
File Photo by Bougiotis Evangelos/EPA-EFE