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On June 25, 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that the use of an unofficial, non-denominational prayer in New York State public schools was unconstitutional. 

On this date: 

In 1788, the state of Virginia ratified the U.S. Constitution. 

In 1876, Lt. Col. George A. Custer and his Seventh Cavalry were wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana. 

In 1942, some 1,000 British Royal Air Force bombers raided Bremen, Germany, during World War II. 

In 1950, war broke out in Korea as forces from the communist North invaded the South. 

In 1951, the first commercial color telecast took place as CBS transmitted a one-hour special from New York to four other cities. 

In 1967, the Beatles performed their new song, “All You Need Is Love,” during a live international telecast. 

In 1973, former White House Counsel John W. Dean began testifying before the Senate Watergate Committee. 

In 1991, the western Yugoslav republics of Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence. 

In 1995, Warren Burger, the 15th chief justice of the United States, died in Washington at age 87. 

In 1996, a truck bomb killed 19 Americans and injured hundreds at a U.S. military housing complex in Saudi Arabia. 

Ten years ago: Both houses of Congress rushed to pass a back-to-work order ending a national rail strike. (President George H.W. Bush signed it June 26.) The space shuttle Columbia, carrying seven astronauts, blasted off on a two-week mission. 

Five years ago: An unmanned cargo ship crashed into Russia’s Mir space station, knocking out half of the station’s power and rupturing a pressurized laboratory. The Supreme Court struck down the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, designed to limit government’s ability to regulate religious practices. Oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau died in Paris at age 87. 

One year ago: The United Nations opened its first global gathering on HIV/AIDS with emotional pleas for help from African leaders. Pope John Paul II, on a visit to Ukraine, offered a prayer for Holocaust victims at Babi Yar. 

Today’s Birthdays: Movie director Sidney Lumet is 78. Actress June Lockhart is 77. Rhythm-and-blues singer Eddie Floyd is 67. Actress Barbara Montgomery is 63. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Willis Reed is 60. Singer Carly Simon is 57. Rock musician Allen Lanier (Blue Oyster Cult) is 56. Rock musician Ian McDonald (Foreigner; King Crimson) is 56. Actor-comedian Jimmie Walker is 55. Actor-director Michael Lembeck is 54. TV personality Phyllis George is 53. Rock singer Tim Finn is 50. Rock musician David Paich (Toto) is 48. Rock singer George Michael is 39. Rapper-producer Richie Rich is 35. Rapper Candyman is 34. Musician Sean Kelly (Sixpence None the Richer) is 31. Rock musician Mario Calire (Wallflowers) is 28. Actress Linda Cardellini is 27.