By The Associated Press

              - Today is Thursday, June 24, the 175th day of 1999. There are 190
                days left in the year.

              - On June 24, 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 Bruce, defeated the
                English in the Battle of Bannockburn.
              - In 1497 explorer John Cabot spotted land, probably in present-day
                Canada - the first recorded sighting of North America by a European.
              - In 1509 Henry VIII was crowned king of England.
              - In 1793 the first republican constitution in France was adopted.
              - In 1842 author-journalist Ambrose Bierce was born in Meigs County,
                Ohio.
              - In 1908 the 22nd and 24th president of the U.S., Grover Cleveland,
                died in Princeton, N.J., at age 71.
              - In 1940 France signed an armistice with Italy during World War II.
              - In 1948 the Republican National Convention, meeting in Philadelphia,
                nominated New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey for president.
              - In 1968 "Resurrection City," a shantytown constructed as part of the
                Poor People's March on Washington D.C., was closed down by
                authorities.
              - In 1987 comedian-actor Jackie Gleason died at his home in Fort
                Lauderdale, Fla., at age 71.

              - Ten years ago after the crackdown on China's pro-democracy movement,
                Zhao Ziyang was deposed as Communist Party general secretary, and
                was replaced by Jiang Zemin.
              - Five years ago President Clinton struck out at his conservative
                critics and the media, complaining in a speech in St. Louis that
                unfair and negative reports about him were feeding a cynical mindset
                in America.
              - One year ago President Clinton left on a nine-day visit to China
                amid a swirl of controversy over his policy toward the Beijing
                government. AT&T Corp. struck a deal to buy cable TV giant
                Tele-Communications Inc. for $31.7 billion dollars.
 

              *Happy Birthday*
              ----------------
              - Actor Al Molinaro is 80.
              - Comedian Jack Carter is 76.
              - Movie director Claude Chabrol is 69.
              - Actress Michele Lee is 57.
              - Musician Mick Fleetwood is 57.
              - Actor-director Georg Stanford Brown is 56.
              - Rock musician Jeff Beck is 55.
              - Singer Arthur Brown is 55.
              - New York Gov. George Pataki is 54.
              - Rock singer Colin Blunstone (The Zombies) is 54.
              - Actor Peter Weller is 52.
              - Rock musician John Illsley (Dire Straits) is 50.
              - Actress Nancy Allen is 49.
              - Reggae singer Derrick Simpson (Black Uhuru) is 49.
              - Reggae singer Astro (UB40) is 42.
              - Singer-musician Andy McCluskey (Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark) is
                40.
              - Rock singer-musician Curt Smith is 38.
              - Actress Danielle Spencer is 34.
              - Actress Sherry Stringfield is 32.
              - Singer Glenn Medeiros is 29.