Today:
1. 1973: The U.S. Supreme Court delivers its decision in the landmark case Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion.
2. 1901: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom passes away after 63 years on the throne, marking the end of the Victorian era.
3. 1947: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines initiates the first commercial flight to land at New York’s Idlewild Airport, which later became John F. Kennedy International Airport.
4. 2002: Kmart, one of the largest retail chains in the United States, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
5. 1987: Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer commits suicide during a televised press conference.