On June 24, 1946, Fred M. Vinson was sworn in as the 13th chief justice of the United States, succeeding the late Harlan F. Stone.

Ten years ago

Patsy Ramsey, who had been thrust into the spotlight by the unsolved slaying of her daughter JonBenet, died in Roswell, Georgia, at age 49.

Five years ago

A defiant U.S. House voted overwhelmingly to deny President Barack Obama the authority to wage war against Libya, but Republicans fell short in an effort to actually cut off funds for the operation. New York State legalized same-sex marriage. A truck-tractor hauling two side-dump trailers ran into a 12-car Amtrak passenger train at a crossing in the Nevada desert, killing six people, including the truck driver.

One year ago

A federal judge in Boston formally sentenced Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death for the 2013 terror attacks. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley became the first southern governor to use his executive power to remove Confederate banners, as four flags with secessionist symbols were taken down from a large monument to rebel soldiers outside the state capitol in Montgomery.

— By The Associated Press