Today in History, June 17: Bunker Hill, Ballet, and Burglars

1579—Sir Francis Drake lands in modern-day California, naming the territory "Nova Albion" and claiming it for Queen Elizabeth I of England.

1775—Colonial and British troops fight the Battle of Bunker Hill, one of the first battles of the Revolutionary War, near Boston. Despite the name, most of the fighting occurred on the smaller Breed's Hill. The British won this battle, but the Americans retook the hill weeks later.

1940—Marshal Henri Pétain, the new prime minister of France, announces that his government will sign an armistice with Nazi Germany. This set the stage for the Vichy government in France.

1961—Kirov Opera Ballet star Rudolf Nureyev defects from the Soviet Union while preparing to board a plane in Paris.

1972—Five people are arrested following a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington.