Today is Wednesday, June 11, the 163rd day of 2008. There are 203 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlights in History:

On June 11, 1776, the Continental Congress formed a committee to draft a Declaration of Independence calling for freedom from Britain.

On this date:

• In 1509, England’s King Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon.

• In 1770, Capt. James Cook, commander of the British ship Endeavour, discovered the Great Barrier Reef off Australia by running onto it.

Today’s Birthdays: Opera singer Rise Stevens is 95. Actor-producer Richard Todd is 89. Actor Gene Wilder is 75. Actor Chad Everett is 71. Comedian Johnny Brown is 71. Former auto racer Jackie Stewart is 69. Singer Joey Dee is 68. Actress Adrienne Barbeau is 63. Rock musician Frank Beard (ZZ Top) is 59. Rock singer Donnie Van Zant is 56. Actor Peter Bergman is 55. (Third Day) is 32. Actor Joshua Jackson is 30. Christian rock musician Ryan Shrout (Kutless) is 28. Actor Shia LaBeouf is 22.

Thought for Today: “Forgetfulness is a form of freedom.”— Khalil Gibran, American poet and artist (1883-1931).