Reuters historical calendar - June 19

London, June 18 (Reuters) Following are some of the major events to have occurred on June 19 since 1900: 1937 - The Scottish dramatist and novelist J M Barrie, creator of Peter Pan, died.

1953 - Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in the electric chair for spying for the Soviet Union; they were the first married couple to be executed in the United States.

1964 - The US civil rights bill was passed by the House of Representatives. The Senate approved it on July 2.

1965 - Houari Boumedienne, Algerian defence minister, overthrew President Ahmed Ben Bella in a bloodless coup.

1970 - The Soyuz-9 spacecraft landed safely in the Soviet Union after a record 17 days in orbit.

1993 - The Nobel prize-winning author William Golding died.

He was best known for his novel ''Lord of the Flies''.

2000 - British customs officers found the bodies of 58 Chinese illegal immigrants crammed into a truck at the port of Dover. The truck's Dutch driver was charged with manslaughter.

2001 - Syria completed a pullout of its troops from Beirut and surrounding areas, ending in six days decades of controversial military presence.

2002 - Hamid Karzai was inaugurated as president of Afghanistan for the next 18 months and announced his cabinet at the final day of the Loya Jirga grand assembly.

2003 - A Nigerian oil pipeline punctured by thieves exploded at Onicha Amiyi-Uhu, 50 km (35 miles) north of the Abia state capital Umuahia, killing 125 villagers.

REUTERS RN DS1417