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| eMacromall.com This Month in History January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December |
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| Last - June - Next - Print | ||
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2009 – General Motors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, one of the largest industrial bankruptcies in U.S. history. 2002 – The Czech Republic enacts the world’s first national light‑pollution law, requiring shielded outdoor lighting. 1994 – South Africa rejoins the Commonwealth of Nations following the end of apartheid. 1990 – The United States and the Soviet Union agreed to destroy their chemical weapons stockpiles, marking a major step toward reducing weapons of mass destruction. 1980 - CNN launches, becoming the world’s first 24‑hour cable news channel. 1974 – The Heimlich maneuver is published for the first time, introducing a life‑saving technique for choking victims. 1968 – Helen Keller, renowned author and disability rights advocate, dies in Westport, Connecticut. 1965 - A coal mine explosion in Japan kills 236 people, one of the country’s deadliest mining disasters. 1946 – Ion Antonescu, Romania’s WWII dictator, is executed by firing squad. 1926 - Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jean Mortensen) (1926-1962) is born in Los Angeles, CA. 1907 – Frank Whittle, English aviation engineer and inventor of the jet engine, is born. 1880 – The first payphone goes into service in the United States, requiring payment to an attendant. 1874 – The Philadelphia Zoo opens, becoming the first zoo in the United States. 1801 - Brigham Young (1801-1877), future leader of the Latter‑day Saints and founder of Utah’s early settlements, is born in Whittingham, Vermont. 1543 – Andreas Vesalius publishes De humani corporis fabrica, revolutionizing the study of human anatomy. 1494 – Friar John Cor distills Scotland’s first recorded whisky at Lindores Abbey. | |
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2024 – Claudia Sheinbaum is elected Mexico’s first female president. 1989 – Citizens block Chinese troops in Tiananmen Square during pro‑democracy demonstrations. 1953 – Queen Elizabeth II is crowned at Westminster Abbey. 1935 – Babe Ruth retires from Major League Baseball. 1924 – The Indian Citizenship Act is enacted, granting U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the United States. 1896 – Guglielmo Marconi applies for the first patent for wireless telegraphy. 1886 – U.S. President Grover Cleveland marries Frances Folsom in the White House, the only presidential wedding held there. 1885 - The final Confederate surrender in Texas, marking one of the last land operations of the war. 455 – The Vandals sack Rome, beginning two weeks of looting. | |
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1989 - Crackdown at Tiananmen begins: Chinese troops open fire on pro‑democracy demonstrators in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, resulting in hundreds of deaths. 1980 - Natural gas explosion near the Ufa region, Russia, kills 575 passengers traveling on two trains. 1965 - During the Gemini 4 mission, Edward H. White II, becomes the first American astronaut to walk in space. 1944 - Rome is liberated by the U.S. 5th Army, led by General Mark Clark. 1943 – Zoot Suit Riots begin in Los Angeles: Violent clashes erupt between U.S. servicemen and Mexican American youth, marking a week of racial conflict. 1915 – Austro‑German troops recapture Przemyśl fortress: Central Powers forces retake the strategic fortress from Russia during WWI. 1889 – America’s first long‑distance electric power line begins operation: Electricity is transmitted 14 miles from Willamette Falls to Portland, Oregon. 1864 – Union disaster at Cold Harbor: General Ulysses S. Grant orders a frontal assault on entrenched Confederate lines, causing ~7,000 Union casualties in under an hour. 1808 - Future Confederate president Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) is born in Todd County, Kentucky. 1800 - President John Adams settles in new U.S. capital, Washington DC. 1621 – Dutch West India Company receives its charter: The company is granted control over trade in the Americas and West Africa, leading to the founding of New Netherland (later New York). 350 – Nepotianus declares himself Roman Emperor: The usurper briefly seizes Rome with a band of gladiators before being killed weeks later. | |
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1989 - Tiananmen Square massacre takes place: The Chinese government ordered the People's Liberation Army using tanks, live ammunition, and tear gas, to open
fire on unarmed protesters in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. At least 3,000 were killed. Following the massacre, over 1,600 demonstrators were rounded up and
jailed, with at least 27 being executed. 1982 – Israel invades Lebanon, beginning the 1982 Lebanon War. 1979 – American Airlines Flight 191 crash kills 273 in Chicago shortly after takeoff from O’Hare Airport, becoming the deadliest aviation accident on U.S. soil. 1972 - The collision of two passenger trains in Jessore, Bangladesh, resulting in at least 76 deaths and hundreds injured. 1961 – President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev meet in Vienna, hold a tense summit, escalating Cold War tensions. 1944 - US and British troops enter Rome becoming the first Axis capital to fall in WWII. 1939 – The MS St. Louis is denied entry to the U.S.: A ship carrying over 900 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany is turned away, forcing many passengers back to Europe. 1919 - Congress passes the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, sending it to the states for ratification (completed in 1920) 1917 – The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Columbia University awards the inaugural Pulitzer Prizes for journalism and letters. 1896 - Henry Ford test-drives the Quadricycle, the first automobile he designed and drove: Ford takes his first automobile—the Quadricycle, a gasoline‑powered vehicle—on its maiden run through the streets of Detroit. 1783 – The Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrate the hot‑air balloon, a successful unmanned flight in France marks a milestone in aviation history. | |
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2013 – Edward Snowden leaks NSA documents: Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden publicly reveals classified information about U.S. surveillance programs, sparking global debate on privacy and security. 2004 - Ronald Reagan dies: Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan dies at age 93 in Los Angeles after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. 1981 – First official report of AIDS, describing unusual pneumonia cases in five young men in Los Angeles, CA. 1968 - Robert F. Kennedy is shot while leaving the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after California presidential primary victory; he dies the next day. 1967 – Six‑Day War begins: Israel launches pre‑emptive strikes against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, beginning the Six‑Day War in the Middle East. 1956 – Elvis Presley introduces “Hound Dog” on TV: Presley performs the song on "The Milton Berle Show", shocking conservative audiences with his dance style and accelerating his rise to fame. 1951 - Gordon M. Buehrig received his "vehicle top with removable panels" patent, later known as the T‑top, which becomes iconic in American sports cars. 1944 - Allies prepare for D-Day: On the eve of the Normandy invasion, Allied forces finalize preparations for Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious assault in history, scheduled for June 6. 1917 – Conscription begins in the United States: Under the Selective Service Act, the U.S. government begins registering men for the draft during WWI. 1794 – U.S. Congress passes the Neutrality Act: The act prohibits American citizens from participating in foreign wars, shaping early U.S. foreign policy. 1661 – Isaac Newton admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge: Newton begins his formal studies, eventually revolutionizing mathematics and physics. | |
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1982 – Israel invades Lebanon, beginning the 1982 Lebanon War. 1971 – Soyuz 11 launches: The Soviet spacecraft begins the mission that will later end in tragedy when its crew perishes during re‑entry. 1944 - D-Day: Allies launch Normandy (France) invasion. 1942 – The Battle of Midway ends: The U.S. Navy sinks four Japanese aircraft carriers, decisively shifting the balance of power in the Pacific. 1936 – First helicopter flight by Focke‑Wulf Fw 61 in Germany. 1934 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Securities Exchange Act, creating the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to regulate stock markets and prevent abuses that contributed to the Great Depression. 1933 - First "drive-in" opens: The world’s first drive‑in movie theater opens in Camden, New Jersey, created by Richard Hollingshead; admission was 25 cents per car plus 25 cents per person. 1932 - First U.S. federal gas tax enacted: The U.S. government imposes its first national gasoline tax—1 cent per gallon—to help fund Depression‑era programs. 1912 – Alaska becomes a U.S. territory: Congress formally organizes the Territory of Alaska. 1683 – The Ashmolean Museum opens: The University of Oxford opens the first public museum in the world. 1523 – Gustav Vasa elected King of Sweden: His election marks Sweden's independence from Denmark and the start of the Vasa dynasty. | |
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1977 – Anita Bryant leads a successful campaign to repeal gay‑rights protections in Miami, FL: A major moment in the history of LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S. 1966 - Ronald Reagan wins the California Republican gubernatorial primary. 1965 – The U.S. Supreme Court issues "Griswold v. Connecticut": The Court strikes down a ban on contraceptives, establishing a constitutional right to privacy. 1939 - King George VI and Queen Elizabeth becomes the first British monarch to visit the U.S. 1893 - Mohandas K. Gandhi's first act of civil disobedience: Mohandas K. Gandhi refuses to move from a “whites‑only” train compartment in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa—his first major act of nonviolent resistance, later known as "satyagraha". 1862 – The U.S. and U.K. sign the Lyons‑Seward Treaty: Both nations agree to suppress the Atlantic slave trade. 1848 - French painter Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) is born in Paris: The influential French Post‑Impressionist painter is born, later known for his bold colors and work in Tahiti. 1654 – Louis XIV is crowned King of France: The Sun King begins one of the longest reigns in European history. | |
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2018 – The world’s largest dinosaur footprint (5 ft 9 in) is reported discovered in Scotland. 2004 – The 40th U.S. President Ronald Reagan is buried at the Reagan Presidential Library. 1995 – The first version of PHP is released, becoming a major web programming language. 1984 – Homosexuality is decriminalized in New South Wales, Australia. 1968 - Robert Kennedy buried 1968 – James Earl Ray is arrested in London for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. 1966 – NFL and AFL announce their merger, forming the modern National Football League. 1912 – Universal Pictures is founded 1867 - Famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was born in Wisconsin. 1789 – James Madison introduces the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Congress. 1042 – Edward the Confessor becomes King of England. 632 - Muhammad, a principal founder of Islam dies | |
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2017 – The world’s largest ice shelf crack accelerates, leading to the calving of iceberg A‑68. 1993 – Jurassic Park premieres, becoming one of the highest‑grossing films in history. 1983 – Margaret Thatcher wins a second term as UK Prime Minister. 1946 – King Bhumibol Adulyadej ascends the throne of Thailand, beginning a 70‑year reign. 1934 - Donald Duck makes his first film appearance, in "The Wise Little Hen" a short by Walt Disney 1898 - The British signed a 99-year lease for Hong Kong. 1893 - Composer and lyricist Cole Porter (1893-1964) was born in Peru, Indiana. He published his first song The Bobolink Waltz at the age of ten. 1856 - Mormon handcart pioneers depart Iowa City for Salt Lake City 1815 – The Congress of Vienna ends, reshaping Europe after the Napoleonic Wars. | |
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2003 – NASA launches the Spirit rover, part of the Mars Exploration Rover mission. 1977 – Apple Computer ships its first Apple II, one of the earliest successful mass‑produced personal computers. 1947 – Saab introduces its first automobile, the Saab 92 prototype, marking the company’s entry into car manufacturing. 1942 - The terrible massacre occurred in Lidice, Czech. All 172 men and boys over age 16 are shot by Nazis. The Lidice village is then completely destroyed. 1940 - Norway surrenders to Germany after two months of resistance. 1940 - Italy declares war on France and Great Britain, entering World War II on the side of Germany. 1898 – U.S. Marines land at Guantánamo Bay during the Spanish‑American War. 1854 – The U.S. Naval Academy holds its first formal graduation. 1829 – The first Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge is held on the River Thames. 1190 – Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I (Barbarossa) dies during the Third Crusade. | |
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2018 – Singapore hosts the first U.S.–North Korea summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong‑un. 1990 – South Africa lifts its state of emergency, a major step toward ending apartheid. 1987 – Margaret Thatcher wins a third term as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. 1979 - John Wayne dies, ending the career of one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors. 1955 – The Le Mans disaster occurs, killing 83 spectators and prompting major racing safety reforms. 1940 – The British evacuate 11,000 troops from Le Havre during the fall of France in WWII. 1937 – Stalin’s Great Purge intensifies with mass arrests across the Soviet Union. 1935 – Inventor Edwin Armstrong publicly demonstrates FM radio for the first time. 1895 – The Lumière brothers present their first moving pictures to a private audience in Paris. 1864 – The Battle of Trevilian Station begins, the largest all‑cavalry battle of the American Civil War. 1788 - Russian explorer Izmailov arrives at Yakutat Bay, Alaska, strengthening Russian presence in the region. 1509 – Henry VIII marries Catherine of Aragon, his first of six wives. | |
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2016 – The Pulse nightclub shooting occurs in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people. 1991 – Boris Yeltsin is elected the first President of Russia in a popular vote. 1987 – Ronald Reagan delivers his “Tear down this wall” speech at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin. 1964 – Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial in South Africa. 1963 – Civil rights leader Medgar Evers is assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi. 1942 - Anne Frank started writing her diary, which became "The Diary of a Young Girl", published in 1947 and has been translated into some 30 languages 1939 – The National Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Cooperstown, New York. 1924 - President Bush (Sr) is born in Massachusetts. 1898 - Philippine independence is declared from Spain by Emilio Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite. 1897 – A deadly earthquake strikes Assam, India killing more than 1,500 people and causing massive regional destruction. 1776 – Virginia adopts its Declaration of Rights, a precursor to the U.S. Bill of Rights. 1665 – New Amsterdam is renamed New York under English rule. | |
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1973 - Kissinger and Le Duc Tho sign new peace agreement - Vietnam War 1971 - The New York Times begins publishing the Pentagon Papers, exposing US strategy in the Vietnam War 1967 - Thurgood Marshall is nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the first African American justice 1966 – U.S. Supreme Court issues Miranda v. Arizona decision, establishing Miranda rights 1956 – The last British troops leave the Suez Canal Zone, ending a 74‑year military presence 1944 - Germany launches the first V‑1 flying bomb attack against Britain – WWII 1944 – German V‑2 rocket reaches 189 km altitude, first human-made object to reach edge of space 1913 – First successful ascent of Denali (Mount McKinley) by Hudson Stuck and Harry Karstens 1895 – Émile Levassor wins the world’s first true automobile race (Paris–Bordeaux–Paris) 1886 – Great Vancouver Fire destroys most of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia 1878 – Congress of Berlin begins, reshaping the Balkans after the Russo‑Turkish War 1850 – American League of Colored Laborers, first African American labor union, is founded in New York City 1774 – Rhode Island becomes first American colony to ban importation of slaves 1325 – Ibn Battuta begins his 24‑year journey from Tangier to Mecca | |
| 14 |
1982 - Falkland Islands War ends – Argentina surrenders to Britain 1977 - Congress adopts the Stars and Stripes as the official U.S. flag 1951 – First commercial computer, UNIVAC I, is delivered to the U.S. Census Bureau 1940 - Germans enter Paris – World War II 1923 – Warren G. Harding becomes first U.S. president heard on radio 1919 – John Alcock and Arthur Brown complete first nonstop transatlantic flight 1900 – Hawaii becomes a U.S. territory after the Organic Act takes effect 1846 – California Republic declared during the Bear Flag Revolt 1775 – U.S. Army is founded by the Continental Congress 1648 – Margaret Jones becomes first person executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts Bay Colony 1381 – King Richard II meets with leaders of the Peasants’ Revolt in London | |
| 15 |
1992 – U.S. Supreme Court upholds Roe v. Wade in Planned Parenthood v. Casey 1978 – King Hussein of Jordan marries American Lisa Halaby (Queen Noor) 1965 - U.S. planes bomb North Vietnam – Vietnam War 1877 - Henry Ossian Flipper becomes first African American graduate of West Point 1934 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park is established 1924 – Ford Motor Company manufactures its 10 millionth Model T 1917 – U.S. Congress passes the Espionage Act during World War I 1904 – General Slocum steamship fire kills over 1,000 in New York City 1846 - U.S.-Canadian border established by the Oregon Treaty 1844 – Charles Goodyear receives patent for vulcanized rubber 1776 - Delaware declares independence from Pennsylvania and Great Britain 763 BCE – Assyrians record a solar eclipse, a key anchor date in ancient chronology | |
| 16 |
1977 - Leonid Ilich Brezhnev is elected president of the Supreme Soviet. 1976 – Soweto Uprising begins as South African students protest apartheid education policies 1967 – Monterey Pop Festival opens, launching the Summer of Love 1963 - Vostok 6 launches; Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space 1958 - Imre Nagy, a former Hungarian premier uprising against Soviet rule in 1956, is executed by communist authorities. 1944 – U.S. Marines land on Saipan in the Mariana Islands – WWII 1933 – U.S. Congress passes the National Industrial Recovery Act during the New Deal 1903 – Ford Motor Company is incorporated 1884 – First roller coaster in America opens at Coney Island 1815 – Battle of Ligny: Napoleon wins his final victory, two days before Waterloo 1779 – Spain declares war on Britain, joining the American Revolutionary War 1745 – British forces capture Cape Breton Island during King George’s War 1487 – Battle of Stoke Field ends the Wars of the Roses, securing Henry VII’s rule | |
| 17 |
1988 - Microsoft releases MS DOS 4.0 1981 - The Hyatt Regency hotel walkway collapses in Kansas city, Missouri, killing 114 people and injuring 216 people during a tea dance. 1972 – Watergate break‑in occurs at DNC headquarters, triggering major U.S. political scandal 1971 - President Richard Nixon declares the U.S. "War on Drugs". 1967 - China detonates its first hydrogen bomb 1965 – First B‑52 bombing mission in Vietnam (50 km north of Saigon) 1963 – U.S. Supreme Court rules against mandatory Bible reading/prayer in public schools (Abington v. Schempp) 1961 – The Beatles perform for the first time at the Cavern Club with Paul, John, George, and Pete Best 1953 – East German workers revolt against Soviet‑backed government; uprising is violently suppressed 1950 – First successful kidney transplant performed in Chicago 1947 – Pan American Airways chartered as first worldwide passenger airline 1944 – Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic 1940 – France announces intention to surrender to Germany – WWII 1939 – Last public guillotining in France takes place in Versailles 1938 – Japan declares war on China (note: Japan escalated conflict; full formal declaration is historically debated) 1928 – Amelia Earhart lands in Wales, becoming first woman to fly across the Atlantic (as a passenger) 1885 – The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor. 1884 – John Ball becomes first person to reach the summit of Mount Whitney 1775 – Battle of Bunker Hill fought during the American Revolution 1462 – Vlad the Impaler attacks Ottoman forces in the “Night Attack at Târgoviște” | |
| 18 |
2020 – North Korea destroys the inter‑Korean liaison office in Kaesong 1982 – Italy defeats Brazil 3–2 in the “Match of the Century” at the World Cup 1979 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev sign SALT II 1977 – Space Shuttle Enterprise performs its first captive‑inert flight atop a Boeing 747 1948 – UN Commission on Human Rights adopts the final draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1940 – Winston Churchill delivers his “This was their finest hour” speech to the House of Commons 1928 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic (as a passenger) 1923 - The first Checker cab is produced by the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company 1983 - Sally Ride became the first American woman to travel into space. 1882 - Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) is born near St. Petersburg. 1815 - Napoleon defeated at Waterloo, ending the Napoleonic era in Europe 1812 – U.S. Congress declares war on Britain, beginning the War of 1812 1778 – British forces abandon Philadelphia during the American Revolution 1682 – William Penn founds the city of Philadelphia 1429 – Joan of Arc leads French forces to victory at the Battle of Patay | |
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2020 – Juneteenth is officially recognized as a federal holiday in the United States 1964 – Civil Rights Act of 1964 passes the U.S. Senate after a 60‑day filibuster 1954 – CIA-backed coup in Guatemala begins against President Jacobo Árbenz 1953 - Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a married couple convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage in 1951, are executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison, New York 1934 – Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is established in the United States 1910 – First Father’s Day is celebrated in Spokane, Washington 1867 - Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, installed as emperor of Mexico by French Emperor Napoleon III in 1864, is executed on orders of President Benito Juárez. 1865 – Union General Gordon Granger announces emancipation in Texas, later commemorated as Juneteenth 1846 – The New York Knickerbockers play one of the earliest recorded organized baseball games 1812 - President James Madison officially declares war against Great Britain, beginning the War of 1812 1778 – Benedict Arnold is court‑martialed for misconduct during the American Revolution 1586 – English colonists abandon Roanoke Island and return to England 1566 – Suleiman the Magnificent departs for his final military campaign | |
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2023 – Titan submersible implosion confirmed by U.S. Coast Guard 1991 – Germany’s parliament votes to move capital to Berlin 1990 – Powerful earthquake strikes Iran, killing approximately 50,000 people 1979 – Solar‑energy system installed at the White House under President Jimmy Carter 1977 – Oil begins flowing through the Trans‑Alaska Pipeline 1963 – U.S. and USSR agree to establish a “hotline” to reduce nuclear risk 1944 – U.S. forces capture Saipan’s airfield during WWII 1924 - American military hero and actor Audie Murphy (1924-1971) is born in Kingston, Texas; he was awarded 37 medals and decorations for his courage actions during World War II. He later became an actor in western and war movies and made 45 films. 1863 - West Virginia enters the Union during the Civil War 1837 – Queen Victoria ascends to the British throne 1782 – U.S. Congress approves the Great Seal 1789 – Tennis Court Oath unites French revolutionaries 451 – Battle of the Catalaunian Plains: Romans and Visigoths halt Attila the Hun | |
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2022 – EU grants Ukraine and Moldova candidate status for membership 1990 – Magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes northern Iran, province of Gilan, killing about 25,000 people 1982 – Prince William is born in London 1970 – Penn Central Railroad declares bankruptcy, the largest U.S. corporate failure at the time 1966 – France withdraws its navy from NATO command as part of Charles de Gaulle’s military policy 1964 – Freedom Summer murders: three civil‑rights workers disappear in Mississippi 1948 – Columbia Records introduces the LP (long‑playing record) 1942 – Tobruk falls to Axis forces during WWII 1937 – Joe Louis becomes heavyweight champion 1905 – Jean‑Paul Sartre (1905-1980), French philosopher and Nobel Prize rejectee, is born in Paris 1898 – U.S. captures Guam during the Spanish‑American War 1789 – Louis XVI recognizes the National Assembly during the French Revolution 1788 – U.S. Constitution is ratified when New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to approve it 1749 – Halifax is founded in Nova Scotia 1529 – French forces defeated at Landriano, ending major fighting in the Italian Wars | |
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2023 – Wagner Group rebellion begins in Russia 1990 – Checkpoint Charlie dismantled as Cold War barriers fall 1986 – Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal occurs during the World Cup 1978 – Charon, Pluto’s largest moon, is discovered 1969 – Cuyahoga River fire in Cleveland sparks major U.S. environmental reforms 1942 – U.S. Congress officially adopts the Pledge of Allegiance with “under God” added later in 1954 1944 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the GI bill, providing financial aid and education benefits to WWII veterans 1941 – Germany attacks the Soviet Union, launching Operation Barbarossa 1940 – France signs armistice with Germany during WWII 1934 – Porsche builds its first prototypes, early designs that lead to the Volkswagen Beetle 1898 – U.S. Marines capture Guantánamo Bay in the Spanish‑American War 1870 – U.S. Department of Justice is created 1775 – Congress issues Continental currency to fund the American Revolution 1633 – Galileo is forced to recant his support for heliocentrism before the Inquisition 1527 – Niccolò Machiavelli dies in Florence | |
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2016 – United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union in the Brexit referendum 1994 – South Africa reclaims its seat in the U.N. after the end of apartheid 1990 – Moldavia declares independence from the Soviet Union (as the Moldavian SSR) 1989 – Supreme Court rules flag burning is protected speech 1972 – President Richard Nixon signs Title IX into law, transforming women’s participation in U.S. athletics 1970 – Japan’s first nuclear reactor begins operation 1961 – Antarctic Treaty enters into force, preserving the continent for peaceful scientific use 1956 – Gamal Abdel Nasser elected President of Egypt 1947 – Congress overrides Truman’s veto to pass the Taft–Hartley Act 1941 – Germany occupies Telz, Lithuania during Operation Barbarossa 1940 – Hitler tours Paris after France’s defeat in WWII 1938 – Civil Aeronautics Act creates the CAA, precursor to the FAA 1925 – British warship fires on Hong Kong harbor strikers during the Canton–Hong Kong Strike 1894 – International Olympic Committee founded in Paris 1868 – Christopher Latham Sholes patents the typewriter 1812 – Napoleon’s Grande Armée crosses the Neman River, beginning the invasion of Russia 1683 – William Penn signs treaty with Lenape at Shackamaxon | |
| 24 |
2022 – U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization 2010 - Labor Party deputy Julia Gillard became Australia's first female Prime Minister. 1987 – The Great Storm of 1987 begins forming (meteorological precursors noted) 1974 – UPC barcode scanned for the first time on a pack of Wrigley’s gum 1963 – Pope Paul VI elected following the death of John XXIII 1948 – Soviets begin the Berlin Blockade, cutting off land access to West Berlin 1947 – Kenneth Arnold reports “flying saucers”, sparking modern UFO culture 1943 – Smith–Connally Act passed, restricting labor strikes during WWII 1932 – Nazi Party becomes largest in Prussian state elections 1916 – Mary Pickford becomes first actress with a million‑dollar contract 1901 – Pablo Picasso exhibits in Paris at Galerie Vollard, helping launch his early career 1812 – Napoleon’s Grande Armée invades Russia, beginning one of history’s most disastrous military campaigns 1509 – Henry VIII crowned King of England 1314 – Battle of Bannockburn: Scots under Robert the Bruce defeat the English 109 – Roman Emperor Trajan inaugurates Trajan’s Forum in Rome | |
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2009 – Michael Jackson dies in Los Angeles, prompting worldwide mourning 1998 – U.S. Supreme Court rules in Clinton v. City of New York, striking down the line‑item veto 1981 – CDC publishes first report on AIDS, marking the recognized start of the epidemic 1991 – Croatia and Slovenia declare independence from Yugoslavia after the collapse of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe 1978 – Rainbow Flag debuts at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade 1951 – First commercial color TV broadcast airs on CBS 1950 – Korean War begins as North Korean forces invade South Korea 1947 – Anne Frank’s diary is published in the Netherlands 1942 – Dwight D. Eisenhower assumes command of U.S. forces in Europe during WWII 1940 – France officially surrenders to Germany during WWII 1910 – Congress passes the Mann Act, aimed at combating forced prostitution and trafficking 1876 – Battle of the Little Bighorn: Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho defeat U.S. 7th Cavalry 1788 – Virginia becomes the 10th U.S. state 1678 – Elena Cornaro Piscopia becomes first woman to earn a PhD 1530 – Augsburg Confession presented to Emperor Charles V, defining Lutheran doctrine | |
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2015 – U.S. Supreme Court legalizes same‑sex marriage nationwide in Obergefell v. Hodges 2000 – Human Genome Project announces first draft sequence 1997 – Supreme Court strikes down the Internet indecency law (Reno v. ACLU) 1994 – Yasser Arafat returns to Gaza after 27 years in exile 1977 – Elvis Presley performs his final concert in Indianapolis 1963 – John F. Kennedy delivers “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in West Berlin 1959 – St. Lawrence Seaway officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II and President Eisenhower 1948 – U.S. begins the Berlin Airlift in response to the Soviet blockade 1945 – U.N. Charter is signed by 50 nations in San Francisco 1941 – Finland enters WWII against the Soviet Union in the Continuation War 1936 – FDR signs the Federal Credit Union Act 1919 – New York Daily News begins publishing 1917 – First U.S. troops arrive in France during World War I 1906 – First Grand Prix motor race held near Le Mans, France 1870 – Christmas declared a federal holiday in the United States 1843 – Hong Kong becomes a British colony 1819 – Bicycle patented by W.K. Clarkson Jr. 1541 – Francisco Pizarro assassinated in Lima 1498 – Toothbrush invented in China during the Ming Dynasty | |
| 27 |
2022 – Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in as the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court 2007 – Gordon Brown becomes UK Prime Minister 1991 – Yugoslav Wars escalate as fighting intensifies in Slovenia 1985 – Route 66 removed from the U.S. Highway System 1976 – Air France Flight 139 hijacked, leading to the Entebbe raid 1967 – First ATM installed in London by Barclays Bank 1954 – CIA-backed coup in Guatemala succeeds in overthrowing President Árbenz 1950 – U.N. approves armed force to repel North Korea during the Korean War 1950 – President Truman orders U.S. forces into Korea 1944 – U.S. troops liberate Cherbourg, France during WWII 1942 – FBI captures eight German saboteurs in Operation Pastorius 1922 – Irish Civil War begins 1893 – New Zealand becomes first country to introduce national fingerprinting 1859 – Mildred J. Hill is born, composer of the melody for “Happy Birthday to You” 1846 – California Republic adopts the Bear Flag 1844 – Mormon leader Joseph Smith is killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois 1709 – Battle of Poltava: Russia defeats Sweden, shifting European power 1358 – Jacquerie peasant revolt crushed in France | |
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2004 – U.S. transfers sovereignty to Iraq two days ahead of schedule 1997 – Mike Tyson bites Evander Holyfield’s ear in a heavyweight title fight 1969 – Stonewall uprising begins in New York City, launching the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement 1956 – Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” performed on TV on The Milton Berle Show 1950 – North Korea captures Seoul during the opening days of the Korean War 1948 – Soviet Union expels Yugoslavia from Cominform over Tito’s refusal to follow Stalin’s line 1919 – Treaty of Versailles signed, formally ending World War I 1914 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated in Sarajevo while riding in an Austro‑Daimler, triggering World War I 1902 – U.S. buys the rights to the Panama Canal project 1894 – Labor Day becomes a U.S. federal holiday 1888 – Robert Louis Stevenson departs for the South Seas, beginning his Pacific travels 1838 – Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey 1778 – Battle of Monmouth fought during the American Revolution 1776 – Thomas Hickey executed for plotting against George Washington 1491 – Henry VIII born at Greenwich Palace | |
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2007 – Apple releases the first iPhone, transforming mobile technology 1995 – Srebrenica massacre indictment issued against Bosnian Serb leaders 1995 – U.S. Space Shuttle docks with Russian space station Mir, the first U.S.–Russian spacecraft docking since 1975 1974 – Isabel Perón becomes President of Argentina, the first female president in the Americas 1970 – Last U.S. troops withdrawn from Cambodia after Nixon’s controversial incursion 1967 – Khrushchev’s memoirs published in the West 1956 – Interstate Highway System authorized by President Eisenhower 1954 – “Atomic Energy Act” signed, opening nuclear technology to private development 1949 – South Africa enacts apartheid law banning mixed marriages 1943 – FDR sends secret letter to J. Robert Oppenheimer regarding the Manhattan Project 1941 – German forces advance deep into the USSR during Operation Barbarossa 1932 – Nazi Party surges in German elections 1927 – First flight of the Dornier Do X, then the world’s largest flying boat 1922 – France occupies Ruhr industrial region over unpaid reparations 1902 – Louis Renault wins a major race in a car he designed, boosting the early Renault company 1613 – Globe Theatre burns down during a performance of Henry VIII 1534 – Jacques Cartier discovers Prince Edward Island | |
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2020 – Russia approves constitutional changes allowing extended presidential terms 2005 – Spain legalizes same‑sex marriage 1997 – Hong Kong transferred from Britain to China at midnight, ending 156 years of British rule 1971 – Three cosmonauts die on Soyuz 11 during re‑entry 1967 – Nguyễn Văn Thiệu becomes President of South Vietnam 1966 – National Organization for Women founded 1960 – Congo gains independence from Belgium 1958 – U.S. creates DARPA in response to Sputnik 1953 – First Chevrolet Corvette produced in Flint, Michigan 1936 – “Gone With the Wind” is published by Margaret Mitchell 1934 – Night of the Long Knives begins in Nazi Germany 1908 – Tunguska explosion devastates Siberia 1876 – Colorado admitted as a U.S. state (officially celebrated July 1) 1859 – French acrobat Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope 1837 – Queen Victoria issues her first royal proclamation 1520 – Spanish suffer “La Noche Triste” retreating from Tenochtitlan | |
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