On This Day In History
June 15th
763 BC Assyrians record a solar eclipse that will be used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history
1215 King John signs Magna Carta at Runnymede, near Windsor, England
1775 George Washington appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, the day after Congress establishes the force
1896 Tsunami strikes Shinto festival on beach at Sanriku, Japan; 27,000 are killed, 9,000 injured and 13,000 houses destroyed
1940 World War II: France surrenders to NAZI Germany, German troops occupy Paris
1991 Climactic eruption of the Mount Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines, the second-largest volcanic eruption on Earth of the 20th century
Did You Know?
Dannebrog is the flag of Denmark and the oldest national flag in the world. According to legend, it fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse (now Tallinn) in Estonia, and turned the Danes’ luck
Today in History in 1219
Would You Believe?
Near earth asteroid 2002 MN missed the Earth by 75,000 miles (120,000 km), about one-third of the distance between the Earth and the Moon
Today in History in 2002
June 16th
1779 Spain declares war on Great Britain in support of France and the USA, starting the Great Siege of Gibraltar which goes on to last 3 years, 7 months and 2 weeks
1858 Abraham Lincoln says “A house divided against itself cannot stand” accepting Illinois Republican Party’s nomination for the Senate
1963 Soviet space mission Vostok 6 is launched with Valentina Tereshkova onboard, who becomes the 1st woman in space
2000 Israel complies with UN Security Council Resolution 425 after 22 years, which calls on Israel to completely withdraw from Lebanon. Israel withdraws from all of Lebanon, except the disputed Sheba Farms
Did You Know?
1st roller coaster used (Coney Island NY)
Today in History in 1884
Would You Believe?
In Santa Barbara, CA, a team of 32 divers begin cycling underwater on a standard tricycle, to complete 116.66 mi in 75 hrs 20 mins
Today in History in 1988
June 17th
656 Ali ibn Abu Talib elected the 4th Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate
1579 English navigator Francis Drake lands on the coast of California at Drakes Bay, names it “New Albion”
1631 Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spends more than 20 years building her tomb, the Taj Mahal
1789 French Revolution: During the meeting of the Estates-General, the Third Estate proclaims itself the ‘National Assembly’
1837 Charles Goodyear obtains his 1st rubber patent
1856 Republican Party opens its 1st national convention in Philadelphia
Did You Know?
“Things Fall Apart” by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe published by Heinemann – considered most widely read book in African literature
Today in History in 1958
Would You Believe?
Last public guillotining in France. Eugen Weidmann, a convicted murderer, is guillotined in Versailles outside the prison Saint-Pierre
Today in History in 1939
June 18th
618 Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries of the Tang Dynasty’s rule over China
1812 War of 1812 begins as US declares war against Britain
1928 American aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the 1st woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, landing at Burry Port, Wales
1940 Winston Churchill‘s “this was their finest hour” speech urging perseverance during Battle of Britain delivered to British House of Commons
Did You Know?
Richard Martin of London takes out first life insurance policy, on William Gibbons; premium was £383
Today in History in 1583
Would You Believe?
Governor of Louisiana Earl K. Long is committed to a state mental hospital; he responds by having the hospital’s director fired and replaced with a crony who proceeds to proclaim him perfectly sane
Today in History in 1959
June 19th
1306 The Earl of Pembroke’s army defeats Robert the Bruce‘s Scottish army at the Battle of Methven
1829 Robert Peel introduces the Metropolitan Police Act 1829 into Parliament to establish a unified police force for London, world’s 1st modern police force
1862 Slavery outlawed in US territories
1865 Union General Gordon Granger declares slaves are free in Texas, now the date the end of slavery is celebrated across the US as Juneteenth
1944 World War II: First day of the 2 day Battle of the Philippine Sea, US naval forces defeat Japanese fleet
1991 Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar surrenders to police
Did You Know?
First officially recognised baseball game (played by Cartwright Rules) – NY Nines 23 defeat Knickerbockers 1 at Hoboken, New Jersey
Today in History in 1846
June 20th
451 Battle of the Catalaunian Plains: Roman and Visigoths forces defeat Attila the Hun in north east France, alting Hun invasion of Roman Gaul (exact date disputed)
1214 The University of Oxford receives its charter
1789 French Revolution: The Third Estate of the French Estates-General swears the Tennis Court Oath at the Palace of Versailles, swearing not to disband until a new constitution is formed
1840 Samuel Morse patents his telegraph
1895 1st female PhD from an American University, earned by Caroline Willard Baldwin (in Science) at Cornell University
2020 Highest-ever temperature recorded in the Arctic circle, 38C (100F) in Verkhoyansk, Siberia
Did You Know?
Black Hole of Calcutta: 146 British soldiers, Anglo-Indian soldiers and Indian civilians are imprisoned in a small dungeon in Calcutta, India where most die from suffocation and heat exhaustion
Today in History in 1756
Would You Believe?
The SS Savannah reaches Cork in Ireland after a 29 day and 11 hour voyage from Savannah, Georgia to become the 1st steamship to cross the Atlantic or any other ocean
Today in History in 1819
June 21st
1788 US Constitution comes into effect when New Hampshire is the 9th state to ratify it
1854 First Victoria Cross won during bombardment of Bomarsund in the Aland Islands (Crimean War)
1948 Lord Mountbatten resigns as Governor General of India (formerly the last Viceroy)
1990 7.7 Manjil-Rudbar Earthquake with hundreds of aftershocks hits Iran; killing about 50,000
1993 English mathematician Andrew Wiles proves last theorem of Fermat