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© History Oasis / Created via Midjourney
The most important historical events for the month of June.
CNN launched as the first 24-hour news channel, bringing round-the-clock news to the masses. The network started with just 300 employees and a $20 million budget.
Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey. The coronation nearly faced delay because the Archbishop discovered at the last minute that the ancient St. Edward’s Crown was too heavy for the 27-year-old queen’s neck.
Astronaut Ed White became the first American to walk in space. He spent three minutes floating outside his Gemini 4 capsule while tethered by a 25-foot cord. He enjoyed it so much that mission control had to order him back inside.
Chinese tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square, ending pro-democracy protests in a crackdown that killed hundreds. One unknown man became globally famous by standing alone in front of a column of tanks the next day.
Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. Sirhan Sirhan shot him in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel minutes after winning the California Democratic primary—his last words were “Is everybody okay?”
D-Day launched the largest amphibious invasion in history. Over 150,000 Allied troops stormed Nazi-occupied beaches. Paratroopers used crickets as recognition signals because Germans couldn’t replicate the clicking sound.
The Treaty of Tordesillas divided the undiscovered world between Spain and Portugal with a single line on a map, giving Spain everything west and Portugal everything east.
Vikings launched their first major raid on Lindisfarne monastery, shocking Christian Europe when dragon-prowed longships emerged from morning mist to attack monks during prayers. The isolated tidal island made escape impossible and launched 300 years of Viking terror across Europe.
Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide, stabbing himself in the throat with help from his secretary after being declared an enemy of the state, allegedly uttering “What an artist dies in me!” as his final words.
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa drowned in a shallow river, possibly from a heart attack while crossing the Saleph River during the Third Crusade.
The Continental Congress appointed a committee to write the Declaration of Independence. They selected Thomas Jefferson to write the draft partly because John Adams was too disliked and Benjamin Franklin was recovering from gout.
O.J. Simpson’s white Ford Bronco chase captivated 95 million viewers. It was one of the most-watched events in TV history. During the chase, Simpson held a gun to his head, driving 35 mph for 60 miles.
Alexander the Great died at age 32, possibly from poisoning, malaria, or typhus. After conquering most of the known world but never designating an heir—his empire immediately collapsed into civil war.
The Stars and Stripes became America’s official flag. Still, the design was so vague that flag makers created hundreds of versions until the government standardized it 140 years later.
King John signed the Magna Carta. Stipulating kings must follow the law after being forced by rebellious barons who were tired of his arbitrary taxes and executions.
Ford Motor Company was incorporated. The car company was founded by Henry Ford, who had already failed twice at running car companies but would revolutionize manufacturing with the assembly line that made cars affordable for average workers.
1885—The Statue of Liberty arrived in 350 pieces. It was shipped from France in 214 crates but sat unassembled for months because Americans couldn’t raise enough money to build it.
Napoleon suffered his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, ending 23 years of European warfare, after rain delayed his attack by crucial hours that allowed Prussian reinforcements to arrive and turn the tide.
Slavery finally ended in Texas, when Union troops arrived to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half years after it was issued—Texas slaveholders had simply ignored Lincoln’s decree.
“Jaws” premiered, creating the first summer blockbuster and making people afraid to go swimming, even though you’re more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than a shark.
The U.S. Constitution was ratified when New Hampshire became the ninth state to approve it. The document officially created the United States government we know today, though Rhode Island held out for another two years.
Galileo was forced to recant his support for heliocentrism, publicly declaring that Earth doesn’t orbit the Sun to avoid execution by the Catholic Inquisition. He allegedly muttered, “And yet it moves” under his breath.
The dancing plague outbreak began. It caused hundreds of people to dance uncontrollably in the streets until they collapsed from exhaustion—some danced themselves to death.
Henry VIII was crowned King of England, beginning a reign that would see him marry six wives, execute two of them, break from the Catholic Church, and fundamentally transform English society just to get a male heir.
General Custer made his “Last Stand,” leading 210 cavalry soldiers to their deaths at Little Bighorn after ignoring scout reports and dividing his forces against thousands of Native American warriors.
Elvis Presley performed his last concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. He appeared overweight and sweating profusely but still captured 18,000 fans just seven weeks before his death.
Mormon founder Joseph Smith was killed by a mob and shot while imprisoned in Carthage Jail. It created a succession crisis that split the Mormon movement and led Brigham Young to take followers west to Utah.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. He was shot by a 19-year-old Serbian nationalist whose first attempt failed when he threw a bomb that bounced off the car, but he got a second chance when the driver took a wrong turn.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre burned down, destroyed during a performance of “Henry VIII” when a theatrical cannon set the thatched roof on fire—no one died, though one man’s pants caught fire.
French acrobat Charles Blondin became the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope, walking 1,100 feet across the gorge on a 3-inch rope 160 feet above the thundering water while 25,000 spectators watched in terror and amazement.
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