June 21
is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in
leap years) in the
Gregorian calendar, with 193 days remaining.
In common years it is always in
ISO week 25.
This day usually marks the
summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and the
winter solstice in the southern hemisphere, and thus is the day of the year with the longest hours of daylight in the northern hemisphere and the shortest in the southern hemisphere.
*
524 -
Godomar, King of the
Burgundians defeats the
Franks at the
Battle of Vezerone.
*
1621 - an execution of 27
Czech lords on the Old Town Square in
Prague as a consequence of the battle on the "White Mountain".
*
1665 - First soldiers of
Le Régiment de Carignan-Salières arrive at
Quebec to invade
Iroquois territories.
*
1734 - In
Montreal in
New France (today primarily
Quebec), a black slave known by the French name of
Marie-Joseph Angélique, having been convicted of the
arson that destroyed much of the city, was
tortured and
hanged by the
French authorities in a public ceremony that involved her disgrace and the
amputation of a hand.
*
1749 -
Halifax,
Nova Scotia, founded.
*
1788 -
New Hampshire ratifies the
Constitution and is thus admitted as the 9th state in the
United States.
*
1798 -
Irish Rebellion of 1798: The British Army defeats Irish rebels at
Battle of Vinegar Hill*
1813 -
Peninsular War:
Battle of Vitoria* 1813 -
Laura Secord sets out to warn
British forces of an impending
U.S. attack on
Queenston,
Ontario during the
War of 1812.
*
1824 -
Greek War of Independence:
Egyptian forces capture
Psara in the
Aegean Sea.
*
1826 -
Maniots defeat
Egyptians under
Ibrahim Pasha in the
Battle of Vergas*
1854 - First
Victoria Cross won during bombardment of
Bomarsund in the
Aland Islands.
*
1864 -
Maori Wars: The
Tauranga Campaign ends.
*
1877 - The
Molly Maguires, ten
Irish immigrants who were labor activists, are hanged in the
Carbon County, Pennsylvania Prison.
*
1887 -
Queen Victoria's
golden jubilee.
*
1898 -
Guam becomes a U.S. territory.
*
1915 - The
U.S. Supreme Court hands down its decision in
Guinn v. United States 238 US 347 1915, striking down an Oklahoma law denying the right to vote to some citizens.
*
1919 -
Royal Canadian Mounted Police fire a volley into a crowd of unemployed war veterans, killing two, during the
Winnipeg General Strike.
* 1919 - Admiral
Ludwig von Reuter scuttles the
German fleet in
Scapa Flow,
Orkney. The nine sailors killed were the last casualties of the
First World War.
*
1940 -
World War II:
France surrenders to
Germany.
* 1940 - First successful west-to-east navigation of
Northwest Passage begins at
Vancouver,
British Columbia.
*
1942 - World War II:
Tobruk falls to
German forces.
* 1942 - World War II: A
Japanese
submarine surfaces near the
Columbia River in
Oregon, firing 17 shells at nearby
Fort Stevens in one of only a handful of attacks by the Japanese against the
U.S. mainland.
*
1945 - World War II:
Battle of Okinawa ends.
*
1957 -
Ellen Louks Fairclough sworn in as
Canada's first woman
Cabinet Minister*
1963 -
Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini is elected
Pope Paul VI by the
College of Cardinals.
*
1964 - Three
civil rights workers,
Andrew Goodman,
James Chaney and
Mickey Schwerner, are murdered in
Neshoba County,
Mississippi,
United States, by members of the
Ku Klux Klan.
*
1973 - In handing down the decision in
Miller v. California 413 US 15, the
Supreme Court of the United States establishes the
Miller Test, which now governs obscenity in U.S. law.
*
1982 -
John Hinckley is found not guilty by reason of insanity for the attempted
assassination of
U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
*
1989 - The
U.S. Supreme Court rules in
Texas v. Johnson that
flag burning is protected speech under the
United States Constitution.
*
2000 -
Section 28 (outlawing the 'promotion' of
homosexuality in the
UK) repealed in
Scotland with a 99 to 17 vote.
*
2002 - The
World Health Organization declares Europe
polio free.
*
2003 - Deputy Justice
Fazel Ahmed Manawi of the
Afghan Supreme Court announces that
Aftab editor
Sayed Madawi and his deputy
Ali Payam Sestani will be tried for "
libeling Islam."
*
2004 -
SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded
spaceplane to achieve
spaceflight.
*
2005 - Donald
Tsang Yam Kuen is appointed by the
People's Republic of China to take over from
Tung Chee Hwa as the Chief Executive of the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
*
1002 -
Pope Leo IX (d.
1054)
*
1226 - King
Boleslaus V of Poland (d.
1279)
*
1535 -
Leonhard Rauwolf, German physician and botanist (d.
1596)
*
1639 (O.S.) -
Increase Mather, New England Puritan minister (d.
1723)
*
1646 (O.S.) -
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, German philosopher and scientist (d.
1716)
*
1676 (O.S.) -
Anthony Collins, English philosopher (d.
1729)
*
1712 -
Luc Urbain de Bouexic, comte de Guichen, French admiral (d.
1790)
*
1732 -
Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, German composer (d.
1791)
*
1736 (O.S.) -
Enoch Poor, American general in the Continental Army (d.
1780)
*
1759 -
Alexander J. Dallas, American statesman and financier (d.
1817)
*
1763 -
Pierre Paul Royer-Collard, French philosopher (d.
1845)
*
1764 -
Sidney Smith, British admiral (d.
1840)
*
1774 -
Daniel D. Tompkins, Congressman, Governor of New York, and sixth
Vice President of the United States*
1781 -
Siméon-Denis Poisson, French mathematician and physicist (d.
1840)
*
1782 -
Pyotr Kotlyarevsky, Russian general (d.
1852)
*
1805 -
Charles Thomas Jackson, American scientist, polymath
*
1811 -
Carlo Matteucci, Italian physicist (d.
1868)
*
1812 -
Moses Hess, Jewish socialist and nationalist (d.
1875)
*
1823 -
Jean Chacornac, French astronomer (d.
1873)
*
1825 -
William Stubbs, English historian and Anglican bishop of Oxford
*
1828 -
Ferdinand André Fouqué, French geologist (d.
1904)
*
1839 -
Machado de Assis, Brazilian writer (d.
1908)
*
1859 -
Henry Ossawa Tanner, American painter (d.
1937)
*
1862 -
Damrong Rajanubhab, Thai prince and historian (d.
1943)
*
1863 -
Max Wolf, German astronomer (d.
1932)
*
1864 -
Heinrich Wölfflin, Swiss art historian (d.
1945)
*
1870 -
Clara Immerwahr, German chemist
*
1876 -
Willem Hendrik Keesom, Dutch physicist
*
1880 -
Arnold Gesell, American psychologist and pediatrician (d.
1961)
* 1880 -
Josiah Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp, British civil servant, industrialist, economist, statistician and banker
*
1882 -
Rockwell Kent, American artist (d.
1971)
*
1883 -
LluÃs Companys i Jover, President of Catalonia (d.
1940)
* 1883 -
Fyodor Gladkov, Russian writer
*
1884 -
Claude Auchinleck, British field marshal (d.
1981)
*
1887 -
Norman L. Bowen, Canadian petrologist (d.
1956)
*
1889 -
Ralph Craig, American athlete (d.
1972)
*
1891 -
Pier Luigi Nervi, Italian architect (d.
1979)
* 1891 -
Hermann Scherchen, German conductor (d.
1966)
*
1892 -
Reinhold Niebuhr, Protestant theologian (d.
1971)
*
1893 -
Alois Hába, Czech composer (d.
1973)
*
1896 -
Charles B. Momsen, American inventor (d.
1967)
*
1898 -
Donald C. Peattie, American botanist and writer (d.
1964)
*
1902 -
Howie Morenz, professional ice hockey player (d.
1937)
*
1903 -
Al Hirschfeld, American cartoonist (d.
2003)
*
1905 -
Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher and writer,
Nobel Prize laureate (declined) (d.
1980)
*
1906 -
Harold Spina, American composer
*
1910 (O.S.) -
Aleksandr Tvardovsky, Russian poet
*
1912 -
Mary McCarthy, American writer (d.
1989)
*
1914 -
William Vickrey, Canadian economist,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1996)
*
1919 -
Gower Champion, dancer and choreographer (d.
1980)
* 1919 -
Gérard Pelletier, French journalist, politician, and diplomat (d.
1997)
*
1921 -
Judy Holliday, American actress (d.
1965)
* 1921 -
Jane Russell, American actress
* 1921 -
Jean de Broglie, French politician
*
1925 -
Giovanni Spadolini, Italian politician (d.
1994)
* 1925 -
Maureen Stapleton, American actress (d.
2006)
*
1926 -
Conrad Hall, Tahitian-born cinematographer (d.
2003)
*
1927 -
Carl Stokes, Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio (d.
1996)
*
1929 -
Abdel Halim Hafez,
Egyptian singer and actor (d.
1977)
* 1929 -
Alexandre Lagoya, classical guitarist (d.
1999)
*
1930 - Sir
Gerald Kaufman, British politician
*
1931 -
Margaret Mary O'Shaughnessy Heckler, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
*
1932 -
O.C. Smith, American singer (d.
2001)
* 1932 -
Lalo Schifrin,
Argentine pianist and composer
*
1935 -
Françoise Sagan, French writer (d.
2004)
*
1938 -
Ron Ely, American actor
*
1939 -
Ruben Berrios, Puerto Rican politician
*
1940 -
Mariette Hartley, American actress
* 1940 -
Michael Ruse, Canadian philosopher
*
1942 -
Henry Taylor, American poet
* 1942 -
Togo D. West, Jr., American attorney and public official
*
1943 -
Salomé, Spanish singer
*
1944 -
Ray Davies, English musician (
The Kinks)
*
1945 -
Adam Zagajewski, Polish philosopher, poet
*
1946 -
Brenda Holloway, American musician
*
1947 -
Meredith Baxter, American actress
* 1947 -
Michael Gross, American actor
* 1947 -
Shirin Ebadi, Iranian lawyer, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
*
1948 -
Ian McEwan, English writer
* 1948 -
Lionel Rose, Australian boxer
* 1948 -
Andrzej Sapkowski, Polish writer
*
1950 -
Anne Carson, Canadian poet
* 1950 -
Joey Kramer, American drummer and percussionist (
Aerosmith)
*
1951 -
Nils Lofgren, American musician
*
1952 -
Kôichi Mashimo, Japanese anime director
*
1953 -
Benazir Bhutto,
Prime Minister of Pakistan*
1954 -
Robert Menasse, Austrian writer
*
1954 -
Robert Pastorelli, American actor (d.
2004)
*
1955 -
Tim Bray, Canadian computer programmer
*
1955 -
Leigh McCloskey, American actor
*
1955 -
Michel Platini, French footballer
*
1957 -
Berkeley Breathed, American cartoonist and author
*
1957 -
Lucien DeBlois, professional ice hockey player
*
1958 -
Gennady Padalka, cosmonaut
*
1959 -
Marcella Detroit, singer and songwriter (
Shakespear's Sister)
*
1959 -
Kathy Mattea, American country singer
*
1962 -
Viktor Tsoi, Russian musician
*
1964 -
Doug Savant, American actor
*
1965 -
Larry Wachowski, film director
*
1966 -
Rudi Bakhtiar, American journalist
*
1966 -
Mancow Muller, American radio personality
* 1966 -
Nan Woods, American actress
*
1967 -
Jim Breuer, American comedian
* 1967 -
Pierre Omidyar, Iranian-American billionaire
*
1969 -
Gabriella Paruzzi, Italian skier
*
1970 -
Sindee Coxx, American pornographic actress
*
1972 -
Alon Hilu, Israeli writer
*
1973 -
Juliette Lewis, American actress
*
1974 -
Natasha Desborough, British radio personality
*
1976 -
Mike Einziger, American musician (
Incubus)
* 1976 -
Nigel Lappin, Australian footballer
*
1978 -
Cristiano Lupatelli, Italian footballer
* 1978 -
Jack Guzman, American actor
* 1978 -
Erica Durance, Canadian actress
*
1979 -
Chris Pratt, American actor
*
1981 -
Amber Campisi, American model
* 1981 -
Brandon Flowers, American singer and keyboardist (
The Killers)
*
1982 -
Prince William of Wales, British prince
*
1984 -
Alicia Alighatti, American pornographic actress
*
1989 -
Jascha Washington, American actor
*
1305 - King
Wenceslaus II of Bohemia and Poland (b.
1271)
*
1377 - King
Edward III of England (b.
1312)
*
1527 -
Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian historian and political author (b.
1469)
*
1529 -
John Skelton, English poet
*
1547 -
Sebastiano del Piombo, Italian painter (b.
1485)
*
1582 -
Oda Nobunaga, Japanese warlord (b.
1534)
*
1591 -
Aloysius Gonzaga, Italian saint (b.
1568)
*
1621 -
Kryštof Harant, Polish soldier, writer, and composer (b.
1564)
*
1652 -
Inigo Jones, English architect (b.
1573)
*
1738 -
Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, English statesman (b.
1674)
*
1796 -
Richard Gridley, American Revolutionary soldier (b.
1710)
*
1824 -
Étienne Aignan, French writer (b.
1773)
*
1874 -
Anders Jonas Ångström, Swedish physicist (b.
1814)
*
1893 -
Leland Stanford, American Business Tycoon and founder of
Stanford University*
1908 -
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer (b.
1844)
*
1914 -
Bertha von Suttner, Austrian writer and pacifist, recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize (b.
1843)
*
1934 -
Thorne Smith, American author (b.
1892)
*
1951 -
Charles Dillon Perrine, American astronomer (b.
1867)
*
1952 -
Wilfrid 'Wop' May, Canadian aviation pioneer (b.
1896)
*
1957 -
Johannes Stark, German physicist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1874)
*
1964 -
James Chaney, American civil rights activist (b.
1943)
* 1964 -
Andrew Goodman, American civil rights activist (b.
1943)
* 1964 -
Michael Schwerner, American civil rights activist (b.
1939)
*
1969 -
Maureen Connolly, American tennis player (b.
1934)
*
1970 -
Sukarno,
President of Indonesia (b.
1901)
*
1976 -
Margaret Herrick, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences director (b.
1902)
*
1979 -
Angus Maclise, American mystic, shaman, musician, and composer (b.
1938)
*
1980 -
Bert Kaempfert, German orchestra leader and songwriter (b.
1923)
*
1985 -
Tage Erlander,
Prime Minister of Sweden (b.
1901)
*
1997 -
Fidel Velázquez Sánchez, Mexican labor leader (b.
1900)
* 1997 -
Shintaro Katsu Japanese entertainer (b.
1931)
*
2000 -
Alan Hovhaness, American composer (b.
1911)
*
2001 -
John Lee Hooker, American musician (b.
1916)
* 2001 -
Carroll O'Connor, American actor (b.
1924)
*
2003 -
Roger Neilson, Canadian hockey coach (b.
1934)
* 2003 -
Leon Uris, American writer (b.
1924)
*
2004 -
Leonel Brizola, Brazilian politician (b.
1922)
*
2005 -
Jaime Cardinal Sin, Filipino Catholic Archbishop of Manila (b.
1928)
*
Summer solstice (
Northern Hemisphere) and
Winter solstice (
Southern Hemisphere)
*
Astrology: First day of sun sign
Cancer*
National Aboriginal Day in
Canada (starting in
1996)
*
Midsummer â€"
Neopagan festival â€"
Litha*
National Day of
GreenlandFête de la Musique in France, Belgium and Switzerland.
*
Go Skateboarding Day*International
Surfing Day[
1]
Liturgical feasts
*
Saint Alban*
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (died 1591, patron saint of youth)
*
Saint Engelmond *
Saint Martin of Tongeren (died 350)
*
BBC: On This Day*
The New York Times: On This DayJune 20 -
June 22 -
May 21 -
July 21 –
listing of all days
