June 6
is the 157th day of the year in the
Gregorian calendar (158th in
leap years), with 208 days remaining.
*
1508 -
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by
Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to
Venice*
1513 -
Italian Wars:
Battle of Novara. Swiss troops defeat the French under
Louis de la Tremoille, forcing the French to abandon
Milan. Duke
Massimiliano Sforza is restored.
*
1523 -
Gustav Vasa is elected King of
Sweden, marking the end of the
Kalmar Union.
*
1654 -
Charles X succeedes his abdicated cousin
Queen Christina to the
Swedish throne.
*
1683 - The
Ashmolean Museum in
Oxford,
England, opens as the world's first
university museum.
*
1752 - A devastating fire destroys one-third of
Moscow, including 18,000 homes.
*
1809 -
Sweden promulgates a new
Constitution, which restores political power to the
Riksdag of the Estates after 20 years of
Enlightened absolutism.
*
1813 -
War of 1812:
Battle of Stoney Creek - A
British force of 700 under
John Vincent defeat an
American force three times its size under
William Winder and
John Chandler.
*
1832 - The Barricades fall and the Student Uprisings of 1832 end.
*
1833 -
U.S. President Andrew Jackson becomes the first
President to ride a
train.
*
1844 - The
Young Men's Christian Association (
YMCA) is founded in
London.
*
1857 -
Sophia of Nassau marries the future King
Oscar II of
Sweden-Norway.
*
1859 -
Australia:
Queensland is established as a separate
colony from
New South Wales (
Queensland Day).
*
1862 -
American Civil War:
Battle of Memphis -
Union forces capture
Memphis, Tennessee, from the
Confederates.
*
1882 - More than 100,000 inhabitants of
Bombay are killed as a
cyclone in the
Arabian Sea pushes huge waves into the harbour.
*
1894 - Governor
Davis H. Waite orders the
Colorado state militia to protect and support the miners engaged in the
Cripple Creek miners' strike.
*
1906 -
Paris Metro Line 5 is inaugurated with a first section from Place d'Italie to the
Gare d'Orléans (today known as Gare d'Austerlitz).
*
1906 - Cunard Line's RMS Lusitania is launched at the John Brown shipyard, Clydebank, a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland.
*
1912 - Eruption of
Novarupta in
Alaska begins. Second largest
volcanic eruption in historic time.
*
1918 -
Battle of Belleau Wood begins .
*
1925 - The
Chrysler Corporation is founded by
Walter Percy Chrysler.
*
1932 - The
Revenue Act of 1932 is enacted, creating the first
gas tax in the
United States, at a rate of 1 cent per
US gallon (1/4 ¢/L) sold.
*
1933 - The first
drive-in theater opens, in
Camden, New Jersey,
United States.
*
1934 -
New Deal:
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the
Securities Act of 1933 into law, establishing the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
*
1944 -
World War II:
Battle of Normandy begins.
D-Day, code named
Operation Overlord, commences with the landing of 155,000
Allied troops on the beaches of
Normandy in
France. The allied soldiers quickly break through the
Atlantic Wall and push inland in the largest amphibious
military operation in history.
*
1946 - The
Basketball Association of America is formed in
New York City.
*
1950 -
Turkey: The
Adhan in
Arabic is legalized.
*
1956 -
David Marshall,
Singapore's first
Chief Minister, resigns.
*
1964 - Under a temporary order, the
rocket launches at Cuxhaven,
Germany, are terminated, though they never resume.
*
1966 -
James Meredith,
civil rights activist, is shot while trying to march across
Mississippi.
*
1968 -
Robert F. Kennedy is
assassinated by
Los Angeles Palestinian resident
Sirhan B. Sirhan after giving a speech at the
Ambassador Hotel.
*
1969 - The first
Internet connection was created when network control protocol packets were sent from the data port of one
IMP to another
*
1971 -
Soyuz program:
Soyuz 11 launches.
* 1971 - A midair collision between a
Hughes Airwest Douglas DC-9 jetliner and a
U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom jet fighter near
Duarte, California claims 50 lives.
*
1974 - A new
Instrument of Government is promulgated making
Sweden a
parliamentary monarchy.
*
1981 - A passenger train travelling between
Mansi and
Saharsa,
India, jumps the tracks at a bridge crossing the
Bagmati river. The government places the official death toll at 268 plus another 300 missing; however, it is generally believed that the actual figure is closer to 1,000 killed.
*
1982 -
1982 Lebanon War begins: Forces under
Israeli
Defense Minister Ariel Sharon invade
southern Lebanon in their "
Operation Peace for the Galilee," eventually reaching as far north as the
capital Beirut.
*
1984 - The
Indian Army attacks the
Golden Temple in
Amritsar in an effort to flush out terrorists, following an order from
Indira Gandhi. Official casualities are 576 combatants killed and 335 wounded; independent observers estimate that thousands of unarmed
Sikh civilians are also killed in the crossfire.
*
1985 - The grave of "
Wolfgang Gerhard" is exhumed in
Embu,
Brazil; the remains found are later proven to be those of
Josef Mengele,
Auschwitz's "
Angel of Death". Mengele is thought to have drowned while swimming in
February 1979.
*
1990 -
U.S. District court judge
Jose Gonzales rules that the
rap album
As Nasty As They Wanna Be by the
2 Live Crew violates
Florida's obscenity law; he declares that the predominant subject matter of the record is "directed to the 'dirty' thoughts and the loins, not to the intellect and the mind."
*
1993 -
Mongolia holds its first direct presidential
elections.
*
1999 - At the
Putim maximum security prison in
Brazil, 345 prisoners run from the main gate in the largest jailbreak in
Brazilian history, marking the 10th escape for the three-year-old facility. In the ensuing manhunt, two fugitives are killed and five innocent bystanders are accidentally jailed.
*
2002 - A
near-Earth asteroid estimated at 10 metres diameter explodes over the
Mediterranean Sea. The resulting explosion is estimated to have a force of 26
kilotons, slightly more powerful than the
Nagasaki atomic bomb.
*
2005 -
United States Supreme Court says no to
medical marijuana.
*
2006 -
Serbia declares independence from
State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
*
1236 -
Wen Tianxiang, Chinese prime minister (d.
1283)
*
1436 -
Regiomontanus, German mathematician (d.
1476)
*
1502 - King
John III of Portugal (d.
1557)
*
1519 -
Andrea Cesalpino, Italian philosopher, physician, and botanist (d.
1603)
*
1542 -
Richard Grenville, English soldier and explorer (d.
1591)
*
1576 -
Giovanni Diodati, Swiss protestant clergyman (d.
1649)
*
1580 -
Godefroy Wendelin, Flemish astronomer (d.
1667)
*
1599 -
Diego Velázquez, Spanish painter (d.
1660)
*
1606 -
Pierre Corneille, French dramatist (d.
1684)
*
1622 -
Claude-Jean Allouez, French Jesuit missionary and explorer (d.
1857)
*
1714 - King
Joseph I of Portugal (d.
1777)
*
1755 -
Nathan Hale, American writer and patriot (d.
1776)
*
1756 -
John Trumbull, American painter (d.
1843)
*
1799 -
Alexander Pushkin, Russian poet (d.
1837)
*
1810 -
Friedrich Wilhelm Schneidewin, German classical scholar (d.
1856)
*
1829 -
Shusaku Honinbo, Japanese Go player (d.
1862)
*
1844 -
Konstantin Savitsky, Russian painter (d.
1905)
*
1850 -
Karl Ferdinand Braun, German physicist,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1918)
*
1857 -
Aleksandr Lyapunov, Russian mathematician (d.
1918)
*
1862 -
Henry John Newbolt, English author (d.
1938)
*
1868 -
Robert Falcon Scott, English explorer (d.
1912)
*
1872 -
Tsarina Alexandra of Russia (d.
1918)
*
1875 -
Thomas Mann, German writer,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1955)
*
1890 -
Ted Lewis, American bandleader (d.
1971)
*
1896 -
Henry Allingham, the last survivor of the
Battle of Jutland as well as the last founding member of the
RAF*
1898 -
Ninette de Valois, Irish dancer (d.
2001)
* 1898 -
Walter Abel, American actor (d.
1987)
*
1900 -
Manfred Sakel, Polish psychiatrist (d.
1957)
*
1901 -
Sukarno, first
President of Indonesia (d.
1970)
*
1902 -
Jimmie Lunceford, American
bandleader (d.
1947)
*
1903 -
Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer (d.
1978)
*
1906 -
Max August Zorn, German-born mathematician (d.
1993)
*
1907 -
Bill Dickey, baseball player, coach, manager, and scout (d.
1993)
*
1913 -
Carlo L. Golino American Scholar (d.
1991)
*
1916 -
Henriette Roosenburg, Dutch journalist (d.
1972)
*
1917 -
Kirk Kerkorian, American businessman
*
1918 -
Edwin G. Krebs, American biochemist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine*
1923 -
V.C. Andrews, American author (d.
1986)
*
1924 -
Jinyong, Chinese novelist
*
1926 -
Klaus Tennstedt, German conductor (d.
1998)
*
1929 -
Sunil Dutt, Indian actor and politician ( d. 2005 )
*
1932 -
David Scott, American astronaut
*
1933 -
Heinrich Rohrer, Swiss physicist,
Nobel Prize laureate
*
1934 - King
Albert II of Belgium* 1934 -
Roy Innis, American civil rights activist
*
1936 -
Levi Stubbs, American musician (
The Four Tops)
*
1939 -
Louis Andriessen, Dutch composer
* 1939 -
Gary U.S. Bonds, American musician
* 1939 -
Ed Giacomin, Professional ice hockey goaltender
*
1940 -
Larry Lujack, American disc jockey
*
1943 -
Richard Smalley, American chemist,
Nobel Prize laureate
*
1944 -
Phillip Allen Sharp, American scientist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine*
1945 -
David Dukes, American actor (d.
2000)
* 1945 -
David E. Bonior, American politician
*
1947 -
David Blunkett, English politician
* 1947 -
Ada Kok, Dutch swimmer
*
1948 -
Tony Levin, American bassist
*
1949 -
Robert Englund, American actor
*
1954 -
Harvey Fierstein, American actor
* 1954 -
Cynthia Rylant, American author
*
1955 -
Sandra Bernhard, American actress and comedian
*
1956 -
Björn Borg, Swedish tennis player
* 1956 -
Bubbi Morthens, Icelandic singer and songwriter.
*
1959 -
Jimmy Jam, American record producer
* 1959 -
Colin Quinn, American comedian
* 1959 -
David Schultz, American wrestler (d.
1996)
*
1960 -
Gary Graham, American actor
* 1960 -
Steve Vai, American musician
*
1961 -
Tom Araya, Chilean musician (
Slayer)
*
1963 -
Wolfgang Drechsler, German social scientist
*
1965 -
Cam Neely, Canadian
ice hockey player
* 1965 -
Sean Yseult, American musician (
White Zombie)
*
1967 -
Paul Giamatti, American actor
*
1968 -
François Avard, French Canadian writer and scenarist
*
1969 -
Edward Malaga Trillo, Peruvian scientist and former musician
*
1970 -
Anthony Norris, American professional wrestler
*1970 -
James Shaffer, American musician (
Korn)
* 1970 -
Eugeni Berzin, Russian cyclist
*
1972 -
Cristina Scabbia, Italian singer (
Lacuna Coil)
*
1974 -
Uncle Kracker, American rock and roll musician
*
1975 -
Staci Keanan, American actress
* 1975 -
Niklas Sundström, Professional ice hockey player
*
1978 -
Carl Barat, English singer and guitarist (
The Libertines)
* 1978 -
Judith Barsi, American actress (d.
1988)
* 1978 -
Mariana Popova,
Bulgarian singer
*
1980 -
Martin Devaney, English footballer
*
1981 -
Johnny Pacar, American actor
*
1393 -
Emperor Go-En'yu of Japan (b.
1359)
*
1480 -
Vecchietta, Italian artist and architect
*
1548 -
Juan de Castro, Portuguese explorer (b.
1500)
*
1563 -
Ikeda Nagamasa, Japanese samurai commander (b.
1519)
*
1583 -
Nakagawa Kiyohide, Japanese warlord (b.
1556)
*
1740 -
Alexander Spotswood, British governor of Virginia Colony
*
1784 -
Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol, Dutch politician (b.
1741)
*
1799 -
Patrick Henry, American revolutionary (b.
1736)
*
1813 -
Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French
architect *
1832 -
Jeremy Bentham, English philosopher (b.
1748)
*
1840 -
Marcellin Champagnat, French priest, Saint (b.
1789)
*
1843 -
Friedrich Hölderlin, German poet, novelist, and dramatist (b.
1770)
*
1861 -
Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, Prime Minister of Italy (b.
1810)
*
1865 -
William Quantrill, American Confederate raider (b.
1837)
*
1878 -
Robert Stirling, Scottish inventor (b.
1790)
*
1881 -
Henri Vieuxtemps, Belgian composer (b.
1820)
*
1891 - Sir
John A. Macdonald, first
Prime Minister of Canada (b.
1815)
*
1916 -
Yuan Shikai, Chinese military official and politician (b.
1859)
*
1922 -
Lillian Russell, American actress (b.
1860)
*
1934 -
Julije Kempf, Croatian historian and writer (b.
1864)
*
1941 -
Louis Chevrolet, American automotive pioneer and race car driver (b.
1878)
*
1946 -
Gerhart Hauptmann, German dramatist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1862)
*
1948 -
Louis Lumière, French movie pioneer (b.
1864)
*
1961 -
Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist (b.
1875)
*
1968 -
Robert F. Kennedy,
United States Attorney General and Senator from New York (b.
1925)
* 1968 -
Randolph Churchill, only son of
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (b.
1911)
*
1975 -
Larry Blyden, American actor (b.
1925)
*
1976 -
J. Paul Getty, American industrialist (b.
1892)
* 1976 -
Victor Varconi, Hungarian actor (b.
1891)
*
1979 -
Jack Haley, American actor (b.
1898)
*
1981 -
Carleton S. Coon, American anthropologist (b.
1904)
*
1984 -
A. Bertram Chandler, Australian author (b.
1912)
*
1991 -
Stan Getz, American musician and composer (b.
1927)
* 1991 -
Mike Diamond, wrestler (b.
1950)
*
1992 -
Larry Riley, American actor (b.
1952)
*
1996 -
George Davis Snell, American geneticist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b.
1903)
*
1999 -
Anne Haddy, Australian actress (b.
1930)
*
2002 -
Robbin Crosby, American guitarist (
Ratt) (b.
1959)
*
2003 -
H.I.T.L.A.H. Capo Confucious, American rapper (b.
1980)
*
2005 -
Anne Bancroft, American actress (b.
1931)
* 2005 -
Dana Elcar, American actor (b.
1927)
*
2006 -
Billy Preston, American songwriter, musician, and singer (b.
1946)
* 2006 -
Hilton Ruiz, Puerto Rican-American jazz pianist (b.
1952)
* 2006 -
Arnold Newman, American photographer (b.
1918)
*
D-Day landings -
Europe.
*
Memorial Day -
South Korea.
*
National holiday of Sweden.
*National
Yo-yo Day -
USA.
*
Queensland Day.
*
Doomsday (weekday)*
Anti-Christ's DayLiturgical feasts
*
Saint Bertrand*
Saint Claudius (died 699)
*
Saint Gilbert *
Saint Marcellin Champagnat (died 840)
*
Saint Norbert of Gennep*
Saint Candida*
BBC: On This Day*
The New York Times: On This Day*
On this day in CanadaJune 5 -
June 7 -
May 6 -
July 6 --
listing of all days
