What happened this day in history? Thanks to digital media and amazing historians, we have this list for you via the History Channel and a few dates that we added to the list just for fun.
American Revolution
- 1723 Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations, is baptized in Scotland
Automotive
- 1998 Autoworkers’ union calls strike at GM parts factory
Civil War
- 1864 Union routs Rebels at the Battle of Piedmont
Cold War
- 1947 George Marshall calls for aid to Europe
Crime
- 1968 Bobby Kennedy is assassinated
Disaster
- 1870 Constantinople burns
- 2001 Tropical Storm Allison makes landfall along the Texas coastline ($5.5 billion in damages)
General Interest
- 1901 Anastasia Nikolaevna, Daughter of the last Russian Tsar is born (d. 1918)
- 1963 Profumo resigns in sex scandal
- 1967 Six-Day War begins
- 1968 Robert F. Kennedy shot
- 1975 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat reopens Suez Canal (closed since 1967)
- 1981 AIDS Epidemic officially begins in the US
- 1988 1st Children’s Miracle Network Telethon raises $590,000
- 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev receives his 1990 Nobel Peace Prize
- 2004 Ronald Reagan dies
Hollywood
- 1996 Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Memphis, Tennessee, on WMFS 92.9 FM
- 1998 First Episode of Sex and the City airs on HBO
- 2004 Jennifer Lopez marries Marc Anthony
Literary
- 1949 Ken Follett is born
- 1998 Alfred Kazin, American writer and literature critic, dies at 83
- 2012 Ray Bradbury, bestselling science fiction author, dies at 91
- 2013 The first article based on NSA leaked documents by Edward Snowden are published
Music
- 1956 Elvis rocks The Milton Berle Show
- 2013 47th CMT Music Awards: Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert win big
Old West
- 1922 Discoverer of Klondike Gold dies
Presidential
- 1888 Cleveland denies widow her husband’s military pension
- 1933 FDR takes United States off gold standard
- 1942 FDR warns Japanese against using poison gas
Sports
- 1902 42nd British Golf Open: Sandy Herd shoots a 307 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
- 1993 Julie Krone wins the Belmont Stakes
- 1948 Phillies Richie Ashburn sets NL rookie consecutive hitting streak at 23
- 1952 1st sporting event televised nationally – Walcott vs Charles boxing
- 1955 NY Yankee Mickey Mantle hist 550’ HR off Chicago Billy Pierce
- 1981 Astro’s Nolan Ryan passes Early Wynn as all-time walk leader (1,777)
Vietnam War
- 1968 Robert Kennedy shot after California primary
- 1972 Laird testifies before Congress
World War I
- 1916 British War Minister Lord Kitchener drowns
- 1917 10 Million US men begin registering for draft
World War II
- 1940 Battle of France begins
- 1944 Allies prepare for D-Day
- 1944 1st B-29 bombing raid