JUNE EVENTS

June 6, 1872 – Pioneering feminist Susan B. Anthony voted in a presidential election in Rochester, New York, a move for which she was later fined. Although the 15th Amendment had granted voting rights to African American males, Anthony sought to uphold women’s rights by leading a group of women to vote illegally and challenge their status as citizens. Arrested, tried, and sentenced to pay a $100 fine—which she refused—Anthony continued her activism. After her death in 1906, following five decades of tireless work, both the Democratic and Republican parties endorsed women’s suffrage. Only in August 1920 was the 19th Amendment ratified, finally granting women the right to vote.

June 6, 1944 – On an additional significant June 6, D-Day marked the largest amphibious landing in history, beginning in the early morning hours as Allied forces landed in Normandy on the northern coast of France. Operation Overlord took months of planning and involved 1,527,000 soldiers in 47 Allied divisions along with 4,400 ships and landing craft, and 11,000 aircraft. The Germans had about 60 divisions spread across France and the Low Countries. American forces landed on two western beaches, Utah and Omaha, while British and Canadian troops landed farther east on Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches. By the end of the day, 150,000 Allied soldiers and their accompanying vehicles had landed, with 15,000 killed and wounded.

June 13, 1971 – Turning its attention to Vietnam-era America, The New York Times began publishing the Pentagon Papers, a collection of top-secret documents exposing U.S. strategy in the Vietnam War.

June 13, 1966 – Just five years prior, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5-4) in the case of Miranda v. Arizona that an accused person must be apprised of certain rights before police questioning, including the right to remain silent, the right to know that anything said can be used against the individual in court, and the right to have a defense attorney present during interrogation. American police officers now routinely read prisoners their ‘Miranda’ (constitutional) rights before questioning.

June 14, 1951 – Univac 1, the world’s first commercial electronic computer, was unveiled in Philadelphia. It was installed at the Census Bureau and utilized a magnetic tape unit as a buffer memory.

June 15, 1215 – Reaching further back in history, King John set his seal to Magna Carta, the first charter of British liberties, guaranteeing basic rights that have since become the foundation of modern democratic nations worldwide.

June 17, 1972 – Five men were arrested during a burglary at the National Democratic Headquarters in the Watergate complex, later found to be agents hired by the Committee to Re-elect President Nixon. Investigations uncovered an extensive White House-sanctioned cover-up, leading to Nixon’s resignation on August 9, 1974.

June 18, 1815 – As another momentous event in European history, on the fields near Waterloo in central Belgium, 72,000 French troops, led by Napoleon, suffered a crushing military defeat at the hands of a combined Allied army of 113,000 British, Dutch, Belgian, and Prussian troops. Thus ended 23 years of warfare between France and the other European powers. Napoleon was then sent into exile on the island of St. Helena off the coast of Africa. On May 5, 1821, the former vain-glorious Emperor died alone on the tiny island, abandoned by everyone.

June 25, 1876 – Shifting back to American history, General George A. Custer, leading 250 men, attacked an encampment of Sioux Indians near the Little Bighorn River in Montana. Custer and his men were then attacked by 2000-4000 Indian braves. Only one scout and a single horse survived ‘Custer’s Last Stand’ on the Little Bighorn Battlefield. News of the humiliating defeat infuriated Americans and led to an all-out war. Within a year, the Sioux Indians were a broken and defeated nation.

June 25, 1950 – On the exact date decades later, the Korean War began as North Korean troops, led by Russian-built tanks, crossed the 38th parallel and launched a full-scale invasion of South Korea. Five days later, U.S. ground forces entered the conflict, which lasted until July 27, 1953, when an armistice was signed at Panmunjom, formally dividing the country at the 38th parallel into North and South Korea.

June 28, 1914 – In an event that caused shockwaves across Europe, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Austria, and his wife were assassinated at Sarajevo, touching off a conflict between the Austro-Hungarian government and Serbia that led to World War 1.

June 29, 1972 – Concluding the list of landmark court decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5-4) that capital punishment was a violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibiting “cruel and unusual punishment.” The decision spared the lives of 600 individuals then sitting on death row. Four years later, in another ruling, the Court reversed itself and determined the death penalty was not a cruel and unusual punishment. On October 4, 1976, the ban on the death penalty in cases involving murder was lifted.

JUNE BIRTHDAYS

June 1

Founder of Utah and patriarch of the Mormon church, Brigham Young (1801-1877) was born in Whittingham, Vermont. Young reportedly had 56 wives, making his survival to the age of 76 at his death a damned modern miracle.

June 2

Marquis de Sade (1740-1814) was born in Paris. He was a military leader, governor-general, and author, whose acts of extreme cruelty and violence resulted in the term sadism being created from his name to describe gratification in inflicting pain. His philosophy was followed by a number of Catholic school nuns encountered during this author’s tenure in attendance at multiple Catholic schools.

June 6

Judy Garland (1922-1969) was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota (as Frances Gumm). She is best remembered for her portrayal of Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939) and other films, including Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and Easter Parade (1948).

Undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau (1910-1997) was born in Ste-André-de-Cubzac, France. He is best known for his Emmy Award-winning television series, The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, which premiered in the U.S. in 1968, and for inspiring the famous 60s television hit, Sea Hunt.

American football coach Vince Lombardi (1913-1970) was born in Brooklyn, New York. In 1959, he became the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, leading the team to five NFL titles and two Super Bowls in nine seasons. He is generally regarded as the greatest coach and the finest motivator in football history. His quote, “Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser,” inspired many valuable discussions with kids and parents throughout the 60’s.

June 14

German psychiatrist and pathologist Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915) was born in Markbreit am Mainz, Germany. In 1907, he published an article first describing ‘Alzheimers,’ a degenerative disease, usually beginning at age 40-60, affecting nerve cells of the brain and causing severe memory impairment and progressive loss of mental faculties.

June 18,

American military hero and actor Audie Murphy (1924-1971) was born in Kingston, Texas. He was the most decorated American soldier of World War II, awarded 37 medals and decorations, including the Medal of Honor for single-handedly turning back a German infantry company by climbing on a burning U.S. tank destroyer and firing its .50-cal. machine gun, killing 50 Germans. He later became an actor in western and war movies, appearing in 45 films, including The Red Badge of Courage (1951), Destry (1954), and To Hell and Back (1955), all based on his autobiography. He died on May 28, 1971, in a plane crash near Roanoke, Virginia.