Today in history...
June 1, 2009
* 193 – Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is assassinated.
* 987 – Hugh Capet is elected King of France.
* 1204 – King Philip Augustus of France conquers Rouen.
* 1215 – Beijing, then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Beijing.
* 1252 – Alfonso X is elected King of Castile and León.
* 1495 – Friar John Cor records the first known batch of scotch whisky.
* 1533 – Anne Boleyn is crowned Queen of England.
* 1660 – Mary Dyer is hanged for defying a law banning Quakers from the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
* 1679 – The Scottish Covenanters defeat John Graham of Claverhouse at the Battle of Drumclog.
* 1779 – American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold is court-martialed for malfeasance.
* 1792 – Kentucky is admitted as the 15th state of the United States.
* 1794 – The battle of the Glorious First of June is fought, the first naval engagement between Britain and France during the French Revolutionary Wars.
* 1796 – Tennessee is admitted as the 16th state of the United States.
* 1812 – War of 1812: U.S. President James Madison asks the Congress to declare war on the United Kingdom.
* 1813 – James Lawrence, the mortally-wounded commander of the USS Chesapeake, gives his final order: "Don't give up the ship!"
* 1815 – Napoleon swears fidelity to the Constitution of France.
* 1831 – James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole.
* 1855 – American adventurer William Walker conquers Nicaragua.
* 1857 – Charles Baudelaire's Fleurs du mal is published.
* 1862 – American Civil War, Peninsula Campaign: Battle of Seven Pines (or the Battle of Fair Oaks) ends inconclusively, with both sides claiming victory.
* 1868 – Treaty of Bosque Redondo is signed allowing the Navajos to return to their lands in Arizona and New Mexico.
* 1869 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for his electric voting machine.
* 1879 – Napoleon Eugene, the last dynastic Bonaparte, is killed in the Anglo-Zulu War.
* 1886 – The railroads of the Southern United States convert 11,000 miles of track from a five foot rail gauge to standard gauge, beginning May 31.
* 1890 – The United States Census Bureau begins using Herman Hollerith's tabulating machine to count census returns.
* 1910 – Robert Falcon Scott's South Pole expedition leaves England.
* 1918 – World War I Western Front: Battle for Belleau Wood – Allied Forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord engage Imperial German Forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince.
* 1920 – Adolfo de la Huerta becomes president of Mexico.
* 1921 – Tulsa Race Riot: civil unrest in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
* 1922 – The Royal Ulster Constabulary is founded.
* 1925 – Lou Gehrig plays the first game in his streak of 2,130 consecutive games; it was the longest such streak until broken by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995.
* 1935 – The first driving tests are introduced in the United Kingdom.
* 1939 – Maiden flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger (D-OPZE) fighter aeroplane
* 1940 – The Leninist Communist Youth League of the Karelo-Finnish SSR holds its first congress.
* 1940 – The Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation goes out of business, giving the City of New York full control of the subway system in the city.
* 1941 – World War II: Battle of Crete ends as Crete capitulates to Germany.
* 1941 – The Farhud, a pogrom of Iraqi Jews, takes place in Baghdad.
* 1942 – World War II: the Warsaw paper Liberty Brigade publishes the first news of the concentration camps.
* 1943 – British Overseas Airways Corporation Flight 777 is shot down over the Bay of Biscay by German Junkers Ju 88s, killing actor Leslie Howard and leading to speculation the downing was an attempt to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
* 1946 – Ion Antonescu, "Conducator" (leader) of Romania during World War 2, is executed.
* 1956 – First international flight (to Montreal YUL) from the Atlanta Municipal Airport (ATL; now Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and currently the world's busiest airport)
* 1958 – Charles de Gaulle comes out of retirement to lead France by decree for six months.
* 1962 – Adolf Eichmann is hanged in Israel.
* 1963 – Kenya gains internal self-rule (Madaraka Day).
* 1967 – The groundbreaking Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album by The Beatles is released
* 1974 – Flixborough disaster: an explosion at a chemical plant kills 28 people.
* 1974 – The Heimlich maneuver for rescuing choking victims is published in the journal Emergency Medicine.
* 1978 – The first international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty are filed.
* 1979 – Vizianagaram district is formed in Andhra Pradesh, India.
* 1979 – The first black-led government of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 90 years takes power.
* 1980 – Cable News Network (CNN) begins broadcasting.
* 1989 – Oba Chandler murders an Ohio family on their Florida vacation by drowning them in Tampa Bay.
* 1990 – George H. W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to end chemical weapon production.
* 2000 – The Patent Law Treaty is signed.
* 2001 – Dipendra of Nepal murders his family during dinner.
* 2001 – Dolphinarium massacre: an Hamas suicide bomber kills 21 at a disco in Tel Aviv.
* 2003 – The People's Republic of China begins filling the reservoir behind the Three Gorges Dam.
* 2005 – The Dutch referendum on the European Constitution results in its rejection.
* 2005 – The longest oil/natural gas explosion in the Houston, Texas area occurs in Crosby, Texas. The drill was owned by the Louisiana Oil and Gas Company.
* 2007 – Jack Kevorkian is released from prison after serving eight years of his 10-25 year prison term for second-degree murder in the 1998 death of Thomas Youk, 52, of Oakland County, Michigan.
* 2008 – A fire at the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood destroys several icons from movies, such as Courthouse Square, the clock tower from Back to the Future, and the King Kong exhibit on the studio tour.
* 2008- General Motors, the largest automaker in the world files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Birthdays today...
* 1076 – Mstislav I of Kiev (d. 1132)
* 1300 – Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk, son of Edward I of England (d. 1338)
* 1480 – Tiedemann Giese, Polish Catholic bishop (d. 1550)
* 1503 – Wilhelm von Grumbach, German adventurer (d. 1567)
* 1563 – Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, English statesman and spymaster (d. 1612)
* 1633 – Geminiano Montanari, Italian astronomer (d. 1687)
* 1637 – Jacques Marquette, French Jesuit missionary and explorer (d. 1675)
* 1653 – Georg Muffat, French composer (d. 1704)
* 1675 – Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei, Italian archaeologist (d. 1755)
* 1762 – Edmund Ignatius Rice, Irish founder of the Christian Brothers and Presentation Brothers (d. 1844)
* 1771 – Ferdinando Paer, Italian composer (d. 1839)
* 1790 – Ferdinand Raimund, Austrian playwright (d. 1836)
* 1796 – Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot, French physicist (d. 1832)
* 1800 – Edward Deas Thomson, Australian politician (d. 1879)
* 1801 – Brigham Young, Mormon church leader (d. 1877)
* 1804 – Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (d. 1857)
* 1815 – Philip Kearny, American general (d. 1862)
* 1815 – Otto of Greece (d. 1862)
* 1831 – John Bell Hood, American Confederate general (d. 1879)
* 1833 – John Marshall Harlan, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1911)
* 1843 – Henry Faulds, Scottish fingerprinting pioneer (d. 1930)
* 1844 – John J. Toffey, American Civil War hero (d. 1911)
* 1878 – John Masefield, English novelist and poet (d. 1967)
* 1881 – Charles Kay Ogden, English writer and linguist (d. 1957)
* 1890 – Frank Morgan, American actor (d. 1949)
* 1898 – Molly Picon, American actress (d. 1992)
* 1899 – Edward Charles Titchmarsh, English mathematician (d. 1963)
* 1901 – John Van Druten, English screen writer (d. 1957)
* 1901 – Hap Day, Canadian hockey player and manager (d. 1990)
* 1903 – Blessed Vasyl Velychkovsky C.Ss.R Bishop and Martyr (d. 1973)
* 1907 – Frank Whittle, English inventor of the jet engine. (d. 1996)
* 1909 – Hans Vogt, Norwegian linguist (d. 1986)
* 1913 – Bill Deedes, British journalist (d. 2007)
* 1915 – John Randolph, American actor (d. 2004)
* 1917 – William S. Knowles, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
* 1921 – Nelson Riddle, American bandleader and arranger (d. 1985)
* 1922 – Povel Ramel, Swedish entertainer (d. 2007)
* 1922 – Joan Caulfield, American actress (d. 1991)
* 1922 – Joan Copeland, American actress
* 1924 – William Sloane Coffin, American clergyman (d. 2006)
* 1925 – Dilia Díaz Cisneros, Venezuelan teacher
* 1926 – Andy Griffith, American actor
* 1926 – Marilyn Monroe, American actress (d. 1962)
* 1928 – Georgi Dobrovolski, Soviet cosmonaut (d. 1971)
* 1928 – Bob Monkhouse, English comedian (d. 2003)
* 1929 – James Billington – American librarian
* 1930 – John Lemmon, English logician (d. 1966)
* 1930 – Edward Woodward, English actor
* 1933 – Charles Wilson, American politician
* 1934 – Pat Boone, American singer
* 1935 – Reverend Ike, American televangelist
* 1936 – Joe Doyle, Irish politician
* 1936 – Gerald Scarfe, British illustrator
* 1937 – Morgan Freeman, American actor
* 1937 – Rosaleen Linehan, Irish actress
* 1937 – Colleen McCullough, Australian novelist (The Thorn Birds)
* 1939 – Cleavon Little, American actor (d. 1992)
* 1940 – René Auberjonois, American actor
* 1940 – Kip Thorne, American physicist
* 1944 – Robert Powell, English actor
* 1945 – Frederica von Stade, American mezzo-soprano
* 1945 – Linda Scott, American singer
* 1946 – Brian Cox, Scottish actor
* 1947 – Jonathan Pryce, British actor
* 1947 – Ron Dennis, F1 team principal (McLaren)
* 1947 – Ronnie Wood, English guitarist (Rolling Stones)
* 1948 – Tomáš Halík, Czech priest and public intellectual
* 1948 – Michel Plasse, French Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2006)
* 1948 – Tom Sneva, American race car driver and Indianapolis 500 winner
* 1950 – Wayne Nelson, American musician (Little River Band)
* 1953 – Ronnie Dunn, American musician (Brooks & Dunn)
* 1953 – David Berkowitz, American serial killer (Son of Sam)
* 1955 – Ralph Morse, British actor, singer and writer of historical dramas
* 1955 – Tony Snow, News Anchor, Former White House Press Secretary for George W. Bush (d. 2008)
* 1956 – Lisa Hartman, American actress
* 1957 – Dorota Kędzierzawska, Polish film director
* 1958 – Ahron Bregman, Israeli journalist
* 1959 – Martin Brundle, British race car driver and F1 television commentator
* 1959 – Alan Wilder, British musician (Depeche Mode and Recoil)
* 1960 – Simon Gallup, English bassist (The Cure)
* 1961 – Paul Coffey, Canadian hockey player
* 1961 – Peter Machajdik, Slovakian composer
* 1963 – Mike Joyce, English drummer (The Smiths)
* 1964 – Mark Curry, American comedian and actor
* 1965 – Larisa Lazutina, Russian cross-country skier
* 1965 – Nigel Short, English chess player
* 1966 – Greg Schiano, American football coach
* 1967 – Roger Sanchez, American disc jockey
* 1968 – Jason Donovan, Australian actor and singer
* 1968 – Jeff Hackett, Canadian hockey player
* 1969 – René Liu, Taiwanese actress and singer
* 1969 – Teri Polo, American actress
* 1970 – Alexi Lalas, American soccer player
* 1970 – Karen Mulder, Dutch supermodel
* 1970 – R. Madhavan, Indian actor
* 1971 – Mario Cimarro, Cuban actor and singer
* 1971 – Roldán González, Cuban singer
* 1972 – Daniel Casey, English actor
* 1972 – Mike Dunham, American hockey player
* 1973 – Frederik Deburghgraeve, Belgian swimmer
* 1973 – Adam Garcia, Australian actor
* 1973 – Derek Lowe, American baseball player
* 1973 – Heidi Klum, German supermodel
* 1974 – Alanis Morissette, Canadian singer-songwriter
* 1974 – Michael Rasmussen, Danish cyclist
* 1974 – Melissa Sagemiller, American actress
* 1974 – Akis Zikos, Greek footballer
* 1975 – James Storm, American professional wrestler
* 1975 – Michal Grosek, Czech hockey player
* 1977 – Danielle Harris, American actress
* 1977 – Sarah Wayne Callies, American actress
* 1977 – Brad Wilkerson, American baseball player
* 1977 – Richard Williams, British racing driver
* 1979 – Santana Moss, American football player
* 1980 – Oliver James, British actor
* 1981 – Carlos Zambrano, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player
* 1981 – Brandi Carlile, American singer and songwriter
* 1982 – Justine Henin (formerly Henin-Hardenne), Belgian tennis player
* 1983 – Jake Silbermann, American actor
* 1984 – Naidangiin Tüvshinbayar, first Mongolian athlete win gold medal from Olympics
* 1984 – Oliver Tielemans, Dutch racing driver
* 1985 – Mário Hipólito, Angolan footballer
* 1985 – Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopian Athlete
* 1985 – Nick Young, American basketball player
* 1986 – Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe 2008
* 1987 – Jerel McNeal, American basketball player
* 1987 – Zoltán Harsányi, Slovakian footballer
* 1988 – Nami Tamaki, Japanese pop singer
Famous deaths...
* 195 BC – Gaozu of Han of China
* 193 – Marcus Severus Didius Julianus, Roman Emperor (b. 133)
* 1434 – Wladislaus II of Poland
* 1571 – John Story, English Catholic
* 1616 – Tokugawa Ieyasu (b. 1543)
* 1625 – Honoré d'Urfé, French writer (b. 1568)
* 1639 – Melchior Franck, German composer
* 1660 – Mary Dyer, English Quaker (martyred)
* 1710 – David Mitchell, British admiral (b. 1642)
* 1740 – Samuel Werenfels, Swiss theologian (b. 1657)
* 1769 – Edward Holyoke, President of Harvard University (b. 1689)
* 1795 – Pierre-Joseph Desault, French anatomist (b. 1744)
* 1815 – Louis Alexandre Berthier, French marshal (b. 1853)
* 1823 – Louis Nicolas Davout, French marshal (b. 1770)
* 1826 – Jean Frédéric Oberlin, Alsatian pastor (b. 1740)
* 1830 – Sahajanand Swami, believed to be an incarnation of GERD by his followers, leaves his mortal body. (b. 1781)
* 1841 – David Wilkie, Scottish artist (b. 1785)
* 1846 – Pope Gregory XVI (b. 1765)
* 1864 – Hong Xiuquan, Chinese rebel (b. 1812)
* 1868 – James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States (b. 1791)
* 1872 – James Gordon Bennett, Sr., American newspaper publisher (b. 1795)
* 1873 – Joseph Howe, Canadian politician (b. 1804)
* 1876 – Hristo Botev, Bulgarian revolutionary (b. 1848)
* 1879 – Napoléon Eugène, Prince Imperial son of Emperor Napoleon III (b. 1856)
* 1927 – J. B. Bury, Irish historian (b. 1861)
* 1941 – Hans Berger, German neuroscientist (b. 1873)
* 1943 – Leslie Howard, English actor (b. 1893)
* 1943 – Wilfrid B. Israel, Jewish activist
* 1946 – Ion Antonescu, Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1882)
* 1948 – Sonny Boy Williamson I, American musician (b. 1914)
* 1948 – Alex Gard, Russian-born caricaturist (b. 1900)
* 1952 – John Dewey, American philosopher and educational theorist.
* 1954 – Martin Andersen Nexø, Danish writer (b. 1869)
* 1959 – Sax Rohmer, English author (b. 1883)
* 1960 – Lester Patrick, Canadian hockey player (b. 1883)
* 1960 – Paula Hitler, sister of Adolf Hitler (b. 1896)
* 1962 – Adolf Eichmann, Nazi official by execution (b. 1906)
* 1965 – Earl "Curly" Lambeau, American football coach (b. 1898)
* 1966 – Papa Jack Laine, American musician (b. 1873)
* 1968 – Helen Keller, American humanitarian (b. 1880)
* 1968 – André Laurendeau, French Canadian writer, journalist and politician (b. 1912)
* 1969 – Ivar Ballangrud, Norwegian ice skater (b. 1904)
* 1971 – Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian (b. 1892)
* 1973 – Mary Kornman, American actress (b. 1915)
* 1979 – Werner Forssmann, German physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1904)
* 1980 – Rube Marquard, baseball player (b. 1886)
* 1980 – Arthur Nielsen, American market analyst (b. 1897)
* 1981 – Carl Vinson, U.S. Congressman (b. 1883)
* 1983 – Prince Charles of Belgium (b. 1903)
* 1985 – Richard Greene, British actor (b. 1918)
* 1986 – Jo Gartner, Austrian racing driver (b. 1958)
* 1987 – Rashid Karami, Lebanese statesman (b. 1921)
* 1989 – Aurelio Lampredi, Italian mechanical engineer (Ferrari (b. 1917)
* 1991 – David Ruffin, American singer (The Temptations) (b. 1941)
* 1994 – Frances Heflin, American actress (b. 1923)
* 1996 – Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Fifth President of India (b. 1913)
* 1998 – Darwin Joston, American actor (b. 1937)
* 1999 – Christopher Sydney Cockerell, British engineer and inventor (b. 1910)
* 2001 – Queen Aiswarya of Nepal (b. 1949)
* 2001 – King Birendra of Nepal (b. 1945)
* 2001 – Hank Ketcham, American cartoonist (b. 1920)
* 2002 – Hansie Cronje, South African cricketer (b. 1969)
* 2003 – Johnny Hopp, baseball player (b. 1916)
* 2004 – William Manchester, American writer (b. 1922)
* 2005 – George Mikan, American basketball player (b. 1924)
* 2006 – Rocío Jurado, Spanish singer and actress (b. 1944)
* 2007 – Arn Shein, American sports writer (b. 1928)
* 2007 – Tony Thompson, Singer in R&B group Hi-Five (b. 1975)
* 2008 – Tommy Lapid, Israeli journalist and politician (b. 1931)
* 2008 – Yves Saint Laurent, French fashion designer (b. 1936)
Holidays and observances...
* International Children's Day
* Cambodia: National Tree Planting Day
* Canada: National Day Against Homophobia
* Kentucky, Tennessee: Statehood Day
* Kenya: Madaraka Day
* Mongolia: Mothers' and Children's Day
* Palau: President's Day
* Samoa: Independence Day
* Sarawak: First day of the Gawai Dayak festival.
Have a good Monday.
~Brian
