June 24
is the 175th day of the year (176th in
leap years) in the
Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining.
*
972 -
Battle of Cedynia, near Cedynia.
Polish forces have had their first documented victory.
*
1128 -
Battle of São Mamede, near Guimarães.
Portuguese forces led by
Alfonso I defeat his mother D.Teresa and D.Fernão Peres de Trava. After this battle, the future king calls himself "Prince of Portugal", the first step towards "official independence" in
1143.
*
1314 - End of the
Battle of Bannockburn.
Scottish forces led by
Robert the Bruce defeat
Edward II of England. Scotland regains its independence.
*
1340 -
Hundred Years' War:
Battle of Sluys The French fleet was almost totally destroyed by the English Fleet commanded in person by
Edward III of England.
*
1374 - A sudden outbreak of
St. John's Dance causes people in the streets of
Aachen,
Germany, to experience
hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion.
*
1441 -
Eton College founded.
*
1497 -
John Cabot lands on
North America in
Newfoundland; first European exploration of the region since the
Vikings.
* 1497 -
Cornish traitors
Michael An Gof and
Thomas Flamank executed at
Tyburn,
London*
1509 -
Henry VIII and
Catherine of Aragon crowned King and Queen of England.
*
1534 -
Jacques Cartier makes the European discovery of
Prince Edward Island.
*
1535 - The
Anabaptist state of
Münster is conquered and disbanded.
*
1597 - The first Dutch voyage to the East Indies reaches
Bantam (on
Java).
*
1662 - Dutch attempt but fail to capture
Macau.
*
1664 - The colony of
New Jersey is founded.
*
1692 -
Kingston, Jamaica is founded.
*
1793 - First republican
constitution in
France adopted.
*
1794 -
Bowdoin College is founded.
*
1812 -
Napoleonic Wars:
Napoleon's Grande Armée crosses the
Neman River beginning his
invasion of
Russia.
*
1813 -
Battle of Beaver Dams : A British, and Indian joint force defeat the U.S Army.
*
1821 -
Battle of Carabobo :
Venezuela gains total
independence from
Spain.
*
1859 -
Battle of Solferino: (Battle of the Three Sovereigns).
Sardinia and
France defeat
Austria in
Solferino, northern
Italy.
*
1880 - First performance of
O Canada, the song that would become the
national anthem of
Canada, at the
Congrès national des Canadiens-Français.
*
1894 - The
IOC decides to hold the
Olympic Games every four years.
* 1894 -
Marie Francois Sadi Carnot assassinated by
Sante Jeronimo Caserio.
*
1901 - First exhibition of
Pablo Picasso's work opens.
*
1902 - King
Edward VII of the United Kingdom develops
appendicitis, delaying his coronation.
*
1913 -
Greece and
Serbia annul their alliance with
Bulgaria.
* 1913 -
Joseph Cook becomes the 6th
Prime Minister of Australia.
*
1916 -
Mary Pickford becomes first female film star to get million dollar contract.
*
1916 -
Battle of the Somme begins with a week long artilary bombardment on the German Line.
*
1918 - First
airmail service in
Canada from
Montreal to
Toronto.
*
1928 - With declining business, the
Great Gorge and International Railway begins using one-person crews on
trolley operations in
Canada*
1932 - A military coup ends the absolute power of the king of
Siam (
Thailand).
*
1940 -
France and
Italy sign an armistice.
*
1945 -
Moscow Victory Parade*
1946 -
Georges Bidault becomes Prime Minister of
France.
*
1948 - Start of the
Berlin Blockade. The
Soviet Union makes overland travel between the West with
West Berlin impossible.
*
1949 - The first
Television Western,
Hopalong Cassidy, is aired on
NBC starring
William Boyd.
*
1957 - The
U.S. Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the
First Amendment.
*
1963 -
Zanzibar is granted internal self-government by the
UK.
*
1975 - An
Eastern Air Lines Boeing 727 crashes at
John F. Kennedy Airport,
New York. 113 people die.
*
1978 - The first
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is held in
Australia.
*
1981 - What would be the world's longest single-span suspension bridge for 17 years, the
Humber Bridge opens, connecting
Yorkshire and
Lincolnshire.
*
1983 -
Space Shuttle program:
STS-7 Mission Sally Ride, first female American astronaut, returns to earth.
* 1983 -
Yasir Arafat banned from
Damascus.
*
1993 -
Yale computer science professor Dr.
David Gelernter loses the sight in one eye, the hearing in one ear, and part of his right hand after receiving a
mailbomb from the
Unabomber.
*
1994 - The Third highest grossing animated film
The Lion King opens in theaters
*
2002 - The
Igandu train disaster in
Tanzania kills 281, the worst train accident in African history.
*
2004 - Habib Dodo, the general secretary of the
Communist Youth of Côte d'Ivoire is assassinated by pro-government forces.
*
1244 -
Henry I of Hesse (d.
1308)
*
1340 -
John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (d.
1399)
*
1386 -
Giovanni da Capistrano, Italian saint (d.
1456)
*
1485 -
Johannes Bugenhagen, German reformer (d.
1558)
*
1519 -
Theodore Beza, French theologian (d.
1605)
*
1532 -
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, English politician (d.
1588)
*
1542 -
St. John of the Cross, Spanish Carmelite friar and poet (d.
1591)
*
1546 -
Robert Parsons, English Jesuit priest (d.
1610)
*
1663 -
Jean Baptiste Massillon, French churchman (d.
1742)
*
1687 -
Johann Albrecht Bengel, German scholar (d.
1757)
*
1694 -
Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, Swiss publicist (d.
1748)
*
1704 -
Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens, French writer (d.
1771)
*
1774 -
François Nicolas Benoît, Baron Haxo, French general (d.
1838)
*
1777 -
John Ross, British naval officer and explorer (d.
1856)
*
1795 -
Ernst Heinrich Weber, German anatomist and physiologist (d.
1878)
*
1803 -
George James Webb, English-born composer (d.
1887)
*
1804 -
Willard Richards, American religious leader (d.
1854)
*
1813 -
Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman and reformer (d.
1887)
*
1826 -
George Goyder, surveyor-general of South Australia (d.
1898)
*
1842 -
Ambrose Bierce, American author
*
1850 -
Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, British field marshal (d.
1916)
*
1882 -
Carl Diem, German Olympic official (d.
1962)
*
1883 -
Victor Franz Hess, Austrian-born physicist,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1964)
*
1886 -
George Shiels, Northern Irish dramatist (d.
1949)
*
1888 -
Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect (d.
1964)
*
1895 -
Jack Dempsey, American boxer (d.
1983)
*
1897 -
Daniel K. Ludwig, US shipping magnate (d.
1992)
*
1901 -
Harry Partch, American composer (d.
1974)
*
1904 -
Phil Harris, American singer, songwriter and comedian (d.
1995)
*
1906 -
Pierre Fournier, French cellist (d.
1986)
*
1907 -
Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet (d.
1989)
*
1908 -
Hugo Distler, German composer (d.
1942)
* 1908 -
Guru Gopinath, Indian classical dancer (d
1987)
* 1908 -
Alfons Rebane, Estonian military officer (d.
1976)
*
1911 -
Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentine race car driver (d.
1995)
* 1911 -
Ernesto Sábato, writer.
*
1914 -
Robert Aickman, English author (d.
1981)
*
1915 -
Fred Hoyle, British astronomer and science fiction author (d.
2001)
*
1922 -
Tata Giacobetti, Italian singer and lyricist (
Quartetto Cetra)
*
1924 -
Kurt Furgler, member of the Swiss Federal Council
*
1927 -
Martin Lewis Perl, American physicist,
Nobel Prize laureate
*
1930 -
Claude Chabrol, French film director
*
1931 -
Billy Casper, American golfer
*
1934 -
Jean-Pierre Ferland,
Quebec singer and songwriter
*
1942 -
Mick Fleetwood, musician (
Fleetwood Mac)
* 1942 -
Michele Lee, American actress
*
1944 -
Jeff Beck, English guitarist (
Yardbirds)
* 1944 -
Arthur Brown, English musician
* 1944 -
John "Charlie" Whitney, English guitarist (
Family,
Streetwalkers,
Axis Point)
* 1944 -
Chris Wood, British musician (d.
1983)
*
1945 -
Colin Blunstone, British musician (The
Zombies)
* 1945 -
George Pataki, Governor of New York
* 1945 -
Wayne Cashman, professional ice hockey player
*
1946 -
Ellison Onizuka, American astronaut (d.
1986)
* 1946 -
David Collenette, Canadian politician
*
1947 -
Peter Weller, American actor
*
1948 -
Patrick Moraz, Swiss keyboard player (
Yes)
*
1949 -
John Illsley, British bassist (
Dire Straits)
*
1950 -
Mercedes Lackey, American author
* 1950 -
Nancy Allen, American actress
*
1952 -
Stephen Pusey, British-born artist
*
1953 -
Ivo Lill, Estonian artist
* 1953 -
Garry Shider, American musician (
P Funk)
*
1955 -
Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, Guru of
Siddha Yoga* 1955 -
Betsy Randle, American actress (
Boy Meets World)
*
1956 -
Joe Penny, English actor
*
1958 -
Jean Charest, Premier of Québec
*
1961 -
Bernie Nicholls, Canadian
ice hockey player
* 1961 -
Curt Smith, musician and songwriter (
Tears for Fears)
*
1963 -
Anatoly Borisovich Jurkin, Russian writer
* 1963 -
Mike Wieringo, American comic book artist
*
1964 -
Gary Suter, professional ice hockey player
*
1967 -
Janez Lapajne, Slovenian film director
*
1967 -
Richard Kruspe-Bernstein, German guitarist (
Rammstein)
*
1969 -
Sissel Kyrkjebø, Norwegian singer
*
1970 -
Glenn Medeiros, American singer and songwriter
*
1972 -
Robbie McEwen, Australian professional road bicycle racer
*
1973 -
Alexander Beyer, German actor
*
1978 -
Erno "Emppu" Vuorinen, Finnish guitarist (
Nightwish)
* 1978 -
Luis García, Spanish footballer
* 1978 -
Juan Román Riquelme, Argentine footballer
*
1979 -
Craig Shergold, British internet folklore subject
* 1979 -
Petra Němcová, Czechoslovakian female supermodel
*
1980 -
Cicinho, Brazilian footballer
*
1982 -
Kevin Nolan, English footballer
*
1984 -
J.J. Redick, American professional basketball player
*
1986 -
Solange Knowles, American actress and singer
* 1986 -
Philip Hughes, American Baseball Player
*
1987 -
Lionel Messi, Argentine footballer
*
803 -
Higbald of Lindisfarne*
1398 -
Hongwu Emperor of China (b.
1328)
*
1439 - Duke
Frederick IV of Austria (b.
1382)
*
1519 -
Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara (b.
1480)
*
1520 -
Hosokawa Sumimoto, Japanese samurai commander (b.
1489)
*
1604 -
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford,
Lord Great Chamberlain of England (b.
1550)
*
1637 -
Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, French astronomer (b.
1580)
*
1643 -
John Hampden, English politician (b.
1595)
*
1766 -
Adrien-Maurice, 3rd duc de Noailles, French soldier (b.
1678)
*
1778 -
Pieter Burmann the Younger, Dutch philologist (b.
1714)
*
1803 -
Matthew Thornton, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (b.
1714)
*
1817 -
Thomas McKean, American lawyer and signer of the Declaration of Independence (b.
1734)
*
1894 -
Marie François Sadi Carnot, French statesman (b.
1837)
*
1908 -
Grover Cleveland,
President of the United States (heart failure) (b.
1837)
*
1909 -
Sarah Orne Jewett, American writer (b.
1849)
*
1922 -
Walther Rathenau, German Minister of Foreign Affairs (assassinated) (b.
1867)
*
1935 -
Carlos Gardel, Argentine singer (airplane crash) (b.
1890)
*
1947 -
Emil Seidel, Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (b.
1864)
*
1968 -
Tony Hancock, British comedian (b.
1924)
*
1984 -
Clarence Campbell,
NHL president (b.
1905)
*
1987 -
Jackie Gleason, American actor and musician (b.
1916)
*
1993 -
Archie Williams, American athlete (b.
1915)
*
1997 -
Don Hutson, American athlete (b.
1913)
* 1997 -
Brian Keith, American actor (b.
1921)
*
2000 -
Vera Atkins, Romanian-born intelligence officer (b.
1908)
* 2000 -
David Tomlinson, British actor (b.
1917)
*
2002 -
Pierre Werner,
Prime Minister of Luxembourg (b.
1913)
*
2003 -
Maynard Jackson, Mayor of Atlanta (b.
1938)
*
2004 -
Ifigeneia Giannopoulou, Greek songwriter (b.
1957)
*
2005 -
Paul Winchell, American voice actor and ventriloquist (b.
1922)
*
2006 -
Patsy Ramsey, mother to
JonBenet Ramsey (ovarian cancer) (b.
1957)
*
Fête nationale du Québec, also called St-Jean-Baptiste Day
*Original
Midsummer's Eve in
Finland and
Sweden, although the official holiday is now moved to the nearest Friday
*One of the four
Irish Quarter days in the
Irish Calendar.
*
Discovery Day in
Newfoundland and Labrador (celebrating the
1497 discovery by
John Cabot)
*
Day of the Indians in
Peru*
Battle of Carabobo Day in
Venezuela (
1821)
*
Bannockburn Day in
Scotland (see
1314 above)
*
Bahá'í Faith - Feast of Rahmat (Mercy) - First day of the sixth month of the Bahá'í Calendar
*
Quarter days in
England*
American Radio Relay League -
Field Day 2006
Liturgical feasts
Roman Catholic Church * Feast of theBirth of
Saint John the Baptist,
patron saint of Québec, brush makers and knife sharpeners; also
Festival of San Juan observed in
Bolivia and
Peru,
St. John's Day in
Estonia and
Sao Joao in Portuguese, especially in
Porto*
Saint Theodulf*
Blessed Ivan*
BBC: On This Day*
Encyclopædia Britannica: This Day in History*
Field Day 2006June 23 -
June 25 -
May 24 -
July 24 --
listing of all days
