1647 – English Parliamentary army under Cornet George Joyce takes King Charles I as a prisoner during Second Civil War
1824 – First free press (without government approval) founded in Australia – the Hobart Town Gazette by ex-convict Andrew Bent
1942 – “Mrs Miniver” based on the novel by Jan Struther, directed by William Wyler and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon is released in the US (Best Picture 1943)
1962 – Lee Harvey Oswald departs Rotterdam aboard the SS Maasdam for the US
1979 – South African President John Vorster resigns due to a scandal
2012 – US drone attack kills 15 militants in Pakistan, including high ranking al-Qaeda official, Abu Yahya al-Libi
2014 – 10 Nigerian generals and five other senior military officers are court-martialed for providing arms and information to jihadist terrorist group Boko Haram
2020 – Memorial for George Floyd led by Rev. Al Sharpton, killed in police custody, in Minneapolis, as 10th night of protests at his death held around the country
Author: gil7
Today in History for 4th June 2026
Historical Events
1629 – Dutch East India ship Batavia wrecks on Morning Reef off the Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia, with 200 survivors (only 70 survive after three months due to mutiny and murders)
1832 – 3rd national black convention meets (Philadelphia)
1972 – Angela Davis, African American activist, acquitted of killing a white guard
1985 – Supreme Court strikes down Alabama “moment of silence” law
2023 – Andrew Lloyd Webber and David Zippel’s musical “Bad Cinderella” closes at Imperial Theatre, NYC, after 85 performances; 1st time in 43 years that Webber is without a show on Broadway
Famous Birthdays
1701 – Nikolaj Eigtved, Danish architect (Christiansborg Castle), born in Egtved, Denmark (d. 1754)
1821 – Apollon Maykov, Russian poet, born in Moscow, Imperial Russia (d. 1897)
1930 – Bill Treacher, British actor (EastEnders, 1985-96 – “Arthur Fowler”), born in London, England (d. 2022)
1971 – James Callis, British actor (Battlestar Galactica), born in London, England
1975 – Russell Brand, British comedian, television personality and actor (Arthur, Rock of Ages), born in Grays, England
Famous Deaths
1801 – Frederick Muhlenberg, American politician and first speaker of the US House of Representatives (1789-91, 1793-95), dies at 51
1929 – Harry Frazee, American MLB team owner (Boston Red Sox), dies of kidney failure at 48
1969 – Rafael Osuna, Mexican tennis player (US Nat C’ship 1963), dies in an airline crash at 30
2014 – Richard Mellon Scaife, American billionaire, principal heir to the Mellon banking, oil, and aluminum fortune, and owner of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, dies of cancer at 82
2021 – Clarence Williams III, American actor (The Mod Squad – “Linc”; 52 Pick Up; Purple Rain), dies of colon cancer at 81
Famous Deaths for 3rd June 2026
1864 – James P. McMahon, US Union colonel (164th NY), dies in the Battle of Cold Harbour at about 29
1865 – Okada Izō, Japanese samurai (b. 1838)
1898 – Nikolai Afanisev, Russian violinist and composer, dies at 77
1975 – Ozzie Nelson, American big band leader, radio and television actor and producer (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), dies from cancer at 69
1981 – Eric Dalton, South African cricket batsman (15 Tests, top score 117), dies at 74
1991 – Takeshi Nagata, Japanese geophysicist, dies at 78
2000 – Merton Miller, American economist, recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1990), dies at 77
2004 – Victor Reuther, American labor leader (United Automobile Workers union), dies at 92
2019 – Agustina Bessa-Luís, Portuguese writer (A Sibila), dies at 96
2021 – F. Lee Bailey, American criminal defense attorney (Sam Sheppard; Boston Strangler; Patty Hearst; OJ Simpson), dies at 87
Historical Events for 3rd June 2026
1935 – French liner SS Normandie sets Atlantic crossing record of four days, three hours and 14 minutes on her maiden voyage
1937 – Josh Gibson hits a home run just 2 feet below the rim of Yankee Stadium (580′ drive)
1939 – “Beer Barrel Polka” by Will Glahe hits #1 on the pop singles chart
1944 – 76th Belmont: G. L. Smith riding Bounding Home wins in 2:32.2
1964 – Ringo Starr collapses from tonsillitis and pharyngitis, just before the Beatles embark on a World Tour
1987 – “Little Shop of Horrors” released in France
2019 – US federal government departments and Congress begin anti-trust investigations into large tech companies including Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon
2025 – IPL Cricket Final, Ahmedabad: Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Punjab Kings by 6 runs for their first title; Player of the Match: Krunal Pandya (RCB) 2/17
Today in History for 3rd June 2026
Historical Events
1748 – Amsterdam establishes municipal postal service
1962 – Lee Harvey Oswald arrives by train in Oldenzaal, Netherlands
1973 – At Paris air show, Tupolev 144, a Soviet supersonic airliner (“Concorde-ski”), crashes, 15 killed
2001 – US Open Women’s Golf, Pine Needles Lodge and GC: Defending champion Karrie Webb of Australia repeats by 8 strokes ahead of runner-up Se Ri Pak; largest margin in 21 years
2014 – US President Barack Obama announces his plan for a $1 billion fund to increase deployment of US troops to Europe
Famous Birthdays
1913 – Pedro Mir, Dominican poet laureate (There Is a Country in the World, To Julia with No Tears), born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic (d. 2000)
1914 – (Ronald George) “Tim” Woodman, British WWII RAF pilot and squadron leader, born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England (d. 1996)
1962 – Susannah Constantine, British fashion guru (What Not to Wear), born in London, England
1965 – Jeff Blumenkrantz, American theatrical composer, actor, and podcaster, born in Long Branch, New Jersey
1986 – Tomas Verner, Czech ice skater, born in Písek, Czech Republic
Famous Deaths
1858 – Julius Reubke, German organist, pianist, and composer (Sonata on the 94th Psalm in c), dies of tuberculosis at 24
1995 – Dilys Powell, English film critic and travel writer (Descent from Parnassus), dies at 93
2003 – Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor (Marine Corps War Memorial), dies at 96
2019 – Agustina Bessa-Luís, Portuguese writer (A Sibila), dies at 96
2023 – Jim Hines, American athlete (Olympic gold 100m, 4x100m relay 1968), dies at 76
Famous Deaths for 2nd June 2026
1567 – Shane O’Neill, Irish chieftain
1750 – Johann Valentin Rathgeber, German organist, Benedictine priest, choirmaster, and composer (Augsburger Tafel-Confect), dies of gout at 68
1812 – Jan William de Winter, Dutch admiral (commanded Dutch navy in Battle of Campertown), dies at 51
1833 – Simon Byrne, Irish bare-knuckle boxer (Irish heavyweight champion), dies as a result of boxing match injuries at 27
1901 – George Leslie Mackay, Canadian missionary (b. 1844)
1967 – Benno Ohnesorg, German student (b. 1940)
1977 – Stephen Boyd [William Millar], Irish actor (Fantastic Voyage, Ben-Hur), dies of a heart attack at 45
1993 – French JFM of Thiel, Dutch 2nd chamber chairman (1963-72), dies at 86
1997 – Charles Jones, Canadian contemporary classical composer and music educator, dies at 86
2003 – Fred Blassie, American professional wrestler, manager and subject of “My Breakfast with Blassie”, dies of heart and kidney failure at 85
Historical Events for 2nd June 2026
193 – Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is assassinated 66 days into his reign
1619 – England and the Netherlands sign treaty about trading in the Indies
1858 – Donati Comet 1st seen named after its discoverer
1913 – 1st strike settlement mediated by US Department of Labor – railroad clerks
1946 – Italian plebiscite chooses republic over monarchy (National Day)
1950 – St Louis Browns pitcher Harry Dorish swipes home vs Washington Senators
1971 – European Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London: Ajax beats Panathinaikos, 2-0; Dutch champions begin 3-year period of domination
2002 – 56th Tony Awards: “Thoroughly Modern Millie” (musical) and “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?” (play) win
Today in History for 2nd June 2026
Historical Events
1896 – 30th Belmont: Henry Griffin aboard Hastings wins in 2:24.5
1943 – 99th Pursuit Squadron flies 1st combat mission (over Italy)
1978 – Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen fourth studio album “Darkness on the Edge of Town”
1985 – RJ Reynolds Company proposed a merger with Nabisco
2024 – Chinese spacecraft Chang’e-6 successfully lands on the far side of the Moon on a mission to analyse and collect rock samples
Famous Birthdays
1715 – Herman-François Delange, Belgian composer, born in Liège, Dutch Republic (d. 1781)
1903 – Mario Pilati, Italian composer, born in Naples, Kingdom of Italy (d. 1938)
1906 – (Abraham) “Albert” Sandler, British violinist and ‘light music’ orchestra leader, born in Mile End Old Town, London (d. 1948)
1955 – Gary Grimes, American actor (Summer of ’42, Class of ’44), born in San Francisco, California
1970 – B-Real [Louis Freese], American rapper (Cypress Hill), born in Los Angeles, California
Famous Deaths
1802 – Pemulwuy [Bembilwuyam] Indigenous Australian (Bidjigal) who resisted colonization, shot to death, his head later sent to Joseph Banks (b. c. 1750)
1962 – Vita Sackville-West, English novelist, poet (The Land) and gardener (Sissinghurst), dies at 70
1962 – Fran Saleški Finžgar, Slovene folk writer (Our Blood, Service Girls), dies at 91
1972 – Franz Philipp, German composer, dies at 81
2012 – Kathryn Joosten, American actress (Desperate Housewives), dies of lung cancer at 72
Famous Deaths for 1st June 2026
1660 – Louis d’Ailleboust de Coulonge, French engineer and Governor of New France (1648-51, acting 1657-58), buried at 47 or 48
1676 – Uggla, Swedish admiral (Öland), dies in battle
1729 – Matthaeus de Cock, governor general of Dutch Indies (1725-29), dies at about 65
1825 – Lady Elizabeth Finch-Hatton, British aristocrat and subject of the David Martin painting “Dido Elizabeth Belle and Lady Elizabeth Murray”, dies at 65
1969 – Ivar Ballangrud, Norwegian speed skater (Olympic gold 5,000m 1928; 500m, 5,000m 10,000m 1936), dies at 65
1987 – Rashid Karami, Lebanese statesman (elected Prime Minister 8 times between 1958-87), assassinated by a bomb rigged in his helicopter at 65
1994 – Juan J H Rovira, Spanish general, murdered
1997 – Nikolai Tikhonov, Soviet politician (Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union 1980-85), dies at 92
2001 – Queen Aiswarya of Nepal, killed by her son Dipendra in the Nepalese Royal Massacre at 51
2008 – Tommy Lapid, Israeli journalist and politician (b. 1931)
Historical Events for 1st June 2026
1862 – General Robert E. Lee assumes command after Joe Johnston is injured at Seven Pines
1913 – The Serbian government concludes a ten-year treaty with Greece against Bulgaria; Serbia wishes to pursue Macedonian aspirations with Greece’s help
1955 – Tunisian nationalist leader Habib Bourguiba returns to Tunisia after imprisonment and exile in France
1970 – MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn reprimands Houston Astros pitcher Jim Bouton for writing the memoir *Ball Four*, a candid season-long diary that Kuhn deems “detrimental to baseball”
1975 – John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical “Chicago” opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 947 performances
1987 – Cleveland Indians pitcher Phil Niekro beats Detroit Tigers, 9-6 for his 314th MLB victory; combines with Joe Niekro (216) for most combined wins by brothers in baseball history (530)
2007 – Jack Kevorkian is released from prison after serving eight years of his 10-25 year prison term for the 1998 second-degree murder of Thomas Youk
2018 – Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy forced out of office by a no-confidence vote in parliament, filed by Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez