1749 – Town of Halifax, Nova Scotia, is founded by the British – sparks Father Le Loutre’s War
1946 – Federal judge in Seattle rules that club doesn’t have to play returning serviceman
1948 – Rhodes conference on Israeli-Arab war opens
1948 – Lord Mountbatten resigns as Governor General of India (formerly the last Viceroy)
1948 – 1st stored computer program runs on Manchester Mark I at a laboratory in Manchester University, England
1948 – HMT Empire Windrush with the first 800 emigrants from the West Indies to the UK arrives at Port of Tilbury near London
1970 – Detroit’s Cesar Gutierrez goes 7-for-7 to tie a record set in 1892
1994 – German tennis superstar Steffi Graf becomes first defending champion to lose in the 1st round of a major tournament (Wimbledon to American Lorrie McNeal)
2003 – “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” the 5th book of the series by J. K. Rowling is published worldwide in English
2024 – Landmark case in Namibia rules colonial laws banning same-sex between men are unconstitutional
Author: gil7
Today in History for 21st June 2025
Historical Events
1868 – Wagner’s opera “Meistersinger von Nuernberg” premieres in Munich
1974 – 24th Berlin International Film Festival: “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz” wins the Golden Bear
1978 – Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical “Evita”, starring Elaine Page, premieres at the Prince Edward Theatre, London
1982 – John Hinckley, Jr is found not guilty by reason of insanity of 1981 attempted assassination of US President Ronald Reagan
1988 – 42nd NBA Championship: LA Lakers beat Detroit Pistons, 4 games to 3
Famous Birthdays
1528 – Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress (1564-76), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 1603)
1817 – James Brewerton Ricketts, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in New York City (d. 1887)
1862 – Henry Holden Huss, American classical pianist, composer, and educator, born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1953)
1865 – Herbert Brewer, English composer, organist (Gloucester Cathedral, 1896-1928), and choral director, born in Gloucester, England (d. 1928)
1950 – Anne Carson, Canadian poet (Autobiography of Red), born in Toronto, Ontario
Famous Deaths
1865 – Frances Adeline Seward, American First Lady of New York (1839-42) and wife of US Secretary of State William H. Seward, dies of a heart attack at 59
1874 – Anders Jonas Ångström, Swedish physicist (Spectroscopy), dies at 59
2015 – Gunther Schuller, American horn player, composer, and proponent of jazz-classical “third stream” (Visitation; Of Reminiscences and Reflections – Pulitzer Prize, 1994), dies at 89
2015 – Veijo Meri, Finnish writer, dies at 86
2018 – Charles Krauthammer, American conservative political commentator and psychiatrist (The Washington Post), dies small intestine cancer of at 68
Famous Deaths for 20th June 2025
1842 – Michael Umlauf, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (premiere of Beethoven’s 9th), dies at 60
1925 – Wilhelm Posse, German composer, dies at 72
1948 – George Frederick Boyle, Australian-American composer, dies at 61
1958 – Kurt Alder, German chemist (Nobel 1950), dies at 55
1975 – Daniel Ayala Pérez, Mexican violinist, conductor, and composer, dies at 68
1984 – Hans Studer, Swiss composer, dies at 73
1998 – Conrad Schumann, East German border guard, committed suicide at 56
2011 – [Anna] Ottilie Patterson, Irish blues and jazz singer (Chris Barber Jazz Band), dies at 79
2017 – Prodigy [Albert Johnson], American rapper (Mobb Deep), dies at 42
2024 – Donald Sutherland, Canadian actor (The Dirty Dozen; M*A*S*H (film): Ordinary People; The Hunger Games films), dies from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 88
Historical Events for 20th June 2025
1819 – The SS Savannah reaches Cork in Ireland after a 29 day and 11 hour voyage from Savannah, Georgia to become the 1st steamship to cross the Atlantic or any other ocean
1862 – Prime Minister of Romania Barbu Catargiu is assassinated
1894 – French bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin discovers bacillus responsible for the bubonic plague in Hong Kong (Yersinia pestis named in his honor)
1969 – 200,000 attend Newport ’69, then largest-ever pop concert in Northridge, California. Jimi Hendrix gets $120,000 to appear
1977 – Oil enters Trans-Alaska pipeline exits 38 days later at Valdez
1977 – Menachem Begin forms Israeli government
1978 – 1st 6 teams of Women’s Pro Basketball League (WBL) granted-Iowa, NJ, Milwaukee, Chicago, Minnesota and Dayton
1997 – Negotiators announce agreement in principle with tobacco industry
2006 – NBA Finals: Miami Heat beat Dallas Mavericks, 95-92 in Game 6 for first title in franchise history; MVP: Dwyane Wade
2024 – MLB St. Louis Cardinals defeat San Francisco Giants, 6-5 at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, the oldest existing professional baseball park in US; the special game served as a tribute to the Negro Leagues of 1920s thru 1950s
Today in History for 20th June 2025
Historical Events
1981 – Pope John Paul II hospitalized for 55 days for infection
1992 – NHL Draft: ZPS Zlin (Czechoslovakia) defenceman Roman Hamrlik first pick by Tampa Bay Lightning
2013 – NBA Finals: Miami Heat beat San Antonio Spurs, 95-88 in Game 7 for back-to-back titles; MVP: LeBron James for second straight year
2015 – Heat wave peaks in southern Pakistan, goes on to kill about 2,000 people from dehydration and heat stroke
2018 – TV drama “Yellowstone” premieres starring Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly and Wes Bentley
Famous Birthdays
1733 – Betty Washington, younger sister of George Washington, born in Westmoreland County, Colony of Virginia (d. 1797)
1858 – Medardo Rosso, Italian sculptor (portraits), born in Turin, Italy (d. 1928)
1915 – Terence Young, British film director (Dr No, Thunderball), born in Shanghai, China (d. 1994)
1958 – (Beranadette) “Kelly” Johnson, British heavy metal guitarist (Girlschool – “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre”), born in Edmonton, London, England (d. 2007)
1976 – Juliano Belletti, Brazilian soccer right back (23 caps; Villarreal, FC Barcelona, Chelsea), born in Cascavel, Brazil
Famous Deaths
1751 – Adriaen Valckenier, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1737-41), dies at 56
1888 – Cesare Dominiceti, Italian composer, dies at 66
1890 – Theodore Lajarte, French writer on music and composer, dies at 63
1972 – Horst Salomon, writer, dies
1999 – Clifton Fadiman, American editor, radio and TV host (Information, Please!; Quiz Kids), dies of pancreatic cancer at 95
Famous Deaths for 19th June 2025
1312 – Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall and favourite of Edward II of England beheaded at 27 or 28
1799 – Joseph Bologne, French violinist, conductor, composer, and champion fencer, dies at 51
1947 – Willem H. Fly, Dutch typographer/co-founder (SDAP), dies at 84
1984 – Wladimir Rudolfovich Vogel, composer, dies at 88
1988 – Gladys Spellman, American. Congresswoman (b. 1918)
1993 – William Golding, English author (Lord of the Flies, Nobel Prize for Literature 1983), dies at 81
2010 – Ursula Thiess [Schmidt], German actress (Monsoon, Bengal Brigade, Americano), dies at 86
2017 – Tony DiCicco, American soccer coach (US women 1994-99; FIFA Women’s World Cup gold 1999; FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup gold 2008), dies from cancer at 68
2022 – Brett Tuggle, American session and touring rock keyboard player (David Lee Roth, 1986-94; Fleetwood Mac, 1997-2017), dies of cancer at 70
2023 – Karolis Chvedukas, Lithuanian soccer midfielder (20 caps; FK Sūduva 163 games, Waterford FC), dies at 32
Historical Events for 19th June 2025
1825 – Gioachino Rossini’s opera “Il viaggio a Reims” (The Journey to Reims) premieres in celebration of the coronation of French King Charles X
1868 – Major General E. R. S. Canby removes mayor of Columbia, South Carolina
1917 – The British Royal Family, which has had strong German ties since George I, renounces its German names and titles and adopts the name of Windsor
1941 – US President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Two Ocean Navy Expansion Act – increases the size of US Navy by 70%
1960 – 1st Copa Libertadores Final, Asunción: Luis Cubilla scores 83′ equaliser for Peñarol of Uruguay for 1-1 draw against Olimpia (Paraguay); win 2-1 on aggregate after taking 1st-leg 1-0 in Montevideo
1969 – State troopers ordered to Cairo Ill, to quell racial disturbances
1974 – KC Royals pitcher Steve Busby throws his 2nd career no-hitter; beats Milwaukee Brewers, 2-0
1981 – India’s APPLE satellite, 1st to be stabilized on 3 axes, launched
1997 – “Forever Tango!” opens at Walter Kerr Theater NYC
2011 – US Open Men’s Golf, Congressional CC: Irishman Rory McIlroy wins by 8 strokes ahead of Australian Jason Day; sets 11 tournament records, including lowest total 72-hole score (268) and lowest total under par (−16)
Today in History for 19th June 2025
Historical Events
936 – Louis IV [Louis of Overseas], crowned King of France
1816 – Battle of Seven Oaks between North West Company and Hudson’s Bay Company, near Winnipeg, Manitoba
1917 – The British Royal Family, which has had strong German ties since George I, renounces its German names and titles and adopts the name of Windsor
1994 – Joan Rivers and Erin Sander’s stage comedy “Sally Marr…and Her Escorts”, starring Joan Rivers, closes at the Helen Hayes Theatre, NYC, after 50 performances
2012 – A man is beheaded for witchcraft and sorcery in Saudi Arabia
Famous Birthdays
1507 – Annibale Caro, Italian writer and poet (Lettere familiare), born in Civitanova Marche, Italy (d. 1566)
1792 – Gustav Schwab, German writer, born in Stuttgart (d. 1850)
1916 – Pat Buttram, American actor (Mr Haney-Green Acres), born in Addison, Alabama (d. 1994)
1941 – Václav Klaus, Czech politician, 2nd President of the Czech Republic 2003-2013, born in Prague, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
1960 – Luke Morley, British rock guitarist (Thunder), born in Chamberwell, London
Famous Deaths
1113 – Odo of Tournai, French Benedictine monk and scholar and bishop of Cambrai, dies
1837 – Aleksander Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, Russian author, dies in battle at 39
1867 – Maximilian I of Mexico, Austrian archduke and the 1st and only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire (1864-67), executed by firing squad in Querétaro, Querétaro at 34
1939 – Grace Abbott, American social worker (US Children’s Bureau), dies at 60
2021 – Champ, Biden family pet and First Dog, dies at The White House at 13
Famous Deaths for 18th June 2025
1669 – Abraham Crijnssen, Swiss admiral, conquered Suriname, dies
1921 – Eduardo Acevedo Díaz, Uruguayan writer (Nativa, Lanza y Sable), dies at 70
1948 – Edward Brooker, British politician (interim Premier of Tasmania, Dec 1947-Feb 1948), dies of a pulmonary edema at 57
1980 – Terence Fisher, English film director (Hammer Films), dies at 76
1995 – Arthur John Howard, British actor (Frieda, Last Holiday, Paradiso, Glass Cage), dies at 85
2005 – J.J. Pickle, American politician (Rep-D-Texas, 1963-95), dies at 91
2006 – Richard Stahl, American actor (Howard-It’s a Living), dies at 74
2018 – Walter Bahr, American soccer midfielder (19 caps) and coach (Penn State), dies of complications broken hip at 91
2018 – Barry McDaniel, American lyric baritone (Deutsche Oper Berlin, 1962-99), dies at 87
2024 – Anouk Aimée [Nicole Dreyfus], French actress (La Dolce Vita; 8 1/2; A Man and A Woman), dies at 92
Historical Events for 18th June 2025
1574 – Polish King Hendrik of Anjou secretly leaves Poland
1915 – US Open Men’s Golf, Baltusrol GC: 4-time US Amateur champion Jerome Travers captures his only Open title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Tom McNamara
1941 – In his 18th world heavyweight title defence Joe Louis KOs Billy Conn in 13th round in front of a crowd of 54,487 at the Polo Grounds, NYC
1947 – Gene Roddenberry survives plane crash in the Syrian Desert while working for Pan American World Airways
1961 – CBS radio cancels Gunsmoke
1983 – Space shuttle Challenger 2 launches the first American woman into space, astronaut Sally Ride
1991 – Mud storm in Antofagasta Chile, kills 80
2015 – Pope Francis blames human selfishness for global warming in his encyclical, named “Laudato Si (Be Praised), On the Care of Our Common Home”
2019 – Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announces the suspension of the pro-China and highly controversial extradition law, after massive protests in the city
2020 – Canadian coronavirus COVID-19 known cases pass 100,000 with 8,361 deaths