Today in History for 11th June 2026

Historical Events

1927 – Noël Coward’s stage comedy “The Marquise”, starring Marie Tempest, closes at the Criterion Theatre, London, after 129 performances
1982 – Israel and Syria stop fighting in Lebanon
2001 – Saudi Arabia seizes ownership, effective June 7, of the 1.6-million-barrels-per-day IPSA pipeline that had carried Iraqi crude oil to the Saudi Red Sea port of Mu’jiz prior to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait
2006 – French Open Men’s Tennis: Rafael Nadal of Spain wins his 2nd straight French title; beats Roger Federer 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6
2018 – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accepts migrant rescue ship Aquarius with 629 people on board after Italy refuses it

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Famous Birthdays

1924 – Ed Farhat, American professional wrestler, born in Detroit (d. 2003)
1927 – Beryl Grey [Groom], English prima ballerina (Sadler’s Wells/Royal Ballet, 1941-57), artistic director, and dance teacher, born in Highgate, London, England (d. 2022)
1932 – Athol Fugard, South African playwright known for his anti-apartheid themes (The Blood Knot), born in Middelburg, South Africa (d. 2025)
1948 – Anthony Nelson, British Labour politician, born in Hamburg, Germany
1950 – Palhinha, Brazilian soccer forward (16 caps; Cruzeiro, Corinthians, Atlético Mineiro) and manager (SC Corinthians, União São João, Al-Tai), born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil (d. 2023)

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Famous Deaths

1183 – Henry the Young King, son of Henry II of England, crowned aged 15 during his father’s lifetime, dies as the result of dysentery at 28
1937 – R. J. [Reginald Joseph] Mitchell, British aircraft designer (Supermarine Spitfire), dies of cancer at 42
1987 – Ralph Guldahl, American golfer (US Masters 1939, US Open 1937-38), dies at 75
1992 – Scotty Sachs, actor (Hanoi Hilton), dies of gunshot wounds at 39
2025 – John Robbins, American advocate for vegetarianism and author of “Diet for a New America”, dies of complications of post-polio syndrome at 77

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Today in History for 10th June 2026

Historical Events

1955 – KWEX TV channel 41 in San Antonio, TX (IND) begins broadcasting
1967 – USSR drops diplomatic relations with Israel
1973 – LPGA Championship Women’s Golf, Pleasant Valley CC: 1964 champion Mary Mills wins by 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Betty Burfeindt
2000 – Stanley Cup Final, Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX: New Jersey Devils defeat Dallas Stars, 2-1 in double OT for a 4-2 series victory
2006 – French Open Women’s Tennis: Justine Henin-Hardenne retains her title; beats Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 6-4, 6-4 for 5th Grand Slam singles crown

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Famous Birthdays

1825 – Sondre Norheim, Norwegian skier and pioneer of modern skiing, born in Øverbø, Norway (d. 1897)
1840 – Theodor Philipsen, Danish painter, born in Copenhagen (d. 1920)
1911 – Terence Rattigan, British playwright (Winslow Boy, Browning Version), born in London (d. 1977)
1931 – Jim Ferree, American golfer (1 x PGA Tour win; 2 x Senior PGA Tour wins), born in Pinebluff, North Carolina (d. 2023)
1956 – Georg Borwin, Duke of Mecklenburg, head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1996-present), born in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

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Famous Deaths

1883 – Carl Grädener, German cellist, conductor, teacher, and composer, dies at 71
1934 – Frederick Delius, British composer (A Mass of Life, Brigg Fair; In a Summer Garden), dies at 72
1970 – Earl Grant, American pop pianist, organist, and singer (“Ebb Tide”; “Winter Wonderland”), dies in a car crash in New Mexico at 39
1988 – Louis L’Amour, American western writer (Bowdrie), dies of cancer at 80
2008 – Dieuwke de Graaff-Nauta, Dutch politician (State Secretary for the Interior 1986-94), dies at 78

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Today in History for 9th June 2026

Historical Events

1534 – French explorer Jacques Cartier is the 1st European to sail into mouth of St Lawrence River
1572 – William of Orange leads his army into Gelderland and occupies the province during the Dutch Revolt, expanding rebel control in the Low Countries
1970 – Harry Blackmun is sworn in as a US Supreme Court Justice
1985 – French Open Men’s Tennis: Sweden’s Mats Wilander wins 4th career Grand Slam title; beats Czech star Ivan Lendl 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
2007 – French Open Women’s Tennis: Justine Henin wins her 3rd consecutive French singles crown; beats Ana Ivanović of Serbia 6-1, 6-2

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Famous Birthdays

1916 – Robert McNamara, American United States Secretary of Defense (1961-68), played major role in US escalation in Vietnam, born in San Francisco, California (d. 2009)
1922 – Peter Beazley, British politician (C) (European Parliament), born in Chale, Isle of Wight (d. 2004)
1922 – John Gillespie Magee Jr., Anglo-American Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot and war poet, born in Shanghai, Republic of China (d. 1941)
1938 – Charles Wuorinen, American contemporary classical pianist, conductor, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer (Time’s Encomium; Marimba Variations; Brokeback Mountain), born in New York City (d. 2020)
1939 – Ileana Cotrubaş, Romanian soprano, born in Galați, Romania

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Famous Deaths

1716 – Banda Bahadur, Sikh military commander, executed in Delhi by Mughal forces at 45
1870 – Erik Drake, Swedish composer (Royal Swedish Academy of Music), dies at 82
1954 – Alain LeRoy Locke, African-American writer and philosopher “Father of the Harlem Renaissance”, dies at 68
1973 – Erich von Manstein, German Nazi-military commander convicted of war crimes, dies from stroke at 85
2022 – Julee Cruise, American singer (Falling) and stage actress, takes her own life at 65

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Today in History for 8th June 2026

Historical Events

1892 – US shoemaker Homer A. Plessy refuses to go to in a segregated RR car (US Supreme Court Plessy v Ferguson)
1944 – Deportation of 70,000 Jews from Łódź, Poland, to Auschwitz and other extermination camp begins
1949 – Siam changes name to Thailand
1991 – 123rd Belmont Stakes: Jerry Bailey aboard Hansel wins in 2:28
2020 – Lockdowns for COVID-19 in Europe saved 3 million lives according to study by Imperial College London

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Famous Birthdays

1926 – Cranley Onslow, British politician (C), born in Bexhill (d. 2001)
1928 – Kate Wilhelm, American fiction author (Hugo Award: Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang), born in Toledo, Ohio (d. 2018)
1929 – Earl Ferrers, 13th Earl Ferrers, British minister of state (Department of Environment), born in England (d. 2012)
1952 – Lindka Cierach, British couturier and fashion designer for European royals, born in British Crown colony of Basutoland
1960 – Mick Hucknall, English singer-songwriter (Simply Red – “Hodling Back the Years”, “If You Don’t Know Me by Now”), born in Manchester, England

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Famous Deaths

1768 – Johann Winckelmann, German archaeologist (History of Ancient Art), dies at 50
1803 – Jean Noel Paquot, Belgian theologian and historian, dies at 80
1998 – Maria Reiche, German-Peruvian mathematician and archaeologist specializing in Nazca lines, dies of cancer at 95
2021 – John Angus, English soccer defender (1 cap; Burnley 439 games), dies at 82
2023 – Rale Rasic, Australian soccer coach (Australia 1969-74; Marconi Stallions FC) and broadcaster (SBS), dies at 87

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Today in History for 7th June 2026

Historical Events

1633 – 14-year-old Mughal prince Aurangzeb, the future Emperor Alamgir I, survives an elephant attack
1958 – Battles between Turkish and Greeks Cypriots break out
1993 – 27th Music City News Country Awards: Alan Jackson and Vince Gill win
2016 – Iris Apfel is awarded the Women Together Special Award of the Year at the 12th Annual Women Together Gala in New York City
2018 – Mars Curiosity Rover finds organic matter, including methane, on Mars in studies published in journal “Science”

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Famous Birthdays

1920 – Georges Marchais, French political leader (French Communist Party), born in La Hoguette, France (d. 1997)
1955 – William Forsythe, American actor (Raising Arizona; Once Upon a Time in America; Boardwalk Empire), born in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
1960 – Jim Hartung, American gymnast (Olympic gold Team 1984), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 2026)
1976 – Cassidy Rae, American actress (Sarah-Models Inc, Clarissa), born in Clermont, Florida
1981 – Larisa Oleynik, American actress (10 Things I Hate About You, The Secret World of Alex Mack), born in Santa Clara County, California

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Famous Deaths

1697 – John Aubrey, English antiquary, natural philosopher, and writer, dies from apoplexy at 71
1711 – Henry Dodwell, Irish theologian (b. 1641)
1936 – Stjepan Seljan, Croatian explorer, dies at 60
1945 – Nishida Kitaro, Japanese philosopher (Kyoto School), dies at 74
1965 – Judy Holliday, American comedienne and actress (Born Yesterday, Adam’s Rib), dies of cancer at 43

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Today in History for 6th June 2026

Historical Events

1875 – Netherlands joins the gold standard
1960 – South African police kill 11 Pondo’s at Nqusa Hill
1983 – Emmy 10th Daytime Award presentation – Susan Lucci loses for 4th time
1983 – Minnesota Twins select pitcher Tim Belcher #1 in the 1983 MLB Draft
2018 – Iraqi parliament orders manual recount of legislative elections in May after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi claims evidence of irregularities

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Famous Birthdays

1606 – Pierre Corneille, French poet and dramatist (El Cid, Horace), born in Rouen, France (d. 1684)
1878 – Vincent de Moro-Giafferi, French criminal attorney, born in Paris (d. 1956)
1896 – Italo Balbo, Italian pilot and governor of Libya, born in Ferrara, Italy (d. 1940)
1898 – Walter Abel, American actor (Fury, Suspicion, Dream Girl), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota (d. 1987)
1955 – Sandra Bernhard, American stand-up comic and actress (The King of Comedy; Roseanne – “Nancy”), born in Flint, Michigan

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Famous Deaths

1964 – Robert Warwick, American actor (Konga; Zorro; Lady Godiva), dies at 85
1968 – Franklin Clark Fry, American minister (World Rad of Church), dies at 67
2002 – Robbin Crosby, American heavy metal rock guitarist and vocalist (Ratt – “Round and Round”), dies at 42
2005 – Anne Bancroft [Anna Italiano], American stage and screen Emmy, Oscar, and Tony Award-winning actress (The Graduate; The Miracle Worker), director, and screenwriter, dies from uterine cancer at 73
2010 – Marvin Isley, American rock bassist, and songwriter (The Isley Brothers, 1969-84 and 1991-97 – “Fight The Power”), dies from complications of diabetes at 56

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Today in History for 5th June 2026

Historical Events

1991 – Space Shuttle STS 40 (Columbia 12) launched
1995 – 29th Music City News Country Awards: Alan Jackson and Reba killedwin
2013 – The first article based on NSA leaked documents by Edward Snowden are published by the Guardian Newspaper in the UK
2018 – Film producer Harvey Weinstein pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges in court in New York City
2019 – On average, people ingest 50,000 pieces of microplastic a year and breathe in similar amount, according to first-ever such study published in journal “Environmental Science and Technology”

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Famous Birthdays

1884 – Claude Jennings, Australian cricket batsman (6 Tests, HS 32; South Australia, Queensland), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 1950)
1919 – Richard Scarry, American children’s author and illustrator (What Do People Do All Day?), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1994)
1942 – Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea (1979- ), born in Acoacán, Spanish Guinea
1970 – Martin Gelinas, Canadian NHL left wing (Vancouver Canucks), born in Shawinigan, Quebec
1974 – Russ Ortiz, American baseball player, born in Van Nuys, California

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Famous Deaths

1855 – Rosine Lebrun, German opera singer, and actress, dies at 72
1885 – Julius Benedict, German opera composer (Protoghesi), dies at 80
1894 – Immanuel Faisst, German composer, dies at 70
1913 – Chris von der Ahe, German entrepreneur and owner of St. Louis Brown Stockings, dies at 61
1998 – Sam Yorty, American politician, Mayor of Los Angeles (1961-73), dies at 88

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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