Important Events From This day in History June 22nd

 

1944 U.S.A. GI Bill

1944 : President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the GI bill of Rights Bill to provide financial aid to veterans returning from World War II. The bill provided a range of Rights and Money to help the men who went to war for their country including Jobs, Education and Homes providing the base for starting a new life with new opportunities, If you family members who came home after the war take the time to talk to them and understand how comprehensive and helpful this bill was.

---

1934 Germany The People's Car

1934 : The work on first prototypes of The Peoples Car what became the (Volkswagen Beetle) was started by Ferdinand Porsche but it would take until 1936 before the first prototype was completed.

---

1933 Germany One Party State

1933 : Hitler bans all other parties making Germany a one political party country, the National Socialist party is the only party that now exists in Germany. This followed a number of other changes in 1933 including creation of the German Secret State Police (Gestapo) and the banning of Trade Unions. The death penalty was declared for anti fascists.

---

1937 U.S.A. Joe Louis

1937 : Joe Louis wins the world heavyweight boxing title when he defeats American Jim Braddock in an eighth-round knockout.

1938 U.S.A. Joe Louis

1938 : In front of 80,000 people at Yankee Stadium Joe Louis knocked out the German Max Schmeling in two minutes and four seconds.

---

1941 Russia Operation Barbarossa

1941 : Germany launches Operation Barbarossa the invasion of Russia, in the first 2 months Over 500,000 square miles of Russian territory were taken.

---

More about Operation Barbarossa

---

1945 Okinawa World War II

1945 : The U.S. 10th Army overcomes the last major pockets of Japanese resistance on Okinawa Island, ending one of the bloodiest battles of World War II.

---

1969 England Judy Garland

1969 : Actress Judy Garland is found dead in her London Home possibly due to an accidental drug overdose.

1970 U.S.A. Voting Age Lowered To 18

1970 : President Nixon signed a bill to lower the voting age to 18 for all federal, state and local elections, In addition to lowering the voting age, the bill placed a five-year extension on the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which gave more than one million African Americans in the South the right to vote.

---

1976 Canada Capital Punishment

1976 : Parliament votes to abolish capital punishment in Canada.

---

1981 U.S.A. John Lennon

1981 : Mark Chapman changes his plea to admit responsibility for the murder of John Lennon December 8th, 1980. He received a sentence of 20 years in prison for the murder. He has applied for parole on a number of occasions the latest on October 2006 when parole was again denied.

2004 Belgium Marc Dutroux

2004 : The convicted pedophile and child killer Marc Dutroux is sentenced to life in prison in Belgium for the kidnap and rape of six young girls, and murder of four young girls. He and his accomplices had abducted and kept young girls in a purpose-built dungeon in Dutroux's basement.

---

2004 U.S.A. Walmart

2004 : The class-action sex-discrimination lawsuit representing 1.6 million female workers against Wal-Mart is approved by a federal judge. In February 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the lower court ruling. The lawsuit affirms that female employees made up 65% of Wal-Mart's hourly-paid workforce, but only 33% of its management. The class-action lawsuit plaintiffs estimate that about 1.6 million women could be included in the suit which is a gender discrimination lawsuit.

---

2005 Italy Sentences Former Nazi Officers

2005 : Ten Germans who were former Nazi officers during World War II were sentenced to life in prison by a military tribunal in La Spezia, Italy. The men were implicated in what was known as one of the worst war crimes to be committed in Italy, a massacre of 560 civilians in a small Italian village. Despite the conviction and sentence, the men would probably not end up serving the time because of their ages.

2006 East Timor President Threatens Resignation

2006 : Xanana Gusmao, the president of East Timor, called for the prime minister, Mari Alkatiri, to step down or else Gusmao would resign. Prime Minister Alkatiri's popularity had been fading as he had been blamed for neglecting to stop recent bouts of violence. President Gusmao indicated that he had lost confidence in the prime minister.

---

2008 Ferry Capsizes Off Of Philippines

2008 : Over seven hundred people were missing after a ferry capsized off of the coast of the Philippines after encountering harsh seas caused by Typhoon Fengshen. Rescue ships had found only four survivors and hoped that others had managed to swim to shore or find safety somewhere.

---

2011 Crime Boss Arrested in Mexico

2011 : Jose de Jesus Mendez Vargas, a leader of the Mexican drug cartel "La Familia", was captured in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Mendez Vargas, also known as "The Monkey", was accused of leading the gang and coordinating drug trafficking and sales in Mexico and the United States as well as planning kidnappings and murders of rivals.

---

2013 Mount Fuji Becomes World Heritage Site

2013 : Unesco listed Japan's Mount Fuji as a World Heritage site because of its cultural value in Japanese society. The volcano is an iconic image in Japanese arts and literature and is located just outside of Tokyo.

Today in Labor History June 22, 2026

 

Mass grave of victims from the Deadly Hammond Circus Train Wreck

A horrific train wreck in northwest Indiana between Gary and Hammond, killed an estimated 86 people and injured 127 others. The train was carrying the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus. The victims were buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois in an area set aside as Showmen’s Rest that was purchased by the Showmen’s League of America. – 1918

After calls for revenge against Standard Oil for the Ludlow Massacre, an anarchist bomb intended for the Rockefeller Mansion unintentionally detonated in the Ferrer Center on this date, killing three anarchists and putting a temporary end to the Modern School, which was housed there. – 1914

Several hundred striking miners seized a group of strikebreakers scabbing for the Southern Illinois Coal Company killing 19, in what would become known as the “Herrin Massacre.” Several strikers were held in the Williamson County jail, which is now a historical museum focusing on the conflict. Those who were tried for the murders were all acquitted. – 1922

Saturday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

The Salt Lake Tribune drops its paywall - E&P Magazine

How to decide whether it’s time to leave your journalism job - Poynter

News sites are the new newspapers: People are abandoning them for social media - NL

The future of news could depend on gaming, creators and creative friction - E&P Reports

All That AI Money, New Philanthropy and What It Means for Journalism - Second Rough Draft

Important Events From This day in History June 20

 

 

1975 U.S.A. Jaws

1975 : The summer blockbuster movie "Jaws" is released about a great white shark attacking swimmers at Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town.

---

1893 U.S.A. Lizzie Borden

1893 : In the case of the murder of her father Andrew Jackson Borden, and her stepmother, Abby Borden despite incriminating circumstances but with no murder weapon found and no blood evidence found. A jury in New Bedford, Mass., found Lizzie Borden innocent of the ax murders of her father and stepmother. The case was is best remembered by the popular jump-rope rhyme: Lizzie Borden took an axe And gave her mother forty whacks. And when she saw what she had done She gave her father forty-one.

---

1923 U.S.A. Rum Smugglers

1923 : A large fleet of Seaplanes are to be mobilized in an attempt to catch rum smugglers off the Atlantic Coast, it is believed these will be more successful than current means of catching the rum runners who are equipped with very fast boats that are outrunning federal agents.

---

1929 U.S.A. Rum Smugglers

1929 : Exchanges of gunfire on the Detroit river between rum runners and federal agents ended with federal agents using machine guns to sink the smugglers vessel, French boats are anchored off the coast outside of US jurisdiction and the rum runners are going between shore and the ships anchored off shore carrying cases of rum.

---

1937 U.S.A. "Pirates of Penzance"

1937 : W2XBS (later WCBS-TV) televised the first TV operetta. The work was the "Pirates of Penzance" by Gilbert and Sullivan. The operetta became the duo's most popular creation and is still parodied in cartoons and other pop culture references today.

1947 U.S.A. Mob Killing

1947 : Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel is murdered at the Beverly Hills, Calif., mansion of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, at the order of mob associates angered over the soaring costs of Siegel’s pet project, the Flamingo resort now costing in the region of $6,000,000 in Las Vegas, Nev. In the 1972 movie the Godfather the character of Moe Greene is heavily based on Siegel.

---

1956 Plane Crash

1956 : Venezuelan airliner plunges into Atlantic.

---

1963 Hot Line Established Between US and Soviet Union

1963 : To lessen the threat of an accidental nuclear war, the United States and the Soviet Union agree to establish a "hot line" communication system between the two nations.

---

1967 U.S.A. Muhammad Ali

1967 : After appearing for his scheduled induction into the U.S. Armed Forces on April 28th, 1967 in Houston, he refused three times to step forward at the call of his name. On 20th June Muhammad Ali is convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted. The decision is later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

---

1976 Lebanon Evacuation over Continued Fighting

1976 : As the fighting continues to escalate in Beirut and with westerners now facing increasing danger after the murder of the American ambassador Francis Meloy. Westerners are being evacuated by the US military and taken to safety in Syria.

---

1977 U.S.A. Alaska Oil Pipeline

1977 : Crude oil from North Alaska begins flowing south down the trans-Alaska pipeline to the ice-free port of Valdez, Alaska.

---

1984 UK O'Levels and CSE's To Be Replaced By GCSE's

1984 : General Certificate of Education / GCE O-Level and CSE exams are to be abolished and replaced by a new examination for 16 year olds in Great Britain. General Certificate of Education / GCE O-Level and GCE A-Level were introduced in Great Britain replacing the older School Certificate (SC) and Higher School Certificate (HSC) in 1951. Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) were introduced in 1965 designed for those students who were not capable of taking the "O Levels". The A-Level Examinations are still taken in the UK and are still used by most British Universities as a de facto university entrance examination, though some universities also require applicants to take separate entrance examinations.

Today in Labor History June 20, 2026

 Eugene V. Debs

Eugene Debs formed the American Railway Union (ARU), one of the earliest unions to organize by industry and regardless of race or ethnicity (see Knights of Labor and IWW). Within a few months, the union was leading an 18-day strike against the Great Northern Railroad, successfully forcing management to reverse three wage cuts despite the fact that the nation was in the midst of a terrible depression. The victory set the union on a remarkable course in which it averaged 2,000 new members a day. – 1893

Police shot 14 Wobblies (members of the Industrial Workers of the World) during a labor clash in Butte, Montana. In April, company guards at the Anaconda mine fired on striking Wobblies, killing one. Vigilantes or company goons lynched IWW organizer Frank Little in Butte in 1917. – 1920

A newspaper strike halted publication of The Butte Miner, the Anaconda Standard, and the Butte Daily Post until July 4. – 1927

Henry Ford recognized the United Auto Workers and signed the first-ever contract for workers at the River Rouge plant. – 1941

Striking African-American auto workers were attacked by the KKK, National Workers League, and armed white workers at Belle Isle amusement park in Detroit. Two days of riots followed, 34 people were killed and more than 1,300 arrested. – 1943

The Taft-Hartley Labor Management Relations Act that curbed strikes was vetoed by President Harry S Truman. The veto was overridden three days later by a Republican-controlled Congress. – 1947

Oil began traveling through the Alaska pipeline. Seventy thousand people worked on building the pipeline, history’s largest privately-financed construction project. – 1977

Evelyn Dubrow, described by the New York Times as organized labor’s most prominent lobbyist at the time of its greatest power, died at age 95. The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union lobbyist once told the Times that “she trudged so many miles around Capitol Hill that she wore out 24 pairs of her size 4 shoes each year.” She retired at age 86. – 2006

Important Events From This day in History June 19

 

 

1846 U.S.A. First official Game of Baseball

1846 : The first official game played under New York Knickerbockers Baseball Club rules was in 1846 in Hoboken, New Jersey, between the Knickerbockers and the New York Base Ball Club. .

---

1905 U.S.A. Nickelodeon

1905 : The world's first nickelodeon opened showing a silent film called The Great Train Robbery the name nickelodeon was used as it cost 5 cents or a nickel to watch the movie or live vaudeville acts.

---

1910 U.S.A. Fathers Day

1910 : The First Father's Day was celebrated for the first time in Spokane, Washington.

---

1917 UK Royal Family

1917 : During the first World War as sentiment against Germany by the British People worsened King George V ordered the British royal family to end using the German-sounding surname, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and to take on the name Royal House of Windsor.

---

1923 Italy Mount Etna

1923 : Walls of lava one mile wide are descending Mount Etna towards the town of Lingauglossa in Italy, the lava is travelling slowly giving time for evacuation of the area, another flow of Lava over 50ft high and a mile wide is heading for the town of Giarre with a population of 17,000 the town will be doomed as the lava will cover all buildings in the town.

---

2002 Australia Solo Round The World Balloon Flight

2002 : Steve Fossett sets off in his 10-story high balloon Spirit of Freedom from Northam, Western Australia on his fifth attempt at flying a balloon solo around the world.

1938 U.S.A. Train Crash

1938 : A flood in Custer Creek in Terry, Montana washes out a bridge over the Custer Creek river used by trains and when the Olympian Special came through, it crashes into the raging waters with the loss of 46 lives.

---

1953 U.S.A. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

1953 : Following the conviction for spying on behalf of the Soviet Union and passing U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed at Sing Sing Prison. Spying by both sides in the Fifties was a part of the Cold War.

---

1968 U.S.A. The Poor Peoples March

1968 : 50,000 people participated in " The Poor Peoples March " organised by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to address issues of economic justice. The campaign culminated on Washington, D.C. to demand economic aid be given to the poorest communities in the United States. Unlike many of Martin Luther King Jr's campaigns The Poor People’s Campaign did not focus on just poor blacks but addressed all poor people of every minority.

---

1970 UK Edward Heath New Prime Minister

1970 : The conservative party led by Edward Heath wins in the general election. The win was considered unusual because all the opinion polls held in the few days prior to the General Election had predicted an easy win for the Labour party led by Harold Wilson.

Today in Labor History June 19th

 

Slaves were declared free in Texas, a date now celebrated each year as the holiday “Juneteenth.” – 1865

The kangaroo trial of eight anarchists for the Haymarket bombing began in Chicago on this date. – 1886

Silk workers struck in Paterson, New Jersey. The event escalated into a riot. Silk workers had struck several times in the 19th century and again in 1913, led by the IWW. – 1902

An eight-hour workday was adopted for federal employees. – 1912

AFL President Samuel Gompers and Secretary of War Newton Baker signed an agreement establishing a three-member board of adjustment to control wages, hours and working conditions for construction workers employed on government projects. The agreement protected union wage and hour standards for the duration of World War I. – 1917

The first important sit-down strike in American history was conducted by workers at a General Tire Company factory in Akron, Ohio.  The United Rubber Workers union was founded a year later. – 1934

The Women’s Day Massacre: during the Great Ohio Steel Strike of 1937, there were numerous street battles between workers and police, including the Youngstown Riots and Poland Avenue Riot on June 21st. On June 19th, there were smaller battles that some believe were initiated by the cops to test the likely extent of union resistance in a real fight. When the cops in Youngstown couldn’t find any union leaders to beat up, they went after women picketers who were sitting in chairs to support the strike. One union organizer later recalled, “When I got there I thought the Great War had started over again. Gas was flying all over the place and shots flying and flares going up and it was the first time I had ever seen anything like it in my life…” – 1937

The ILWU organized a four-day strike of  sugar, pineapple, and allied workers to protest convictions under the anti-communist Smith Act of seven activists, “the Hawai’i Seven.” The convictions were later overturned by a federal appeals court. – 1953

Services for jesse Degeytere

 

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere

 

The rise of documentary storytelling in journalism schools - E&P Magazine

Despite funding cuts, most fact-checking projects are still standing - Poynter

Overview and key findings of the 2026 Digital News Report - Reuters Institute

How a 150,000-member Facebook group became the Houston Chronicle’s newest partner - E&P 

Most Australians under 25 have never used newspapers or radio as a source of news - The Guardian

Important Events From This day in History June 16th

 

1967 U.S.A. Monterey International Pop Music Festival

1967 : The Monterey International Pop Music Festival opens in Monterey, California, which will run for three days starts on June 16th and end on June 18th. Over 200,000 people attended, and it is often regarded as the precursor to Woodstock.

Performers at the festival included some truly great pop music legends including.

Jimi Hendrix

The Who

Ravi Shankar

Janis Joplin

Otis Redding

The Steve Miller Band

The Blues Project

The Mamas and the Papas

Simon & Garfunkel

The Byrds

The Animals

Jefferson Airplane

Grateful Dead

If you look at the list above it could easily be considered one of the great concerts of all times with so much great talent assembled in one place.

1978 U.S.A. Grease Opens

1978 : The Movie Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John opened.

---

1884 First US Roller Coaster

1884 : The first American roller coaster (switchback railway) in America opens at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York.

---

1933 U.S.A. First Parts Of New Deal Legislation Signed

1933 : The first of the New Deal Initiatives for US recovery (bank, rail, and industry bills and initiating farm aid) are signed into law by President Roosevelt.

---

1958 Hungary Uprising

1958 : The leader of the anti Soviet uprising in Hungary Imre Nagy against Soviet Rule is hung for treason after The Soviet Union took back control of the country in the preceding November after sending in 200,000 troops and 2,500 tanks to regain control.

1961 France Rudolf Nureyev Defects

1961 : Rudolf Nureyev, the world renowned dancer from the Soviet Union's Kirov Opera Ballet Company, defects during a stopover in Paris.

---

1965 Vietnam US Troop Increase

1965 : A further 21,000 U.S. troops are to be sent to Vietnam as part of the continuing commitment of the United States support, the total of US military personnel exceeded 540,000 by 1969.

---

1976 South Africa Soweto Violence

1976 : Violence has erupted in a number of South African townships including Soweto with violent clashes between black demonstrators. The violence is triggered by a march by 10,000 students carrying banners and slogans, saying "Down with Afrikaans" and "Viva Azania" (the name given to South Africa by black nationalists).

---

1977 Soviet Union Brezhnev Elected

1977 : Leonid Ilich Brezhnev, first secretary of the Soviet Communist Party since 1964, is elected president of the Supreme Soviet, thereby becoming both head of party and head of state.

---

1992 UK Diana: Her True Story Published

1992 : A controversial book has been published about Princess Diana entitled "Diana: Her True Story". The author Andrew Morton insists he has reliable sources for the the book including claims about her attempted suicide on several occasions over the last decade. But Buckingham Palace has said Princess Diana did not co-operate with the biography in any way whatsoever.

1999 Kashmir India and Pakistan Shelling

1999 : Increased artillery shelling and mortar fire between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control, in the disputed territory of Kashmir is creating an increased number of refugees who are fleeing the area.

---

2003 UK Tony Blair Under Pressure

2003 : The British Prime Minister is coming under increasing pressure from his own party members and the opposition for deceiving the British public for the justifications to go war with Iraq. Claims include using intelligence to justify a policy which was already settled rather than using the intelligence to form the policy. After having taken control in Iraq no evidence has been found of weapons of mass destruction and the justification given for the war now by Tony Blair is the freedom of the Iraqi people.

---

2006 Italy Son of Last Italian King Arrested

2006 : The son of the last Italian king, Prince Victor Emmanuel, was arrested on charges of corruption and recruiting prostitutes for a casino. Victor Emmanuel's return to Italy in 2003 marked the end of the fifty-six years of exile that the former royal family faced. Victor Emmanuel denied the charges and his family maintained his innocence, claiming the the arrested was a publicity stunt by the police.

---

2007 Hostages Freed in Nigeria

2007 : Abductors freed ten Indian nationals that had been held hostage for two weeks. The release came a few days after a former militia leader was released on bail, and a week after several other hostages were set free.

2008 U.S.A. Honda FCX Clarity Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars

2008 : Honda delivers the first of 200 Honda FCX Clarity's which run on hydrogen and electricity, emitting only water vapor. They are only available on lease and in California where there are a few hydrogen fueling stations.

---

2009 Sweden GM Sells Saab to Koenigsegg

2009 : The car manufacturer General Motors agreed to a deal to sell the Swedish brand Saab to Koenigsegg, a small car manufacturer that only sells eighteen cars in a year. The deal came as a part of GM's effort to reorganize and downsize their brands and increase their profitability.

---

2011 Vancouver Fans Riot After Hockey Loss

2011 : Riots erupted on the streets of Vancouver, Canada after the city's hockey team was defeated by the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final. Rioters looted stores and set cars on fire and were confronted by riot police who held the mob to one part of the city. Several people were arrested and injured during the incident. Vancouver faced a similar situation in 1994 when riots erupted over the Vancouver Canucks' Stanley Cup loss to the New York Rangers.

---

2012 China Sends First Woman to Space

2012 : China has launched its latest space mission that would include the country's first woman astronaut. Liu Yang, a 33 year old military pilot, was a part of the crew aboard the Shenzou-9 capsule that would spend a week at the Tiangong space lab to test systems and conduct experiments.

Today in Labor History June 16th, 2026

 

Eugene Debs

Eugene Debs delivered his famous Canton, Ohio anti-war speech. America was at war with Germany at the time, and radicals were being routinely rounded up and jailed, often illegally, when Debs gave this speech. The new Espionage Act was being used to prosecute people for their opposition to the war and Deb’s speech was used to make the case that he had violated the Act. – 1918

Eight local unions organized the International Fur Workers Union of US and Canada. The union later merged with the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen. – 1913

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Industrial Recovery Act, which recognized the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively through unions. The legislation was later found unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court. However, it helped inspire a wave of union organizing and paved the way for the National Labor Relations Act, which was passed in 1935. – 1933

Jack Hall of the ILWU and six others (the “Hawai‘i Seven”) were convicted under the Smith Act for being communists. – 1953

National computer dealer Inacom Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, ceased operations, and sent its employees an email instructing them to call a toll-free number for important news. The news was a recorded message announcing that over 5,000 employees would be laid off. – 2000

Important Events From This day in History June 15th

 

2002 Arthur Andersen and Enron Accounting Practices

2002 : The accounting firm Arthur Andersen is convicted of obstruction of justice for shredding documents related to its audit of Enron. Due to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission not allowing convicted felons to audit public companies Arthur Andersen agrees to surrender its CPA licenses and its right to practice before the SEC on August 31st, 2002. The case against Arthur Anderson is reversed by the Supreme Court of the United States on May 31st, 2005, who unanimously reversed Andersen's conviction due to what it saw as serious flaws in the jury instructions. Together with the stigma and bad publicity of the case even though the conviction is overturned Arthur Andersen has not recovered (in 2002 they employed over 80,000 in 2008 they employ less than 500).

---

1904 U.S.A. The General Slocum

1904 : An excursion steamer The General Slocum, carrying more than 1,300 people from St. Mark's German Lutheran Church for their 17th annual Sunday school picnic burst into flames on New York's East River with the loss of over 1000 lives.

---

1917 U.S.A. Espionage Act is passed

1917 : The Espionage Act is passed by the U.S. Congress, creating harsh penalties for anyone found to be interfering with the United States war efforts through the sharing of information to the country's enemies. Palmer Raids Timeline

---

1920 U.S.A. Lynching

1920 : A mob of 5,000 people lynched three African-American men in Duluth, Minnesota, who were jailed for the alleged rape of a 17 year old white woman.

1927 U.S.A. Ku Klux Klan

1927 : The growth of the Ku Klux Klan in the southern states and the increase in floggings of Negroes including women and children by the Klan has many in the north demanding the Klan be disbanded, in the latest incident in Gainsville Georgia a woman and her son were dragged from their bed and taken out of town where they were flogged and told to leave the area or more would follow, when admitted to the hospital 82 lash marks were found on the woman's body.

---

1935 U.S.A. New Deal Legislation

1935 : In a rush to try and get President Roosevelt New Deal Legislation Passed both houses of Congress were called in on a Saturday.

---

1945 U.S.A. Judy Garland

1945 : 23-year-old Judy Garland marries director Vincente Minnelli, her second husband. The couple had one daughter, actress and singer Liza Minnelli.

---

1955 UK Rail Strike

1955 : The 17 day Rail Strike in the UK has ended after a settlement has been reached.

1955 U.S.A. Civil Service Workers

1955 : A 7.5% pay raise across the board for the governments civil service workers has been approved by house civil service committee.

---

1965 Vietnam Rolling Thunder

1965 : U.S. planes bomb targets in North Vietnam, as part of Operation Rolling Thunder, launched in March 1965.

---

1966 UK World's First Hovercraft Show Opens

1966 : The world's first Hovercraft Show has opened to promote export sales of hovercraft for ferry operators, and military craft.

---

1971 UK Free School Milk

1971 : Opposition to Education Secretary Margaret Thatcher's ("Thatcher The Milk Snatcher") plans to end free school milk for children over the age of seven is growing with many Labour-controlled local councils threatening to increase local rates to provide Free School Milk. The conservative government has said more is spent on free school milk than books in the education system and this needs to change.

1985 Lebanon Hijacking

1985 : Following the Hijacking of a TWA Boeing 727 Jet Airliner by members of the Islamic Holy War Fighters, after landing in Beirut Shot and Killed an American Marine and threatened to kill more unless demands were met.

---

1985 Soviet Union US Spy Charges

1985 : An American Envoy has been ordered to leave the Soviet Union following being arrested on Espionage Charges by the KGB in the continuing tit for tat expulsions by USSR and the United States.

---

1992 U.S.A. Dan Quayle

1992 : The US Vice President Dan Quayle instructed a Trenton, N.J., elementary school student to spell (US Spelling) potato as (UK Spelling) "potatoe" during a spelling bee.

---

1996 Great Britain Terrorist Bomb Manchester

1996 : The IRA detonates a massive bomb outside the Arndale shopping centre at lunch time injuring 200 mostly by flying glass, and seven are said to be in a serious condition. The IRA had issued a telephone warning at 1000 or the deaths and injuries would have been much more severe.

1998 Japanese Yen Crashes

1998 : Shares around the world suffer a major drop as the Japanese Yen trades at ¥146 to the US dollar following Friday's announcement that Japan is now technically in recession. Stocks on the Nikkei and around the world drop as investors became increasingly worried that the turmoil in Asia would hit the the rest of the worlds economies.

---

1999 Kosovo Mass Murders

1999 : As Yugoslav forces pull out of Kosovo as part of the agreed NATO peace plan, more evidence emerges of the mass killings committed by Serb Forces on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. The peace plan has called for the withdrawal of Serb Forces and the disarming of the Kosovo Liberation Army KLA.

---

2005 China Microsoft Censors Blogs

2005 : Microsoft encountered criticism for censoring Chinese blogs. The censorship involved Microsoft's MSN service, in which Chinese bloggers were blocked from using such words as "demonstration," "democracy," "human rights," and "freedom". Scrutineers labeled the company's actions as giving concessions to the Chinese government, while Microsoft defended itself by saying that it will abide by all laws of the countries in which it operates.

2005 Aruba Natalee Holloway

2005 : Two weeks after Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway disappeared while on a spring break vacation in Aruba, police begin a detailed search and investigation into her disappearance. A number of suspects are arrested but no body is found and no charges are bought. Currently the case is still unsolved.

---

2006 U.S.A. Bill Gates

2006 : Bill Gates announces he will transition from day-to-day responsibilities at Microsoft to concentrate on the charitable work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

---

2007 Former KKK Member Guilty of Murder

2007 : A former Ku Klux Klan member was found guilty of the 1964 murder of two African-American teens. Seventy-one year old James Seale could face life in prison when sentenced for involvement in the murders. Seale had been arrested at the time of the murders but then released due to lack of evidence.

---

2010 Landslides and Flooding in Bangladesh

2010 : Landslides caused by flooding in Bangladesh killed at least fifty-three people, while many more remained missing. The landslides caused by heavy rain and flooding buried many houses and buildings under mud, and many rescue efforts were stalled by mud blocking roads into the area.

2012 US To End Child Immigrant Deportation

2012 : President Obama announced that the US would immediately end the deportation of illegal immigrants who came to the country as children. The declaration means that illegal immigrants between the ages of sixteen and thirty would be eligible for work permits and could effect up to 800,000 people. Obama stated the move was the right thing to do, while Republican opponent Mitt Romney stated that it was not the correct way to address the issue.

---

2013 Iranians Celebrate Presidential Election

2013 : Iranian citizens celebrated in the streets of Tehran at the election of Hassan Rouhani as the president of Iran. Rouhani was elected with over fifty percent of the vote and did not have to face a run-off election. Citizens were excited by the possibility of reform from this new leader.

Today in Labor History June 15th

 Police attack protesters during the Battle of Century City

Battle of Century City, as police in Los Angeles attack some 500 janitors and their supporters during a peaceful Service Employees International Union demonstration against cleaning contractor ISS. The event generated public outrage that resulted in recognition of the workers’ union and spurred the creation of an annual June 15 Justice for Janitors Day. – 1990

The Metal Trades Department of what now the AFL-CIO is founded. – 1908

The Congress of Industrial Organizations expels the Fur and Leather Workers union and the American Communications Association for what it describes as communist activities. – 1947

Important Events From This day in History June 12

 

 

1994 USA O.J. Simpson

1994 : Nicole Brown Simpson, O.J. Simpson's ex-wife, and her friend Ron Goldman are brutally stabbed to death outside Nicole's home in Brentwood, California. OJ Simpson was later tried for the murders and although the evidence against Simpson was extensive he was found not guilty.

1917 Greece King Constantine I

1917 : King Constantine I of Greece, abdicates his throne in the face of pressure from Britain and France and internal opponents.

1922 USA Ferris Wheel

1922 : An unusual Hurricane and Tornadoes hit the New York Metropolitan Area causing billions of dollars in damage and loss of life. The storm hit suddenly and in Clasons Point a pleasure park near city Island a Ferris wheel with a large number of young riders broke away from it's mountings and crashed to the ground.

1929 Mexico Students

1929 : 2000 Students on strike take over the main building of the Mexican National University. The students held hostages and put a red flag over the building. They demanded the university rector to resign, but he refused. Eventually the students let the hostages go, but they still kept guard over the building.

1935 USA Ella Fitzgerald

1935 : At age 17, Ella Fitzgerald recorded her first songs - "Love and Kisses" and "I'll Chase the Blues Away." They came to be big hits for her.

1942 World War II Coral Sea

1942 : The news of A great Naval Battle between Naval forces from the United States and Japan in the Coral Sea between March 19th and May 9th resulted in the loss of the US aircraft carrier Lexington and 2 other US ships and the loss of 15 ships from the Japanese Navy. The naval battle is considered a major win for the US Navy.

1964 South Africa Nelson Mandela

1964 : The leader of the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa, Nelson Mandela, is jailed for life for sabotage.

1965 Vietnam Phan Huy Quat Resigns

1965 : South Vietnamese Premier Phan Huy Quat resigns following civil unrest and a military government is put in place headed by Army General Nguyen Van Thieu.

1967 USA Interracial Marriages

1967 : Interracial marriages declared constitutional by the Supreme Court and barred Virginia and by implication other states from making interracial marriage a crime.

1975 India Indira Gandhi

1975 : Indira Gandhi , the prime minister of India, is found guilty of electoral corruption in her successful 1971 campaign. Gandhi refused to give up India's top office and later declared martial law in the country when public demonstrations threatened to topple her administration.