Here are 30 newsworthy and notable anniversaries coming up in June 2020.
This list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020, which lists hundreds of newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries for each month. It’s just the thing you need for writing “on this day in history” features and anniversary tie-ins.
Jun 1, 1980 – 40 years ago
Cable News Network (CNN) began broadcasting.
Jun 2, 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Bruce McLaren, New Zealand racing driver and racing car designer. Killed while testing a car at Goodwood, England.
Jun 3, 1950 – 70 years ago
The first successful ascent of Annapurna in the Himalayas, by a French expedition led by Maurice Herzog. This was the first successful ascent of a mountain over 8,000 meters. Annapurna is the 10th highest mountain in the world.
Jun 4, 1970 – 50 years ago
Tonga gained its independence from the UK.
Jun 5, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the Allied Control Council was established in Berlin, Germany to oversee the division of Germany into four occupation zones: American, British, French and Soviet.
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Jun 7, 1770 – 250 years ago
Birth of Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, British Prime Minister (1812–27).
Jun 8, 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Abraham Maslow, American psychologist and philosopher. Best known for creating Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Jun 9, 1870 – 150 years ago
Death of Charles Dickens, British novelist (The Pickwick Papers, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, A Christmas Carol and more).
Jun 10, 1940 – 80 years ago
Death of Marcus Garvey, Jamaican-born American civil rights leader who established the first major black nationalist movement in the USA.
Jun 11, 1770 – 250 years ago
English explorer Captain James Cook discovered the Great Barrier Reef off Australia when his ship ran aground on it and sustained severe damage.
Jun 12, 1980 – 40 years ago
Death of Billy Butlin, British holiday camp entrepreneur.
Jun 13, 2000 – 20 years ago
The first North-South Korean summit (the Inter-Korean Summit) was held. (South Korean President Kim Dae-jung was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to ease tensions between the two countries.)
Jun 14, 1920 – 100 years ago
Death of Max Weber, influential German sociologist and political economist.
Jun 15, 1920 – 100 years ago
Duluth lynchings, Minnesota, USA. Three black circus workers were lynched by a mob of between 5,000 and 10,000 people after they were (probably falsely) accused of raping a local girl.
Jun 16, 1960 – 60 years ago
Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense film Psycho was released.
Jun 17, 1970 – 50 years ago
The “Babes in the wood” murders. The bodies of two missing British children were found in a shallow grave in a wood at Waltham Abbey, Essex, after a massive search.
Jun 18, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Ian Carmichael, British stage, film, television and radio actor. Best known for playing the gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey on TV and radio, Bertie Wooster in the TV series The World of Wooster, and for his roles in the films Private’s Progress, I’m All Right Jack, School for Scoundrels and Lucky Jim. (Died 2010.)
Jun 19, 1820 – 200 years ago
Death of Joseph Banks, British naturalist. He took part in Captain James Cook’s first great voyage (1768–1771), was President of the Royal Society for 41 years, developed the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew into one of the world’s leading botanical gardens, and advocated British colonization of Australia.
Jun 20, 1980 – 40 years ago
The musical comedy film The Blues Brothers was released in the USA. (UK: October 10th.)
Jun 21, 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Sukarno, first President of Indonesia (1949–66).
Jun 22, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II – the Battle of Okinawa ended after 82 days. This battle saw the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theatre of the war, with more than 12,000 Allied forces, 110,000 Japanese forces, and 140,000 civilians killed. (Some sources give different figures.)
Jun 23, 1995 – 25 years ago
Death of Jonas Salk, American medical researcher who developed the first safe and effective polio vaccine.
Jun 24, 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Jack Dempsey, American world heavyweight boxing champion (1919-26).
Jun 25, 1950 to Jul 27, 1953 – 70 years ago
Korean War. North Korean and Soviet troops invaded South Korea. They were successfully repelled in 1953 with help from the USA, and the Korean Demilitarized Zone was established at the border. The USA entered the war on June 27th following a UN Security Council recommendation that member nations should help South Korea. North Korean forces captured Seoul, the capital of South Korea on June 28th.
Jun 26, 1870 – 150 years ago
The première of Wagner’s opera The Valkyrie, in Munich, Germany.
Jun 27, 1960 – 60 years ago
Death of Lottie Dod, versatile British sportswoman. Five times winner of Wimbledon, women’s golf champion, Olympic medalist in archery, and founder of the England women’s field hockey team.
Jun 28, 1960 – 60 years ago
Cuba confiscated and nationalized all U.S.‐owned oil refineries after they refused to process a shipment of Soviet crude oil.
Jun 29, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Ray Harryhausen, pioneering American filmmaker. Known for his “Dynamation” stop-motion animations where live actors appear to interact with the characters. The best-known example is the skeleton sword fight in Jason and the Argonauts. His work also appears in films such as Mighty Joe Young, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and Clash of the Titans. (Died 2013.)
Jun 30, 1520 – 500 years ago
Death of Montezuma II, (also spelled Moctezuma), the last Aztec emperor (1502–20).
More anniversaries:
The above list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for each month in the book. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.