June in History
What happened in June? This guide to June in history brings together the biggest historical events of the month, famous June birthdays, famous people who died in June, and international days, with a timeline of all 30 days and 1,668 events from Wikipedia.
Top moments in June history
These are the most important historical events in June, one for each day, chosen by how widely people read about them and by Wikipedia's own selected anniversaries. They span from 1670 to 1999. Select a card to see everything that happened on that June date.
June 14, 1800
The French Army of First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte defeats the Austrians at the Battle of Marengo in Northern Italy and re-conquers Italy.
See June 14
June 8, 1949
George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four is published in the United States
See June 8
June 4, 1989
In the 1989 Iranian supreme leader election, Ali Khamenei is elected as the new Supreme Leader of Iran after the death and funeral of Ruhollah Khomeini.
See June 4
June 26, 1997
J. K. Rowling publishes the first of her Harry Potter novel series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in the United Kingdom.
See June 26
June 12, 1987
Cold War: At the Brandenburg Gate, U.S. President Ronald Reagan publicly challenges Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.
See June 12
June 1, 1670
In Dover, England, Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France sign the Secret Treaty of Dover, which will force England into the Third Anglo-Dutch War.
See June 1
June 2, 1967
Protests in West Berlin against the arrival of the Shah of Iran are brutally suppressed, during which Benno Ohnesorg is killed by a police officer. His death results in the founding of the terrorist group 2 June Movement.
See June 2
June 18, 1815
Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Waterloo results in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, forcing Napoleon to abdicate the throne of France for the second and last time.
See June 18
June 13, 1983
Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to leave the central Solar System when it passes beyond the orbit of Neptune.
See June 13
June day by day
Every day in June has its own history. The timeline shows the top event for each date, and June 5 is the busiest day with 71 recorded events. Open a day for all June events on that date, plus the people born and died that day and a daily history quiz.
- Jun 1
1670In Dover, England, Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France sign the Secret Treaty of Dover, which will force England into the Third Anglo-Dutch War.
- Jun 2
1967Protests in West Berlin against the arrival of the Shah of Iran are brutally suppressed, during which Benno Ohnesorg is killed by a police officer. His death results in the founding of the terrorist group 2 June Movement.
- Jun 3
- Jun 4
1989In the 1989 Iranian supreme leader election, Ali Khamenei is elected as the new Supreme Leader of Iran after the death and funeral of Ruhollah Khomeini.
- Jun 5
1967The Six-Day War begins: Israel launches surprise strikes against Egyptian air-fields in response to the mobilisation of Egyptian forces on the Israeli border.
- Jun 6
1944World War II: Commencement of Operation Overlord: The Allied invasion of Normandy begins with the execution of Operation Neptune—commonly referred to as D-Day—the largest seaborne invasion in history. Nearly 160,000 Allied troops cross the English Channel with about 5,000 landing and assault craft, 289 escort vessels, and 277 minesweepers participating. By the end of the day, the Allies have landed on five invasion beaches and are pushing inland.
- Jun 7
1810The newspaper Gazeta de Buenos Ayres is first published in Argentina.
- Jun 8
1949George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four is published in the United States
- Jun 9
1999Kosovo War: The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and NATO sign a peace treaty.
- Jun 10
1918World War I: The Austro-Hungarian battleship SMS Szent István sinks off the Croatian coast after being torpedoed by an Italian MAS motorboat; the event is recorded by camera from a nearby vessel.
- Jun 11
1775The American Revolutionary War's first naval engagement, the Battle of Machias, results in the capture of a small British naval vessel.
- Jun 12
1987Cold War: At the Brandenburg Gate, U.S. President Ronald Reagan publicly challenges Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.
- Jun 13
1983Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to leave the central Solar System when it passes beyond the orbit of Neptune.
- Jun 14
1800The French Army of First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte defeats the Austrians at the Battle of Marengo in Northern Italy and re-conquers Italy.
- Jun 15
1996The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonates a powerful truck bomb in the middle of Manchester, England, devastating the city centre and injuring 200 people.
- Jun 16632
Yazdegerd III ascends the throne as king (shah) of the Persian Empire. He becomes the last ruler of the Sasanian dynasty (modern Iran).
- Jun 17
1462Vlad the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II (The Night Attack at Târgovişte), forcing him to retreat from Wallachia.
- Jun 181815
Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Waterloo results in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, forcing Napoleon to abdicate the throne of France for the second and last time.
- Jun 19
2009War in North-West Pakistan: The Pakistani Armed Forces open Operation Rah-e-Nijat against the Taliban and other Islamist rebels in the South Waziristan area of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
- Jun 20
1994The 1994 Imam Reza shrine bomb explosion in Iran leaves at least 25 dead and 70 to 300 injured.
- Jun 211919
Admiral Ludwig von Reuter scuttles the German fleet at Scapa Flow, Orkney. The nine sailors killed are the last casualties of World War I.
- Jun 22
1941World War II: Nazi Germany invades the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa.
- Jun 232016
Brexit: The United Kingdom votes in a referendum to leave the European Union, by 52% to 48%.
- Jun 24
1314First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn concludes with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce.
- Jun 25
2009The death of American entertainer Michael Jackson triggers an outpouring of worldwide grief as reactions online cause the flow of internet traffic to surge to unprecedented and historic levels.
- Jun 26
1997J. K. Rowling publishes the first of her Harry Potter novel series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in the United Kingdom.
- Jun 27
2008In a highly scrutinized election, President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe is re-elected in a landslide after his opponent Morgan Tsvangirai had withdrawn a week earlier, citing violence against his party's supporters.
- Jun 28
1942World War II: Nazi Germany starts its strategic summer offensive against the Soviet Union, codenamed Case Blue.
- Jun 29
1971Prior to re-entry (following a record-setting stay aboard the Soviet Union's Salyut 1 space station), the crew capsule of the Soyuz 11 spacecraft depressurizes, killing the three cosmonauts on board. Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev are the first humans to die in space.
- Jun 30
1934The Night of the Long Knives, Adolf Hitler's violent purge of his political rivals in Germany, takes place.
Famous people born in June
Famous people born in June include Donald Trump, Alexander Pushkin, Marilyn Monroe and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The list shows the best-known June birthdays, one per day, ranked by the number of Wikipedia languages with an article about each person. Select a card to see everyone born on that date.
Born June 28, 1712Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer (1712–1778)
Born on June 28
Famous people who died in June
Famous people who died in June include Michael Jackson, Ronald Reagan, Muhammad and Charles Dickens. The list shows the best-known people who died in June, one per day, ranked by the number of Wikipedia languages with an article about each person. Select a card to see everyone who died on that date.
Died June 21, 1527Niccolò Machiavelli
Florentine statesman, diplomat, and political theorist (1469–1527)
Died on June 21
International days in June
June holidays and observances include Children's Day (International), and its related observances: The Day of Protection of Children Rights (Armenia) on June 1 and Children's Day (International), and its related observances: Mothers' and Children's Day (Mongolia) on June 1. These are the international days of the month. The full June holidays calendar also lists national holidays and religious feast days for every date.
Event text and biographies from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. People are ranked by the number of Wikipedia language editions with an article about them.