What Happened Today in History on June 1

The Roman Republic is established after the overthrow of the Roman monarchy.

The Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta officially begins. This conflict was a 27-year struggle for dominance in ancient Greece, fueled by the conflicting powers and interests of Athens's naval empire and Sparta's formidable land army. The war ultimately devastated both cities and the Greek world.

The Treaty of Rheinfelden is signed, ending the conflict between the House of Habsburg and the Swiss Confederation. It formalized the succession of the Duchies of Austria and Styria to Albert I, King of the Romans, and removed his younger brother, Rudolf II, as co-ruler. This treaty established a form of primogeniture within the Habsburg dynasty. More

Ottoman Turks led by Osman I begin the Ottoman Empire's expansion from their base in Anatolia. Under Osman and his successors, the Ottomans gradually conquered neighboring territories, starting with the Byzantine lands in western Anatolia and later expanding into the Balkans and beyond.  Expand +

The Battle of San Romano takes place between the Republic of Florence, led by Niccolò da Tolentino, and the Republic of Siena, under Francesco Piccinino. It took place near San Romano, a town approximately 30 miles outside Florence, Italy. The battle lasted for several hours and is generally considered a Florentine victory.  The battle was part of a broader conflict in the 1430s involving Florence, its rival Lucca, and allies Siena and Milan.

The battle at Öland takes place in the Baltic Sea, off the east coast of Öland during the Scanian War, resulting in the defeat of the Swedish navy by the allied Danish-Dutch forces. More

Kentucky was admitted to the U.S and becomes the 15th State. More

Tennessee was admitted to the U.S and becomes the 16th State. More

The island of Crete falls to German forces after a week-long battle during WWII. The battle, which began on May 20, involved intense air bombardment and airborne assaults by German paratroopers and glider troops. Despite fierce resistance from Allied troops and Cretan civilians, the Germans ultimately captured key airfields and were able to reinforce and consolidate their position.

Samoa Independence Day. While independence was achieved on January 1,  Samoa celebrates its independence day on June 1 to avoid it coinciding with New Year's Day and to allow for better weather for the celebrations, since January falls in the rainy season. 

Western Samoan islands independence day. The Western Samoan Islands became independent from New Zealand on January 1, 1962 as Western Samoa, later known as Samoa, but celebrates its independence day on June 1 to avoid it coinciding with New Year's Day and to allow for better weather for the celebrations, since January falls in the rainy season.

Cincinnati surgeon Henry J. Heimlich publishes, his stop-choking technique in the medical journal Emergency Medicine. The technique, now called, the Heimlich maneuver, involved thrusting inward and upward on the abdomen of choking victims and It quickly became a go-to method for saving those lives. The technique was renamed the "abdominal thrust" after the American Red Cross introduced back blows to its official guidelines on treating choking in 2006 and Dr Heimlich disagreed that back blows should be used and asked that his name be removed from the guidelines. More

CNN, headquartered in Atlanta, debuts its 24-hour live news broadcasts. In 1991 it went on to gain worldwide attention for its around-the-clock coverage of the Persian Gulf War. More

George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev sign a bilateral agreement on Destruction and Non-production of Chemical Weapons and on Measures to Facilitate the Multilateral Convention on Banning Chemical Weapons"  Expand +

The European Central Bank is established, leading to the introduction of the euro currency. The first President of the Bank was Wim Duisenberg, the former president of the Dutch central bank and the European Monetary Institute.