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On This Day in History: June 23

Explore the historical events that shaped our world on June 23rd. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.

1314 CE, June 23

The Battle of Bannockburn begins on June 23, 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England in the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive engagement in Scottish history whereby the Scots defeated the English, regained their independence and established Robert the Bruce as Robert I

1611 CE, June 23

After a mutiny by the crew of Henry Hudson's ship Discovery on June 22, 1611, Hudson and his son are set adrift along with seven loyal crew members in a small boat. They were never seen again.

1868 CE, June 23

American inventor Christopher Latham Sholes, along with Carlos Glidden and Samuel Soule, were granted the patent number 79,265 for their "Improvement in Type-Writing Machines". The Type-Writer also introduced the QWERTY layout, which is still used on almost all US keyboards today. The Sholes Glidden Type-Writer was manufactured by E. Remington and Sons starting in 1873. Its adoption by large corporations kickstarted the typewriter industry and contributed to the speedup of American work life. More

1960 CE, June 23

The first birth control pill, Enovid, is made available for purchase in the United States. Originally approved by the FDA on May 9, 1960, The approval limited its use to no more than two years. Nine years later, in 1969 Barbara Seaman’s book, “The Doctor’s Case Against the Pill,” show testimony and research showing that the high doses of estrogen in the early Pill put women at risk of blood clots, heart attacks, strokes, and cancer. History of Birth Control in the U.S.

1961 CE, June 23

The Antarctic Treaty officially entered into force on June 23, 1961, to regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, "all land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude parallel". The 12 original signatories were Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the USSR, the United Kingdom and the United States.

1972 CE, June 23

Title IX of the education amendments of 1972 is enacted into law in the United States. Title IX prohibits federally funded educational institutions from discriminating against students or employees based on sex. More

2016 CE, June 23

The United Kingdom votes in a referendum to withdraw from the European Union, with 51.9 percent supporting Britain's exit (“Brexit”) and 48.1 percent opposing the move. it marked the first time a country had decided to leave the organization.

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