What Happened in June?

1945, June 26 - The United Nations Charter was signed by 50 nations in San Francisco. Poland signed it later on October 15, 1945, The United Nations Charter was ratified on October 24, 1945. More

The people of Italy approved a referendum to replace the governing monarchy with a republic. More

US Secretary of State George C. Marshall, delivers the commencement address at Harvard University in which he proposes the idea of a firm and formal plan for a European self-help program financed by the United States.  Expand +

American aviator, businessman, and politician. Kenneth Arnold saw "nine saucer-like aircraft flying in formation" at an altitude between 9,500 and 10,000 feet between Mount Rainer and Mount Adams in Washington moving at "the amazing speed of about 1,200 miles an hour." it was considered the first modern sighting of UFOs and gave rise to the term flying saucer. The report captured the attention of the nation. More 

The LP (Long Playing) record, developed by Columbia Records, is officially announced at a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City. This introduction marked a significant advancement in recorded music, allowing for significantly longer playing times compared to the existing 78 RPM records. The LP quickly became the standard format for albums, leading to the concept album and a shift in how music was conceived and consumed.  Expand +

Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader, imposes the Berlin Blockade cutting off all land and river transit between West Berlin and West Germany and announcing that the Western Allied powers no longer had any rights in Berlin.

In response to the Soviet blockade, the U.S. and Great Britain begin an emergency airlift of food and fuel to West Berlin to relieve two million isolated West Berliners. The Russians blockade of Berlin ended on May 12, 1949. More

British author George Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" dystopian classic 1s published. The dystopian novel serves as a warning against totalitarianism and introduces iconic concepts like Big Brother and the Thought Police. The novel explores the consequences of government overreach and manipulation of truth, and its impact on individual lives and society. More

North Korea invades South Korea following clashes along the border. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union. Two days later, on June 27, President Harry S. Truman orders U.S. air and naval forces to South Korea to aid the democratic nation in repulsing the invasion and in support of a U.N. resolution calling for an end to hostilities. The fighting ended with an armistice on 27 July 1953, formally dividing the country at the 38th parallel into North and South Korea. The Korean War was among the most destructive conflicts of the modern era, with approximately 3 million war fatalities including over 36,000 Americans. More

President Harry S. Truman orders U.S. air and naval forces to South Korea in support of a U.N. resolution calling for an end to hostilities to aid the democratic nation in repulsing the invasion from North Korea which was supported by China and the Soviet Union On July 8th Douglas MacArthur was appointed commander of United Nations forces in the Korean War. The fighting ended with an armistice on 27 July 1953, formally dividing the country at the 38th parallel into North and South Korea. The Korean War was among the most destructive conflicts of the modern era, with approximately 3 million war fatalities including over 36,000 Americans. More

The first UNIVAC, acquired by the United States Census Bureau is dedicated. The UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer I) was the first general-purpose electronic digital computer for business application produced in the U.S. Its design was started by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, the inventors of the ENIAC who owned EMCC. The company was acquired by Remington Rand which completed the work. (Remington Rand later became part of Sperry, now Unisys) More

Queen Elizabeth II is formally crowned in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey, London becoming s the thirty-ninth Sovereign to be crowned there. The ceremony, which followed her accession to the throne after the death of her father, King George VI, in February 1952, was a significant event and the first coronation to be televised. More

President Eisenhower rejects isolationism in the Cold War. More

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed by electrocution at Sing Sing Prison in New York. They had been found guilty of providing vital information on the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. More

The first Chevrolet Corvette rolls off the assembly line at a General Motors plant in Flint, Michigan, marking the beginning of production for the iconic American sports car. Only 300 Corvettes were produced that first year, all of which were Polo White convertibles with red interiors. The early Corvettes were essentially hand-built, with a rudimentary production line set up in a former customer delivery building. More

The words "under God" are added to the Pledge of Allegiance. The phrase was added by an Act of Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The original Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy a Baptist minister, in August 1892. Bellamy had hoped that the pledge would be used by citizens in any country. The Pledge was published in the September 8th issue of The Youth's Companion. The addition of the words "under God" was intended to distinguish the United States from atheistic communism during the Cold War and to emphasize the religious heritage of the United States.

Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz Guzman resigns under pressure from a clandestine CIA operation which had been approved by U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, leading to a military take over led by Colonel Castillo Armas with assistance from CIA trained soldiers. Armas authoritarian government was closely allied with the United States. His authoritarian rule ended with his assassination in 1957. More

Detroit builds the last Packard that was actually designed by Packard. The name lived on for two more years on re-named Studebakers built in Indiana. More

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.

Madagascar Independence Day from France. More