What Happened in June?

The Puritan-led English Parliament during Oliver Cromwell's republican Commonwealth, passed an ordinance which declared the celebration of Christmas to be a punishable offence. Although many people continued to celebrate Christmas in private, Christmas effectively ceased to be celebrated in the great majority of churches overtime. It wasn't until the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 that Christmas Day celebrations were brought back. In Scotland Celebrating Christmas was still deeply frowned upon for centuries. In fact, the 25th December only became a public holiday in Scotland in 1958. More

The colonial territory of New Jersey was established on June 24, 1664, when King Charles II granted the land to his brother, the Duke of York, who gave it to his friends, Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. who became the Lords Proprietors of the new colony.

The first recorded victims of the Great Plague of London die. The Plague was a bubonic plague epidemic which killed approximately between 75,000 and 100,000 of its 460,000 inhabitants. This outbreak was the last major plague epidemic in England since the Black Death of 1348. More

The Royal Greenwich Observatory was established by King Charles II on June 22, 1675, by a royal warrant. The primary purpose for creating the observatory was to create a scientific institution to determine longitude at sea to improve the safety and efficiency of sea navigation. Expand +

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

Jamaica's Port Royal is consumed by an earthquake estimated to be a 7.4 magnitude, causing two thirds of the town to sink into the sea and destroying every building or other substantial  structure in the Island, A series of fires and hurricanes followed. The town was never restored to its former British Naval base glory and remains a small fishing village today.  Two thousand people died immediately and an additional 3000 died of injuries and disease shortly after. More

Bridget Bishop is hanged on Proctor's Ledge at Gallows Hill during the Salem Witch Trials in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. She was accused of witchcraft and found guilty by the Court of Oyer and Terminer (to Hear and to Decide). A total of 19 more individuals lost their life; five women on July 19, one woman and four men on  Expand +

Royal astronomer Edmond Halley publishes his groundbreaking paper "Synopsis of the Astronomy of Comets", on the periodicity of comets appearance on earth. He correctly predicted that this periodic comet would return in 1758.  Expand +

The first Freemasons' Grand Lodge of London and Westminster is founded in London on June 24, 1717, after a meeting of the four existing London lodges . The event marked the establishing of modern Freemasonry,  shifting to a modern, structured fraternity focused on moral, philosophical, and charitable ideals.

Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite-in-a-thunderstorm experiment is said to have taken place on this day in 1752. More

James Hargreaves, an English weaver in Blackburn, Lancaster received a patent for his "Spinning Jenny," a hand-powered, multiple-spindle machine that revolutionized cotton spinning. A significant advancement over traditional spinning wheels that could only spin one thread at a time. significantly increasing yarn production, making it a key factor in the industrialization of the textile industry. The initial version had eight spindles, and later models could hold up to 120, showcasing its increasing capacity. Hargreaves faced challenges with his patent application and even a legal battle when his machines were being illegally copied. More

Rhode Islanders, led by merchant John Brown, board and set fire to the revenue cutter HMS Gaspee in Narragansett Bay whereupon her powder magazine exploded. Efforts of the British authorities to learn the names of the culprits were unsuccessful since the public sentiment was in accord with the venture, despite the sizable reward that had been offered. More

The U.S. Army is officially born as the Second Continental Congress founds a united Continental Army to bring the 13 colonies together in the fight for independence from Great Britain. Expand +

The American Continental Army is established by the Continental Congress, with George Washington appointed as its commander-in-chief on June 15, 1775

The Continental Congress votes to appoint George Washington, the commander of the colonies' first official army. and he accepts the assignment and signs his commission on June 16. More

The Battle of Bunker Hill, a pivotal early battle of the American Revolutionary War, takes place near Boston, Mass, it resulted in heavy casualties for the British, although a tactical victory for them, proving the colonists could stand up to the British army and boosting revolutionary morale. The battle took place primarily on Breed's Hill, adjacent to Bunker Hill, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, overlooking Boston. More

The Continental Congress approves the first release of $1 million in bills of credit (paper currency) to help fund the American Revolutionary War. Another $1 million was authorized in July. By the end of 1775, Congress had authorized a total of $6 million bills of credit. The currency quickly lost value, partly because it was not backed by a physical asset like gold or silver, but also due to the fact that too many bills were printed. The loss in value inspired the term "not worth a continental". More

The Continental Congress creates a committee to draft the Declaration of Independence. The committee members were: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. More

Marquis De Lafayette accompanied by Baron De Kalb arrive on North Island, Georgetown County, S.C. to serve alongside General Washington. Lafayette was 19 at the time. He and George Washington went on to develop a strong bond. More

The Second Continental Congress issues a resolution adopting the Flag of the United States. It wasn't until 1949, that Congress approved the national observance, and President Harry Truman signed it into law. There have been twenty-seven official versions of the flag to date. The current version of the flag dates to August 21, 1959, after Hawaii became the fiftieth state. While not a federal holiday, Flag Day is observed annually on June 14th, commemorating the adoption of the original US Flag in 1777. More