What Happened in June?

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

The British recapture Calcutta when the British East India Company forces led by Robert Clive defeat Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, at the Battle of Plassey on June 23, 1757. The victory led to a swift expansion of the British Empire in India. 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, on June 15, 1775 and appoints George Washington as its commander-in-chief. Washington accepted the assignment and signed 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

Spain declares war on Great Britain on June 21, 1779, during the American Revolutionary War. Expand +

The Confederation Congress approves and finalizes the first Great Seal of the United States.The First Continental Congress in 1776 originally commissioned Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams to create a national seal. These Founding Fathers intended to design a national emblem that reflected the independence and aspirations of the new nation.  Expand +

The Iceland Laki volcanic eruption starts on June 8, 1783, lasting eight months before ending on February 7, 1784. Haze from the eruption was reported from Iceland to Syria. The long eruption caused the death of 10,000 or about one-quarter of the human residents by famine. It also caused widespread famines throughout Asia and Europe. In Iceland, the haze lead to the loss of most of the island's livestock from eating fluorine contaminated grass), and crop failure caused by acid rain. More

The collapse of a landslide dam on the Dadu River kills 100,000 in Sichuan province, China. The landslide dam was created by a magnitude 7.75 earthquake ten days earlier on June 1, in and around Kangding, in what is now China's Sichuan province. 

The Constitution became the official framework of the government of the United States of America when New Hampshire became the ninth of 13 states to ratify it, thus replacing the post-Revolutionary War Articles of Confederation. More

The U.S. Constitution is ratified as New Hampshire becomes the 9th State and the last necessary State of the original 13 colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution. View list of Admission

Virginia ratifies the Articles of Confederation becoming the 10th State. View list of Admission

Kentucky was admitted to the United States Unionion on June 1, 1792, becoming the 15th State. and the first state west of the Appalachian Mountains. Originally part of Virginia's western territory, the region separated to become a state following congressional approval. View list of Admission

The French National Convention adopts the Law of 22 Prairial, on June 10, 1794, accelerating the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.

Tennessee was admitted to the U.S on June 1, 1796, becoming the 16th State and the first State to be carved from federal territory. Known as the "Southwest Territory" prior to statehood, the area was admitted after a census and a constitutional convention held in Knoxville. View list of Admission