What Happened in June?

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, lasting eight months. Haze from the eruption was reported from Iceland to Syria. The long eruption caused the death of 10,000 or bout 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 cused 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. More

Virginia ratifies the Articles of Confederation becoming the 10th State. 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

Lightning hits a fortress in Luxembourg being used as an armory during the occupation by Napoleon’s French forces, igniting the gunpowder stored inside resulting in a massive explosion that destroyed two city blocks with an estimated 300 or more fatalities and widespread fires and devastation. The Luxembourg disaster may have been the most deadly lightning strike in history. According to the NWS Storm Data, over the last 30 years (1989-2018) the U.S. has averaged 43 reported lightning fatalities per year. Only about 10% of people who are struck by lightning are killed, leaving 90% with various degrees of disability.

French forces under Marshal Moncey attack the Spanish city of Valencia during the Peninsular War on June 26, 1808 but are repulsed by Spanish defenders and retreat to Madrid. Their failure  highlighted the fierce Spanish resistance during the Peninsular War. Expand +

President James Madison signs into law a resolution passed by Congress declaring war with Great Britain, marking the beginning of the War of 1812.The War of 1812 ended December 24, 1814 when the two nations met in Belgium and signed the Treaty of Ghent. ending the war and restoring the previously recognized boundaries between the United States and British territory in North America. The Senate unanimously ratified the Treaty of Ghent on February 16, 1815. More

Napoleon Bonaparte's Grand Army invades Russia with an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 troops. The invasion was a major turning point in Napoleon's career. The devastating losses suffered by his army in the face of Russian resistance and the harsh Russian winter led to Napoleon's downfall. 

The Congress of Vienna ends after 18 moths of work having made decisions designed  to reshape the political map of Europe and the establishment of a new political and legal order after more than two decades of turmoil and war following the French Revolution.  Expand +

Napoleon Bonaparte is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo near Waterloo, Belgium bringing about Napoleon second abdication and the end of the Napoleonic Wars. His French army was defeated by the armies of the Seventh Coalition which included the United Kingdom, Prussia, Russia, Austria, Sweden, the Netherlands, and several German states. More

Napoleon abdicates as French emperor for the second time after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, bringing an end to France’s domination of Europe. He was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena, in the southern Atlantic Ocean, where he lived out the rest of his life. He died on May 5, 1821 at the age of 52.

The French colonization of Algeria begins as 34,000 French soldiers land at Sidi Ferruch, some 27 kilometers west of Algiers. This landing, part of a larger military expedition, aimed to overthrow the Regency of Algiers which was captured after a three-week campaign, and the dey (local ruler) fled into exile. Although Algeria was not fully conquered and pacified until 1903. It is estimated that by 1875, approximately 825,000 indigenous Algerians were killed. Various scholars describe the French conquest as genocide. French rule lasted until the end of the Algerian War, an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) from 1954 to 1962, which led to Algeria winning its independence from France on July 5, 1962. More

Arkansas was admitted to the U.S and becomes the 25th State. More

Queen Victoria ascends to the British throne at the age of 18, following the death of her uncle, King William IV. This event marked the beginning of her long and impactful reign, which lasted until her death in 1901. While she became queen in June 1837, according to English Tradition and Heritage, her formal coronation took place later, on June 28, 1838, . More

The US Patent Office grants Samuel F. B. Morse U.S. Patent No. 1,647A for his electric telegraph. This invention, which utilized a single wire was a significant development which later led to the creation of the Morse Code and became known as the Morse telegraph. Expand +