What Happened in June?

The Ford Motor Company was officially incorporated. Founder Henry Ford and 12 investors launched his venture in a converted factory on Mack Avenue in Detroit. It was his third attempt at establishing an automotive business. At the time, the company could only produce a few cars a day. More

Barney Oldfield, American automobile-racing driver accomplished the first mile-a-minute performance in a car, at Indianapolis, Indiana. Oldfield became known as the “Speed King of the World.” and his name was synonymous with racing and with speed. He raced farm tractors and pitted cars against locomotives and airplanes. He drove the most famous cars of his day: Fiat, Mercer, Maxwell, Stutz, the Ford 999, a French Delage, and a Christie. More

Einstein publishes his Special Theory of Relativity, which describes his revolutionary ideas about light, time and energy. He revisited the theory in a 1912 manuscript when he was asked to write several book chapters. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 delayed publication, and when the project resumed, Einstein considered this manuscript outdated and it was never published. More

Norway’s national assembly (Storting) declares an end to the Norway Union and Independence from Sweden. The declaration followed Sweden's refusal for Norway to have its own national flag and consular service in order to promote its maritime commerce.
National Day, commemorating the Independence from Denmark and the Constitution of Norway is celebrated on May 17, 1814. A treaty of separation was signed on October 26, 1905. Norway chose Prince Charles of Denmark as its king, who assumed the name of Haakon VII and ruled until 1957.

The British Terra Nova Expedition led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott, sails from Cardiff, Wales for Antarctica. Scott wanted to continue the scientific work that he had begun when leading the Discovery Expedition from 1901 to 1904, and wanted to be the first to reach the geographic South Pole. He and four companions attained the pole on 17 January 1912, where they found that a Norwegian team led by Roald Amundsen had preceded them by 34 days. Scott's party of five died on the return journey from the pole. More

The first successful ascent of Denali - Mount McKinley takes place. Four Alaskan men became the first climbers to reach the 20,310' summit of the highest peak in North America, for the first time. The four climbers; Walter Harper, Harry Karstens, Hudson Stuck and Robert Tatum made history. More

Archduke Francis Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Austria and his wife were assassinated at Sarajevo, touching off a conflict between the Austro-Hungarian government and Serbia that escalated into World War I. More

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signs the National Defense Act which authorized an expanded Army of 175,000, and an enlarged National Guard of 450,000 and brought the states’ militias more under federal control and gave the president authority, in case of war or national emergency, to mobilize the National Guard for the duration of the emergency.

The United States Congress passes the Espionage Act, building on the 1911, Defense Secrets Act, with important new elements added. More

The first American troops, the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), arrive in Europe during WWI. They were under the command of General John Joseph Pershing. However they did not fully participate at the front until October, when the First Division, one of the best-trained divisions of the AEF, entered the trenches at Nancy, France. More

Greece brakes diplomatic relations with the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey). Greece was deeply divided during World War I, with King Constantine I advocating for neutrality and Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos favoring the Entente (Britain, France, Russia). The Allies, particularly Britain and France, exerted significant pressure on Greece to join their cause, even resorting to a naval blockade. On June 11. 1917, King Constantine I abdicated in favor of his son Alexander, who supported Venizelos, opening the door for Greece's policy change. Greece officially declared war on the Central Powers on June 30, 1917.

Greece, under pressure from the Allies, ends three years of neutrality and enters World War I alongside Britain, France, Russia and Italy.

The 19th amendment granting women the right to vote is passed by Congress. It had been first proposed in Congress, forty two years earlier in 1878. The amendment then needed to be ratified by three-fourths of the states. when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1920 and became law on August 26, 1920. More

The signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919 formally ends World War I. According to the terms, Germany was assessed sole blame for the war, it had to pay reparations of $15 Billion. It was also forced to give up Alsace-Lorraine and all overseas colonies. The treaty also prohibited German rearmament. More

The first successful aerial refueling takes place when a DH-4B carrying Lts. Virgil Hine and Frank W. Seifert passed gasoline through a hose to another DH-4B flying beneath it carrying Lt's Lowell H. Smith and John P. Richter. More
It is interesting to also note that in 1921, the first successful transfer of fuel albeit, unconventional. between two biplane planes took place a wing walker climbed from one to the other plane with a five-gallon can of gasoline strapped to his back and successfully transferred the fuel. Learn more about this event

The government of the United States confers citizenship on all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the country. The right to vote, however, was governed by state law and some states continue to barred Native Americans from voting. It wasn't until 1957 that Utah became the last state to remove its laws denying Native Americans the right to vote. However, even after 1957, some Native American voters still faced barriers to accessing the ballot box. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 addressed these issues at the federal level, outlawing discriminatory practices that denied or abridged the right to vote based on race. More

The Lateran Treaty is ratified, officially recognizing the Vatican City as a sovereign State and the Pope's independence. The treaty was originally signed February 11, 1929, by Benito Mussolini for Italy and by Pietro Gasparri, Cardinal Secretary of State.

The United States imposes the protectionist Smoot-Hawley Tariff bill becomes law, raising the average tariff by some 20 percent and worsening an already suffering world economy. Formally known as the United States Tariff Act of 1930 It significantly raised tariffs on thousands of imported goods in an attempt to protect American farmers and businesses from foreign competition during the Great Depression. It is widely criticized for worsening the Depression by triggering retaliatory tariffs from other nations, leading to a collapse in global trade. The law got its name from its chief supporters, Representative Willis Hawley of Oregon and Senator Reed Smoot of Utah. More

The Promoters Revolution, also known as the Siamese revolution of 1932, was a bloodless coup by a group of Thai intellectuals, military officers, and European-educated individuals, known as the People's Party, who orchestrated the coup that transformed Thailand from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. It marked a turning point in Thai history, ushering in a period of political change and introducing democratic ideals, although the country would continue to experience political instability and military coups in the coming years.

The first drive-in movie theater opens in Camden New Jersey with space to accommodate around 400 cars. The ticket price was 25 cents per car plus 25 cents per person. The first film ever shown at this drive-in was the British comedy "Wives Beware". The film was chosen because it had played for only one week in theaters a few weeks earlier and they wanted a film that would not conflict with major releases. More