1898 US Marines land in Cuba during the Spanish–American War
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What Happened in June?
The Philippines declares its independence from Spain after being a Spanish colony since 1565. Later that year, the Treaty of Paris ended the Spanish-American War and Spain ceded the Philippines to the US, the islands were occupied by U.S. forces. and the Philippines became an American colony until after World War II. The Philippines officially attained complete Independence from the U.S on July 4, 1946, Which is celebrated in the Philippines as Republic Day. More
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.
Barney Oldfield (1878–1946) Oldfield was an American automobile racing pioneer whose daring driving style and record-breaking performances helped popularize motor racing in the early twentieth century. At a time when automobiles were still a novelty, Oldfield became one of the first nationally recognized racing celebrities in the United States.
Born in Ohio, Oldfield initially worked with bicycles before becoming involved in the rapidly developing automobile industry. In 1902, he was given the opportunity to drive a powerful racing car built by automotive innovators, including Henry Ford. His natural talent behind the wheel quickly became evident, and he soon gained fame for his speed and fearlessness on racetracks across the country.
Throughout his career, Oldfield set numerous speed records and thrilled spectators with exhibition races and promotional events. His willingness to push both machines and himself to their limits earned him widespread publicity and helped bring automobile racing into the public spotlight. He became one of the most recognizable sports figures of his era and played a major role in introducing Americans to the excitement of motorized competition.
Beyond racing, Oldfield appeared in films, participated in automobile promotions, and contributed to the growing popularity of the automobile industry. His career spanned a period of remarkable technological change, from the earliest racing machines to more advanced automobiles of the 1920s and 1930s.
Today, Barney Oldfield is remembered as one of the founding legends of American motorsports. His achievements helped establish automobile racing as a major spectator sport and contributed to the broader acceptance and fascination with the automobile in modern society. More
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Barney Oldfield and Henry Ford with Old 999, 1902 - Public Domain Via Wikimedia
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 on June 7, 1905. The decision severed the personal union that had linked the two countries under a common monarch since 1814, finally restoring Norway's full independence..
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
Last expedition of Robert Falcon Scott. The image shows Wilson, Scott and Oates (standing); and Bowers and Evans (sitting)., at the South Pole.
Image by Henry Bowers (1883–1912) - Image originally uploaded on 5 Dec 2003 by User: AlexPlank and edited by Ian Dunster on 24 Apr 2005). Public domain via Wikimedia.
The first successful and verified ascent of Denali - Mount McKinley took place on June 7, 1913. Four Alaskan men became the first climbers to reach the 20,310-foot South summit of the highest peak in North America. 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.
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia, by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist. The couple was visiting Sarajevo when Princip fired the fatal shots after an earlier assassination attempt had failed.
The assassination occurred during a period of rising nationalism and political tension in Europe. Austria-Hungary blamed neighboring Serbia for supporting nationalist groups involved in the plot. Within weeks, a series of diplomatic ultimatums, military mobilizations, and alliance obligations drew Europe's major powers into conflict.
The event is widely regarded as the immediate catalyst for the outbreak of the First World War. Although the underlying causes of the war were complex and had developed over many years, the Sarajevo assassination triggered a chain reaction that led to one of the deadliest conflicts in human history.
More than a century later, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand remains one of the most consequential events of the twentieth century, marking the beginning of a war that reshaped nations, empires, and the modern world. More
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U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signs the National Defense Act , on June 3, 1916, 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
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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 on June 4, 1919. It was first proposed in Congress, forty two years earlier in 1878. The amendment then needed to be ratified by three-fourths of the states. It became law on August 18, 1920, when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify it. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified its adoption 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
United States President, Calvin Coolidge, signed the Indian Citizenship Act on June 2, 1924, conferring 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 on June 7, 1929, 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.
Source: https://www.papalartifacts.com
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