On This Day

What Happened in June 1809

Historical Events

  • Jun 1 Allardyce Barclay begins a bet of walking 1 mile every hour for 1,000 hours. Each hour he walked a mile round trip from his home
  • Jun 6 Sweden declares independence, constitutional monarchy established with a new constitution empowering Riksdag after 20 years of absolute monarchy
  • Jun 8 William Hyde Wollaston invents the first reflective goniometer
  • Jun 10 1st US steamboat to a make an ocean voyage leaves NY for Philadelphia

Famous Birthdays

  • Jun 13 George Philip St Cooke, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Leesburg, Virginia (d. 1895)
  • Jun 15 François-Xavier Garneau, French-Canadian poet and historian (d. 1866)
  • Jun 18 Sylvanus William Godon, Commander (Union Navy), (d. 1879)
  • Jun 27 François Certain Canrobert, French marshal and parliament member, born in Saint-Céré, France (d. 1895)

Famous Deaths

  • Jun 3 John "Christmas" Beckwith, composer, dies at 58
  • Jun 4 Nicolai Arbraham Abildgaard, Danish painter/architect, dies at 65

Person of interestThomas Paine

Jun 8 Thomas Paine, English American writer (Age of Reason, Common Sense), dies at 72

Voice of the American Revolution Thomas Paine
Voice of the American Revolution
Thomas Paine



What Happened in 1809