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


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