What Happened on June 2
Significant Events
- 455 King Gaiseric & the Vandals sack Rome - Rome looted for 14 days
- 1862 Robert E Lee takes command of Confederate armies of North Virgina during US Civil War
- 1896 Guglielmo Marconi applies to patent the radio, accepted 2 July 1897
- 1935 Babe Ruth, 40, announces his retirement as a player
- 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey, London, England
- 1989 10,000 Chinese soldiers are blocked by 100,000 citizens in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, protecting students demonstrating for democracy
Did You Know?
James Gibbs of Virginia, patents the chain-stitch single-thread sewing machine
On June 2, 1857
Famous Birthdays
Martha Washington
(1731 - 1802)
Marquis de Sade
(1740 - 1814)
Charlie Sifford
(1922 - 2015)
Charlie Watts
77 Years Old
Wayne Brady
46 Years Old
Abby Wambach
38 Years Old
Would You Believe?
Pontiac's Rebellion: At what is now Mackinaw City, Michigan, Chippewas capture Fort Michilimackinac by diverting the garrison's attention with a game of lacrosse, then chasing a ball into the fort
On June 2, 1763
Famous Weddings
- 1129 Fulco V's son Godfried marries King Henry I's daughter Mathildis
- 1886 U.S. President Grover Cleveland (49) weds Frances Folsom (21), 1st presidential marriage to be held at the White House
- 1919 Theoretical Physicist Albert Einstein (40) weds his cousin Elsa Lowenthal (43)
- 1945 Athlete Jim Thorpe (57) weds Patricia Askew
- 1951 "The Thin Man" actress Myrna Loy (45) weds UNESCO delegate Howland H. Sargeant
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Lou Gehrig
Rex HarrisonJune in History
Testing Time for Drivers
Deaths caused by accidents on UK roads fell by 1,000 within a year of the official driving test being introduced. But was the half-hour test enough?
June 1, 1935
The King is Dead; Long Live the Queen
Princess Elizabeth was in Africa when her father died and she became Queen. Her coronation, on this day in history, could be described as a magnificent washout.
June 2, 1953
The Fire and Fury of Jonathan Martin
Jonathan Martin was a religious extremist who described the clergy as 'vipers from hell' and tried to burn down one of England’s most treasured cathedrals.
June 3, 1838
Dunkirk: Military Retreat They Called a Miracle
Trapped on beaches and a sitting target for German fighter planes and bombers, 330,000 Allied troops looked doomed. Then came the "miracle" of Dunkirk.
June 4, 1940