TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON – JUNE 4
1647 Parliamentary forces capture King Charles I and hold him prisoner.
1717 The Freemasons are founded in London.
1783 A hot-air balloon was demonstrated by Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier. It reached a height of 1,500 feet.
1792 Captain George Vancouver claims Puget Sound for Britain.
1812 The Louisiana Territory had its name changed to the Missouri Territory.
1896 Henry Ford made a successful test drive of his new car in Detroit, MI. He called the vehicle was called a “Quadricycle.”
1911 Gold is discovered in Alaska’s Indian Creek.
1919 The U.S. Senate passes the Women’s Suffrage bill. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote, is passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification.
1924 An eternal light was dedicated at Madison Square in New York City in memory of all New York soldiers who died in World War I.
1940 The British complete the evacuation of 300,000 troops at Dunkirk.
1943 In Argentina, Juan Peron takes part in the military coup that overthrows Ramon S. Castillo.
1944 The U-505 becomes the first enemy submarine captured by the U.S. Navy.
1947 The House of Representatives approved the Taft-Hartley Act. The legislation allowed the President of the United States to intervene in labor disputes.
1953 North Korea accepts the United Nations proposals in all major respects.
1971 United States narcotics agents and Spanish police apprehend a French couple smuggling 240 pounds of heroin. The heroin had an estimated street value of 35 to 40 million dollars and was made in secret laboratories in France. The smugglers, Jean Pierre Pilato and Marie-Yvonne Carretro, were arrested near Silla.
1972 Black activist Angela Davis is found not guilty of murder, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy.
1985 The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling striking down an Alabama law that provided for a daily minute of silence in public schools.
1986 Jonathan Jay Pollard, a former Navy intelligence analyst, pled guilty in Washington to spying for Israel. He was sentenced to life in prison.
1986 The California Supreme Court approved a law that limited the liability of manufacturers and other wealthy defendants. It was known as the “deep pockets law.”
1989 Thousands die in the Tiananmen Square Massacre Using assault rifles and tanks, Chinese troops massacred unarmed civilians who had taken part in pro-democracy protests.
1991 Following the easing of tensions as the cold war between east and west ends, the UK joins other NATO countries in announcing cuts in spending on Britain’s Military forces. The British Defense Secretary Tom King has announced that more than one third of infantry in the Army is to go.
2003 Martha Stewart is indicted on nine criminal counts, including obstruction of justice, securities fraud, and conspiracy in the ImClone stock scandal.
2003 The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban “partial birth” abortions with a 282-139 vote.
** history.net, onthisday.com, infoplease.com, timeanddate.com, thepeoplehistory.com, on-this-day.com **
