This Day in History.

June 7th

1923 U.S.A. Tucker Bill: The Wisconsin Assembly is the first state to oppose absolute Prohibition when the Tucker Bill to repeal the state dry enforcement law is passed. Wisconsin had some of the largest breweries in the US.

1929 Vatican City Lateran Treaty: Vatican City becomes a sovereign independent State. Vatican City is approx 110 acres with a population of around 800 and is ruled by the Bishop of Rome — the Pope. Vatican City also includes most of the area of St. Peter's Square.

1939 U.S.A. King George: King George VI becomes the first British monarch to visit the United States when he and his wife, Elizabeth, visited New York City and Washington, D.C.

1942 Midway Island Battle of Midway: After a three day sea battle the United States destroy large numbers of Japanese Navy ships with the damage to only one US ship The USS Yorktown.

1954 U.S.A. Ford Edsel: Ford Motor Company formed a styling team to take on the project of designing an entirely new car that would later be named the Edsel.

1955 U.S.A. The $64,000 Question: "The $64,000 Question" the popular US television game show that reached the number one rating spot in 1955 / 1956 begins.

1965 U.S.A. Griswold v. Connecticut: Following the anti-birth control law passed in Connecticut, the case of Griswold v. Connecticut goes to the Supreme Court who struck down the anti-birth control law deeming it not constitutional.

1966 U.S.A. Ronald Reagan: The former actor Ronald Reagan enters politics when he is elected governor of California.

1972 U.S.A. McGovern: McGovern , who had swept the Democratic Party spring primaries, was one of the earliest and most vocal opponents of American policy in Vietnam and he made the ending of the Vietnam war one of the central issues of the campaign.

1977 England Silver Jubilee: The Queen of England "Queen Elizabeth II" celebrates 25 years as the monarch and more than one million people line the streets of London to watch the Royal Family on their way to St Paul's at the start of the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations

1977 Netherlands Hostages held on Train In Assen: This is now the 16th day hostages have been held on a train in Assen by terrorists demanding the release of prisoners and a flight out of the country, they are also holding 4 teachers hostage in a local school.

1981 Iraq Israel Bomb Baghdad Nuclear Reactor: Israeli aircraft bomb and destroy a French-built nuclear plant near Iraq's capital, Baghdad.

1982 U.S.A. Graceland opened to the public: Graceland is opened to the public for the first time, almost five years after the death of Elvis Presley.

1992 Brazil UN Conference on Environment and Pollution: The United States is causing a storm at the UN Conference on Environment and Pollution as standing alone amongst the westernised world by refusing to sign the document to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

1998 U.S.A. James Byrd Jr: James Byrd Jr, a 49-year-old African-American man accepts a ride from three drunk men Shawn Allen Berry, Lawrence Russel Brewer, and John William King. Instead of taking him home, the three men beat up him behind a convenience store, tie him to their pickup truck with a chain and drag and kill him by dragging him for three miles.

1998 Pakistan Bomb Attack: A terrorist bomb planted on a packed commuter train in Khairpur, Pakistan has left at least 23 dead and dozens more injured.

2002 U.S.A. Department of Homeland Security: US President George W Bush announces the new Department of Homeland Security to protect America from terrorist attacks. A single, permanent department with an overriding and urgent mission, securing the homeland of America and protecting the American people.

2005 United States GM Announces Job Cuts: General Motors announced plans to cut twenty-five thousand jobs in the United States. The job cuts were aimed at saving billions of dollars in an attempt to stabilize the company's financial matters.

2007 China Students Riot in China: Hundreds of Chinese students staged riots in the Henan province clashing with police. The riots occurred by a number of university students after reports that a female student had been beaten by city inspectors for reportedly setting up a street stall without a license.

2007 U.S.A. Stem Cell Research: The US House of Representatives votes to ease restrictions on federal funds for stem-cell research.

2009 Peru Army Makes Curfews for Amazon: The Peruvian army set up curfews and checkpoints in the Amazon region after there were clashes between indigenous protesters and police. The protesters were upset at plans to drill for oil in the jungle region and had taken police officers hostage.

June 8th

1924 Japan Elections: The Japanese Cabinet has resigned as a result of the party being defeated in elections.

1932 U.S.A. Tax Reforms: Some of the widest range of tax reforms and increases are to start over the next 4 months and should bring in over 1 billion dollars to the US treasury each year to help balance the budget after major spending on welfare programs for those unemployed due to the depression, amongst the large number of new taxes are New Electricity Tax, and special excise taxes on soap, automobile tires, chewing gum, new admissions tax at movie theatres and sports venues, gift tax and higher personal taxes from next March.

1942 U.S.A. Bing Crosby: Bing Crosby recorded "Adeste Fideles" and "Silent Night." He also achieved a great deal of fame with his popular rendition of "White Christmas."

1949 U.S.A. FBI report on Hollywood Stars: An FBI report names a number of Hollywood stars including Edward G. Robinson members of the Communist Party.

1953 U.S.A. Supreme Court Ruling: The Supreme Court ruled that restaurants and bars in Washington D.C. are required to serve African-American customers.

1965 Vietnam US Pledges Support: America's position on support for the South Vietnamese government changes when the state department issues a statement that American forces would be available for combat support together with Vietnamese forces when and if necessary.

1967 Israel Six Day War: During the Six-Day War , Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats attack the USS Liberty in international waters off Egypt's Gaza Strip.

1968 England James Earl Ray Arrested: James Earl Ray was arrested in London Airport on charges of conspiracy and murder in connection with the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

1972 U.S.A. Cruise Missiles: The Pentagon has announced plans to develop a completely new type of Nuclear Missile that could be launched from a submarine and flown like an aircraft flying below 500ft to avoid radar detection to reach it's target, this is part of the ongoing Cruise Missile development .

1978 U.S.A. Naomi James: Naomi James breaks the solo round-the-world sailing record by two days with her 53 ft yacht Express Crusader when she crossed the finish line in Dartmouth taking 272 days to complete the record.

1982 Falkland Islands Argentine Troops: Argentine aircraft attack the supply ships Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram in the Falklands. The British troops have 7,000 Argentinean troops surrounded and are asking them to surrender to save further bloodshed at Port Stanley in The Falkland Islands.

1987 U.S.A. Iran-Contra Hearings: The secretary "Fawn Hall" to national security aide Lt. Colonel Oliver North testified at the Iran-Contra hearings, saying she had helped to shred some documents. She had testified in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

1998 UK Memorial Service Linda McCartney: The three surviving members of the Beatles are reunited for the Memorial Service of Paul's wife Linda who died earlier this year from breast cancer.

1999 UK Growth Of Mobile Phone Usage: The mobile phone which became more affordable for the masses in 1998 has now reached 25% of the UK population owning a mobile phone and many predict the growth will continue.

2001 UK Tony Blair: Tony Blair and the British labour party are elected to a second term winning 413 seats against the Conservative party with 166 seats and the Liberal Democrats winning 52 seats giving the labour party a majority of 167 overall in the house of commons.

2001 U.S.A. Tropical Storm Allison: Tropical Storm Allison has now been affecting Texas and Louisiana for the last three days with winds over 60MPH leaving 22 people dead and massive flooding in the area.

2002 U.S.A. Camp David Meeting: The meeting in Camp David between Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak and President Bush does not reach agreement as Mr Mubarak is pressing for a timetable for the creation of a Palestinian state and Mr Bush has said Yasser Arafat must do more to prevent attacks on Israelis by Palestinian militants, before a timetable can be put in place.

2007 Somalia First Somalian President Dies: The first president of Somalia, Aden Abdulle Osman, who was elected in 1960 when British and Italian colonies joined to create the country of Somalia.

2008 Japan G8 Meeting: A meeting of the world's leading industrialized nations have met in Japan over concerns that the continued soaring oil prices ( $139 a barrel ) could damage the global economy.

2008 United States Clinton Suspends Presidential Bid: Hilary Clinton decided to bow out of the Democratic presidential nomination race and endorsed Barack Obama for the candidacy.

2009 North Korea American Journalists Jailed: A North Korean court sentenced two American journalists to twelve years of hard labor after being convicted of entering the country illegally and committing "hostile acts'. Euna Lee and Laura Ling were arrested in March after crossing the border with China while working on a story about refugees for Current TV.

June 9th

1930 U.S.A. Mobster Hit: Jake Lingle, a reporter at the Chicago Tribune, was shot and killed today at the Illinois Central train station as part of a gangland hit as the reporter knew to much about the Gangs operating in Chicago.

1934 U.S.A. Donald Duck : Donald Duck makes his first film appearance, in The Wise Little Hen, a short by Walt Disney.

1943 U.S.A. Car Tax Registration: Automobile Tax Stamps will go on sale tomorrow costing $5.00 all cars must display a tax stamp by July 1st, also all applications for Ration Books 3 must be in the mail by tomorrow

1943 U.S.A. Federal Income Tax Changes: New laws are passed which require employers to withhold federal taxes from weekly paychecks. This changed the earlier format where taxes were paid in one lump sum at the end of each year, and has been called "Pay As You Go tax" .

1953 U.S.A. Tornadoes Flint, Michigan: A series of 6 Tornadoes hit the area of Flint in Michigan and parts of Ohio yesterday killing over 140 people and leaving billions of dollars in property damage, Flint was still trying to clean up after the last series of Tornadoes on May 31st just a few weeks ago.

1958 UK Gatwick Airport Opens: After 2 years work the new Gatwick Airports which is London's second airport opens after major re-development.

1964 U.S.A. Communist Domino Theory: A CIA report challenges "domino theory" that had been used to support the Vietnam War , the domino effect contended that if South Vietnam fell the rest of Southeast Asia would quickly fall to communist control.

1970 Jordon Assassination Attempt: An assassination attempt is made on the King Hussein of Jordan when gunmen opened fire on his motorcade as it was driving near his summer palace.

1972 U.S.A. Flash Flood Rapid City, South Dakota: The Pactola Dam in Rapid City, South Dakota collapses after heavy rain with the resulting flash flood sweeping away homes below the dam in the flood plain area and killing 230.

1973 U.S.A. Secretariat Triple Crown Winner: Secretariat became horse racing's first Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes) winner in 25 years by winning the Belmont Stakes. The previous triple crown winner was Citation in 1948.

1975 UK Radio Broadcast From House Of Commons: The British house of commons allows live radio broadcasts of parliament which starts on this day in history.

1983 UK Margaret Thatcher: Margaret Thatcher wins in a landslide victory in General Elections in the UK as the British voters went to the polls, she wants to banish extreme left wing socialism forever and the British people seem to want that as well.

1993 Liberia Massacre: News is coming out of a massacre of 350 refugees mostly women and children at a camp for war refugees outside Monrovia and investigations by the United Nations are underway to find out who perpetrated this horrific crime.

2002 U.S.A. Catholic Church leaders Accused Of Covering Up Abuse: As pressure mounts on the Catholic church over alligations that Church Leaders have been covering up abuse by it's priests including many who have been found guilty of sexually abusing children remain in jobs within the US Roman Catholic Church.

2006 U.S.A. Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (Cope Act): Congress passes the Cope Act by 321-101 votes.

2006 Germany World Cup Begins in Munich: The 2006 World Cup began with its opening ceremonies in Munich, Germany. The ceremony included such notables as soccer icon Pele, and supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

2008 Madagascar Many Whales Stranded: Over one hundred whales were stranded off the coast of Madagascar, and at least thirty of them had already died.


2010 Gambia Large Amount of Cocaine Seized: Authorities in Gambia seized over $1billion worth of cocaine that was en route to Europe. As well as finding the over two ton haul of drugs, the authorities found large amounts of cash and arms, and arrested twelve suspected traffickers.

June 10th

1921 U.S.A. US Naval Dirigible: The US Naval Dirigible made a forced landing on a San Diego high School Campus after the under work collapsed under the Air Ship and narrowly missed the school flagpole.

1935 Alcoholics Anonymous Formed: In New York City, two recovering alcoholics, found Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), a 12-step rehabilitation program that eventually helps countless people cope with alcoholism
MY Comment: God Bless'em

1940 Norway Surrenders To Germany: Two months after starting the invasion of Norway Germany gains full control when Norway surrenders . One other interesting fact is that the word Quisling came from the name of the Norwegian minister of defense Vidkun Quisling.

1940 Italy Declares War on France and Great Britain: Italy declares war on France and Great Britain.

1947 Sweden SAAB First Car Produced: Saab a supplier of military aircraft before and during World War II produces their first car in attempt to diversify the model 92 prototype.

1961 U.S.A. President Kennedy: After injuries sustained while on a trip to Canada President Kennedy back injury is improving although he is still using crutches to get around.

1967 Middle East Six Day War Ends: Israel and Syria agree to observe the UN mediated cease-fire ending six days of Israeli fighting against Egypt, Jordan and Syrian forces.

1977 U.S.A. James Earl Ray: James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., escaped from a maximum security prison in Tennessee, he was recaptured three days later.

1978 U.S.A. Affirmed Wins Triple Crown: Affirmed wins the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown, one year after Seattle Slew wins it in 1977.

1980 South Africa Nelson Mandela: Nelson Mandela the imprisoned leader of the African National Congress (ANC) makes public a statement from a letter written by Nelson Mandela and smuggled out of prison "UNITE! MOBILISE! FIGHT ON! BETWEEN THE ANVIL OF UNITED MASS ACTION AND THE HAMMER OF THE ARMED STRUGGLE WE SHALL CRUSH APARTHEID!"

1986 South Africa Civil Unrest: The Civil unrest continues in South Africa in Shanty Towns with Young Black protesters attacked by self styled conservative militia armed with guns, clubs and Knives, The Militia are attacking hospitals and schools and burning them to the ground with a number of deaths and casualties reported.

1986 UK Brighton Bombing Grand Hotel: Patrick Joseph Magee is convicted of planting the bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton during the 1984 Conservative Party conference which killed five people and nearly wiped out most of Margaret Thatcher's cabinet on 12th October 1984.

1996 Iraq Biological Weapons: UN Experts and Iraq Officials have started dismantling a Biological Weapons Factory outside of Bagdad as called for by sanctions imposed by the UN following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

2000 UK Millennium Bridge: The new Millennium Bridge connecting St Paul's Cathedral to the Tate Modern gallery on the South Bank across the Thames is closed after it begins swaying violently in the wind under the weight of hundreds of pedestrians on opening day.

2002 U.S.A. Dirty Bomb: Attorney General John Ashcroft announces that José Padilla a.k.a. Abdulla al-Muhajir was arrested in Chicago on May 8, 2002, on suspicion that he was an Al-Qaeda terrorist planning to detonate a dirty bomb in the U.S.

2007 Australia Using Man Made Fires For Climate Control: After many years of problems for both the indigenous people (Aborigines) of Australia and an increase of major bush fires wiping out large tracts of land and sometimes affecting major cities, Australia has embraced the Aborigines ancient traditions of indigenous fire management by burning areas of the Australian Outback to act as wild fire breaks just after the rains to stop wild fires spreading uncontrolable later in the year.

2008 U.S.A. Storms In Midwest Taking a Toll: After 7 days of violent storms in the Midwest a number of US states are now suffering serious flooding due to rivers bursting their banks, and reservoirs overflowing.

2008 Greece Greek Industrialist Captured: One of Greece's top aluminum industrialists was kidnapped by gunmen.

2009 Italy Libya's Gaddafi Visits Italy: The president of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi made his first official visit to Italy, Libya's former colonial ruler and biggest trading partner.

June 13th
1925 U.S.A. Gangster Battle: A running gunfight between Police and Gangsters in Chicago left 3 dead and others injured today , the battles between law enforcement and gangsters in Chicago who are linked to beer running continues on a daily basis with different gangs fighting between themselves for controlling areas of the city.

1927 U.S.A. Charles Lindbergh: Just 3 weeks ago Charles Lindbergh in his aircraft completed the epic journey from New York to Paris and became a hero to the American people with his aircraft "The Spirit of St Louis" , in New York today millions of ordinary people came on to the streets to honor their hero in this monster parade which stopped the cities business.

1933 U.S.A. Great Depression Home Owners Refinancing Act: This was one of the worst years of the Great Depression in the 30's and homeowners got some relief as Congress gave the nod to the Home Owners Refinancing Act as part of the larger NEW DEAL initiative to get America moving again from President Franklin Roosevelt.

1944 England V1 rockets / Doodlebugs: Germany launches 10 of its new V1 rockets doodlebugs which were pilot less, jet-propelled planes capable of unleashing a ton of cruise missile explosives against Britain.

1953 U.S.A. Heatwave : A Heatwave has been affecting many states with unofficial temperatures recorded in Pittsburgh of 112 degrees and an overall temperature across many states of 100 degrees plus, The Heatwave is forecast to end in the next few days with severe storms predicted as the cool air from the Rockies hits the hot air. (MY Comment: Global Warming????)

1963 UK Profumo Scandal: As the rumblings continue over the Profumo Scandal Harold Macmillan is under increasing pressure with at least 4 members of his cabinet considering resignation.

1966 U.S.A. Miranda Rights: Chief Justice Earl Warren delivers The Supreme Court landmark Miranda vs. Arizona decision, "that criminal suspects must be informed of their right to consult with an attorney and of their right against self-incrimination prior to questioning by police".

1967 Soviet Union 6 Day War: The Soviet Union has demanded the United Nations Security Council for an immediate vote on a resolution condemning Israel's aggression in the six-day war and demanding the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Arab territories.

1971 U.S.A. Pentagon Papers: The New York Times begins to publish sections of the Pentagon Papers , a top-secret Department of Defense study of America's involvement in the Vietnam War. The papers indicated that the American government had been lying to the people for years about the Vietnam War and the papers damaged the credibility of America's Cold War foreign policy.

1972 U.S.A. Hurricane Agnes: Hurricane Agnes was the first major storm of the 1972 hurricane season and it quickly raced across the Caribbean toward Cuba. Apalachicola, Florida, took the brunt of Agnes as it hit the coastline and suffered about $10 million in damages.

1986 South Africa Bishop Desmond Tutu : Following the civil unrest in South Africa Bishop Desmond Tutu , winner of the 1984 Nobel Prize for Peace, meets with South African President P.W. Botha to discuss the nationwide state of emergency declared by Botha.

1991 Russia Boris Yeltsin: Boris Yeltsin wins first Russian elections for Russia's first popularly-elected president. The vote inflicts a heavy defeat on the ruling Communist Party which has ruled since the revolution in 1917.

2002 U.S.A. Colorado Fires: After nearly 1 week forest fires which began in Pike National Forest on Saturday in Colorado have destroyed nearly 100,000 acres of land are coming under control by the 2,800 firefighters fighting the fires but some homes are still in danger near the main city of Denver.

2005 U.S.A. Michael Jackson: Michael Jackson is found not guilty of all charges in the case of charges relating to molestation of 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo who was a cancer survivor.

2005 Japan War of the Worlds: The latest movie from Director Steven Spielberg "War of the Worlds" starring Tom Cruise has it's world premier in Tokyo, Japan.

2006 U.S.A. Colorado Oil Shale Reserves : The US Energy department has released a report that the State Of Colorado is sitting on about a trillion barrels worth of oil in the form of Oil shale reserves in the Green River basin, which covers portions of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, about 70% of this resource is located on federally owned or managed land, nearly as much as the rest of the world's conventional oil reserves added together.

2008 Worldwide Inflation Rate around the world: Yearly current Inflation Rates for countries around the world Argentina:The Inflation Rate In Argentina is above 20%, India:The Inflation Rate in India hits 8.5%, China:The Inflation Rate in China hits 7.7%, Australia:The inflation rate in the Australia hits 4.4%.
United States:The inflation rate in the US hits 4.2%. France:The Inflation Rate in France hits 3.3%, Germany:The Inflation Rate in Germany hits 3.1%, Japan:The Inflation Rate in Japan hits 2.0%, UK:The Inflation Rate in Great Britain hits 2.0%, Canada:The Inflation Rate in Canada 1.9%, The inflation figures are from government figures except Argentina which is independent figure. Much of the inflation around the world is attributable to increases in oil price which in turn has driven up the cost of wholesale prices which are feeding into an increase of overall inflation which is expected to increase further in the next six months.

HAPPY FLAG DAY!!!
June 14th

1929 U.S.A. Population 120 Million: The Population in the US continues to grow at a rate of 1.4 million a year with current census estimates predicting 120,000,000 next year.

1939 U.S.A. Flying Boat Transatlantic Service: A second transatlantic commercial service is planned using the latest in flying boats.

1939 U.S.A. Electricity Prices Decreasing: As the use of electricity increases the cost has come down an example below.

1921: the cost to light a 100 watt lamp for two hours was 1 1/2 cents.

1939: the cost to light a 100 watt lamp for two hours was 3/4 cent.

1940 France German Tanks Arrive In Paris: German tanks rolled into Paris and took control of the city and the German Gestapo went to work with arrests and interrogations as a gigantic swastika flew beneath the Arc de Triomphe.

1942 Holland Anne Frank Diary: Anne Frank began her diary after she receives it for her 13th birthday, the diary details her life in hiding from the Nazis in hidden rooms in her father Otto Frank's office building and has become one of the world's most widely read books. She died while held in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp of typhus in March 1945.

1943 U.S.A. Salute The Flag: In the case of West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette, the United States Supreme Court decided that schoolchildren cannot be forced to give a salute to the United States flag.

1954 U.S.A. Pledge of Allegiance: President Eisenhower signed a bill to add the words "under God" to the United States Pledge of Allegiance.

1954 U.S.A. Cold War Civil Defense Drill: As the continuing Cold War jitters hit America a large scale nationwide civil defense drill is held where the simulation of Over 12 million Americans die in a mock nuclear attack.

1961 UK Zebra Crossings: Following increasing numbers of accidents at uncontrolled zebra crossings a new type of road crossing with push button controls which will allow pedestrians to stop traffic with flashing lights is to be introduced next year.

1967 U.S.A. Mariner 5 Spacecraft: The Mariner 5 spacecraft raced a heavier Soviet probe toward Venus to penetrate with electronic fingers the planet's mysterious veil of clouds and help scientists see if Venus is a fit place to live, In the end the glory did go the Soviet Probe which did reach Venus 1 day ahead of Mariner 5.

1972 U.S.A. Pilots organise worldwide strike: Following a series of plane hijackings The International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations (IFALPA) has called a 24-hour stoppage for 19th June and accused governments of failing to take action to halt air piracy.

1973 U.S.A. Dr. Benjamin Spock: Dr. Benjamin Spock ( famous author of The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care ) and three others, including Yale University Chaplain William Sloane Coffin, Jr., are convicted of conspiring to aid, abet, and counsel draft registrants to violate the Selective Service Act.

1977 U.S.A. 65% Non Smoking Seats: Non Smokers win court battle with Eastern Airlines which required Eastern to have at least 65% non smoking seats , this was a landmark case in many ways and the forerunner to smoking being banned on all flights.

1982 Falkland Islands Argentina Surrenders: The Falkland Islands War ends when Argentina surrenders to Great Britain after a war lasting 6 weeks.

1985 Greece TWA Flight 847 Hijack: TWA Flight 847 from Athens to Rome is hijacked by Shiite Hezbollah terrorists 2 of the Lebanese terrorists, armed with grenades and a 9-mm. pistol, then forced the plane to land in Beirut, Lebanon.

1995 U.S.A. Susan B Anthony Dollar: Discussions are again centering on replacing the dollar bill with a dollar coin by treasury officials and the latest design is smaller than the original famous Susan B Anthony Dollar.

1998 Yugoslavia Kosovo: In a combined show of strength NATO Defense Forces from a number of countries are gathering close to the Serbian province of Kosovo in Albania and Macedonia. At the same time Russian President Boris Yeltsin is meeting with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic hoping to convince him to end his assault on Kosova and end the bloodshed.

1999 UK Asda / Walmart: The world's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart and the UK supermarket chain ASDA have agreed to a £6.72bn ($10.8bn) for supermarket group Asda beating out the offer from the Kingfisher group.

2001 Sweden The Gothenburg Summit: The Gothenburg Summit ends having focused on the European Union's enlargement which will bring the number of members up from 15 to 27 over the next decade.
The other major discussion area was pressing ahead with implementation of the 1997 Kyoto protocol on global warming.

2005 U.S.A. Prisoner Treatment Defended By US Vice-President Dick Cheney: Following on from critism from around the world and senators from his own Republican party, The US Vice-President Dick Cheney has defended all means used at Guantanamo Bay prison as justified to prevent further attacks on the US.

2005 United States Earthquake Hits California: A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami warning which forced the evacuation of thousands of residents of Crescent City and other surrounding coastal communities.

2007 China Chinese Slaves Rescued: Over two hundred people, twenty-nine of them children, were rescued by police after being held as slave workers brick kilns in China.

2008 Brazil Brazilian Samba Singer Dies: Famed Brazilian samba singer, Jamelao, died at the age of ninety-five. The singer's full name was Jose Bispo Clementino dos Santos and he had a five decade singing career and recorded over twenty records.

June 15th

1904 U.S.A. The General Slocum: An excursion steamer The General Slocum, carrying more than 1,300 people from St. Mark's German Lutheran Church for their 17th annual Sunday school picnic burst into flames on New York's East River with the loss of over 1000 lives.

1920 U.S.A. Lynching: A mob of 5,000 people lynched three African-American men in Duluth, Minnesota, who were jailed for the alleged rape of a 17 year old white woman.

1927 U.S.A. Ku Klux Klan: The growth of the Ku Klux Klan in the southern states and the increase in floggings of Negroes including women and children by the Klan has many in the north demanding the Klan be disbanded, in the latest incident in Gainsville Georgia a woman and her son were dragged from their bed and taken out of town where they were flogged and told to leave the area or more would follow, when admitted to the hospital 82 lash marks were found on the womans body.

1935 U.S.A. New Deal Legislation: In a rush to try and get President Roosevelt New Deal Legislation Passed both houses of Congress were called in on a Saturday .

1945 U.S.A. Judy Garland: 23-year-old Judy Garland marries director Vincente Minnelli, her second husband. The couple had one daughter, actress and singer Liza Minnelli.

1955 UK Rail Strike: The 17 day Rail Strike in the UK has ended after a settlement has been reached.

1955 U.S.A. Civil Service Workers: A 7.5% Pay rise across the board for the governments civil service workers has been approved by house civil service committee.

1965 Vietnam Rolling Thunder: U.S. planes bomb targets in North Vietnam, as part of Operation Rolling Thunder, launched in March 1965.

1966 UK World's First Hovercraft Show Opens: The world's first Hovercraft Show has opened to promote export sales of hovercraft for ferry operators, and military craft.

1971 UK Free School Milk: Opposition to Education Secretary Margaret Thatcher's ("Thatcher The Milk Snatcher") plans to end free school milk for children over the age of seven is growing with many labour controlled local councils threatening to increase local rates to provide Free School Milk.

1985 Lebanon Hijacking: Following the Hijacking of a TWA Boeing 727 Jet Airliner by members of the Islamic Holy War Fighters, after landing in Beirut Shot and Killed an American Marine and threatened to kill more unless demands were met.

1985 Soviet Union US Spy Charges: An American Envoy has been ordered to leave the Soviet Union following being arrested on Espionage Charges by the KGB in the continuing tit for tat expulsions by USSR and the United States.

1992 U.S.A. Dan Quayle: The US Vice President Dan Quayle instructed a Trenton, N.J., elementary school student to spell (US Spelling) potato as (UK Spelling) "potatoe" during a spelling bee.

1996 Great Britain Terrorist Bomb Manchester: The IRA detonates a massive bomb outside the Arndale shopping centre at lunch time injuring 200 mostly by flying glass, and seven are said to be in a serious condition.

1998 Japan Japanese Yen Crashes: Shares around the world suffer a major drop as the Japanese Yen trades at ¥146 to the US dollar following Friday's announcement that Japan is now technically in recession.

1999 Kosova Mass Murders: As Yugoslav forces pull out of Kosova as part of the ageed NATO peace plan, more evidence emerges of the mass killings committed by Serb Forces on ethnic Albanians in Kosova.

2002 U.S.A. Arthur Andersen and Enron Accounting Practices: The accounting firm Arthur Andersen is convicted of obstruction of justice for shredding documents related to its audit of Enron.

2005 China Microsoft Censors Blogs: Microsoft encountered criticism for censoring Chinese blogs. The censorship involved Microsoft's MSN service, in which Chinese bloggers were blocked from using such words as "demonstration", "democracy, "human rights", and "freedom".

2005 Aruba Natalee Holloway: Two weeks after Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway disappeared while on a spring break vacation in Aruba, police begin a detailed search and investigation into her disappearance.

2006 U.S.A. Bill Gates: Bill Gates announces he will transition from day-to-day responsibilities at Microsoft to concentrate on the charitable work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

2007 United States Former KKK Member Guilty of Murder: A former Ku Klux Klan member was found guilty of the 1964 murder of two African-American teens.

2010 Bangladesh Landslides and Flooding in Bangladesh: Landslides caused by flooding in Bangladesh killed at least fifty-three people, while many more remained missing.

June 16th

1884 U.S.A.: The first American roller coaster ( switchback railway ) in America opens at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York.

1933 U.S.A. First Parts Of New Deal Legislation Signed: The first of the New Deal Initiatives for US recovery (bank, rail, and industry bills and initiating farm aid) are signed into law by President Roosevelt.

1958 Hungary Uprising: The leader of the anti Soviet uprising in Hungary Imre Nagy against Soviet Rule is hung for treason after The Soviet Union took back control of the country in the preceding November after sending in 200,000 troops and 2,500 tanks to regain control .

1961 France Rudolf Nureyev Defects: Rudolf Nureyev , the world renowned dancer from the Soviet Union's Kirov Opera Ballet Company, defects during a stopover in Paris.

1965 Vietnam US Troop Increase: A further 21,000 U.S. troops are to be sent to Vietnam as part of the continuing commitment of the United States support, the total of US military personnel exceeded 540,000 by 1969.

1967 U.S.A. Monterey International Pop Music Festival: The Monterey International Pop Music Festival opens in Monterey, California, which will run for three days starts on June 16th and end on June 18th. Performers at the festival included some truly great pop music legends including.
Jimi Hendrix - The Who - Ravi Shankar - Janis Joplin - Otis Redding - The Steve Miller Band - The Blues Project -
The Mamas and the Papas - Simon & Garfunkel - The Byrds - The Animals - Jefferson Airplane - Grateful Dead

1976 South Africa Soweto Violence: Violence has erupted in a number of South African townships including Soweto with violent clashes between black demonstrators. The violence is triggered by a march by 10,000 students carrying banners and slogans, saying "Down with Afrikaans" and "Viva Azania" (the name given to South Africa by black nationalists).

1977 Soviet Union Brezhnev Elected: Leonid Ilich Brezhnev , first secretary of the Soviet Communist Party since 1964, is elected president of the Supreme Soviet, thereby becoming both head of party and head of state.
1978 U.S.A. Grease Opens.

1978 USA: The Movie Grease, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John opened

1992 UK Diana, Her True Story Published: A controversial book has been published about Princess Diana entitled "Diana: Her True Story".

1999 Kashmir India and Pakistan Shelling: Increased artillery shelling and mortar fire between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control, in the disputed territory of Kashmir is creating an increased number of refugees who are fleeing the area.

2003 UK Tony Blair Under Pressure: The British Prime Minister is coming under increasing pressure from his own party members and the opposition for deceiving the British public for the justifications to go war with Iraq.

2006 Italy Son of Last Italian King Arrested: The son of the last Italian king, Prince Victor Emmanuel, was arrested on charges of corruption and recruiting prostitutes for a casino.

2007 Nigeria Hostages Freed in Nigeria: Abductors freed ten Indian nationals that had been held hostage for two weeks. The release came a few days after a former militia leader was released on bail, and a week after several other hostages were set free.

2008 U.S.A. Honda FCX Clarity Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars: Honda delivers the first of 200 Honda FCX Clarity's which run on hydrogen and electricity, emitting only water vapour.

2009 Sweden GM Sells Saab to Koenigsegg: The car manufacturer General Motors agreed to a deal to sell the Swedish brand Saab to Koenigsegg, a small car manufacturer that only sells eighteen cars in a year.

JUNE 17th

1885 U.S.A. Statue of Liberty: The French gift to the United States to mark the Centennial of the American Declaration of Independence From Great Britain "The Statue of Liberty" arrives in New York City aboard the French ship Isere.

1928 Canada Amelia Earhart: Amelia Earhart sets out from Newfoundland as a passenger on the seaplane Friendship to become the first woman to fly across the Atlantic.

1930 U.S.A. Smoot Hawley Tariff Bill: Following the stock market crash in 1929, President Herbert Hoover signs the Smoot-Hawley Tariff bill which raised duties on imports to preserve the domestic market for American-made goods making it difficult if not nearly impossible for other countries to export goods into the U.S.A..

1934 Cuba ABC Society Members: Twelve people die and another fifty one are injured during an attack on a parade. 30,000 ABC society members marched through the streets of Havana and as they reached Prado boulevard the radical guerillas attacked. The guerillas carefully planned their attack and opened fire on the paraders.

1940 France Surrenders To Germany: France surrenders to Germany but many thousands flee to England to continue the fight or join the the French Underground Resistance.

1947 U.S.A. Universal Military Training: President Truman declares that universal military training is necessary in the fight against totalitarian nations.

1948 U.S.A. DC-6 Plane Crash: A United Airlines DC-6, flying from San Diego to New York, crashed in Pennsylvania as it attempted an emergency landing.

1951 Korea Casualties: James A. Van Fleet, an American Lieutenant General, reports that his Army troops inflicted 215,989 casualties on Chinese and North Korean communists since the Spring.

1953 East Germany Riots: Following riots in East Berlin which began among construction workers, who took to the streets on June 16, 1953 , to protest against the communist government of East Germany which grew to over 50,000 workers from many jobs.

1958 Canada Second Narrows Bridge Collapses: The Second Narrows Bridge being built to connect eastern and northern Vancouver in western Canada collapses, killing 59 workers.

1967 China Hydrogen Bomb: Chinese scientists successfully launched the country's first hydrogen bomb.

1972 U.S.A. Start Of Watergate: Five men are arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office, hotel, and apartment complex in Washington, D.C. , when they are arrested they have burglary tools, cameras and film, they were later identified as part of Nixon's re-election team.

1974 Australia French Atom Bomb: The Australian government reports that France detonated atom bomb over the Pacific Ocean. This explosion was one in a series of nuclear tests that France was supposed to conduct in 1974.

1974 UK Houses Of Parliament Bombed: The IRA has planted A bomb in the British Houses of Parliament, injuring 11 people.

1980 UK Cruise Missiles: Secretary of State for Defence Francis Pym has announced 160 US nuclear cruise missiles will be located at RAF Greenham Common, Berkshire, and the disused RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire.

1986 South Africa Censorship Media: The South African government censors reporters and the news media due to recent outbreaks of unrest throughout the nation.

1994 U.S.A. O.J. Simpson: O.J. Simpson wanted on questioning for the June 12 double-murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald L. Goldmans surrenders outside his Rockingham estate to Los Angeles police.

1999 Europe Coca-Cola: Following 100 Belgian schoolchildren falling ill due to drinking Coca-Cola which triggered a blood disorder that caused the destruction of red blood cells.

2002 U.S.A. Saddam Hussein: A leak from the Central Intelligence Agency / CIA tells of President George Bush's determination to succeed where his father failed and considers the removal of his adversary Saddam Hussein as a major goal of his first term of office telling the CIA to overthrow or capture Saddam Hussein. In March 2003 the United States led an invasion of Iraq codenamed "Operation Iraqi Freedom".

June 20th

1893 U.S.A. Lizzie Borden: In the case of the murder of her father Andrew Jackson Borden, and her stepmother, Abby Borden despite incriminating circumstances but with no murder weapon found and no blood evidence found. A jury in New Bedford, Mass., found Lizzie Borden innocent of the ax murders of her father and stepmother.

1923 U.S.A. Rum Smugglers: A large fleet of Seaplanes are to be mobilized in an attempt to catch rum smugglers off the Atlantic Coast, it is believed these will be more successful than current means of catching the rum runners who are equipped with very fast boats that are outrunning federal agents.

1929 U.S.A. Rum Smugglers: Exchanges of gunfire on the Detroit river between rum runners and federal agents ended with federal agents using machine guns to sink the smugglers vessel, French boats are anchored off the coast outside of US jurisdiction and the rum runners are going between shore and the ships anchored off shore carrying cases of rum.

1937 U.S.A. "Pirates of Penzance": W2XBS (later WCBS-TV) televised the first TV operetta. The work was the "Pirates of Penzance" by Gilbert and Sullivan.

1947 U.S.A. Mob Killing: Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel is murdered at the Beverly Hills, Calif., mansion of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, at the order of mob associates angered over the soaring costs of Siegel’s pet project, the Flamingo resort now costing in the region of $6,000,000 in Las Vegas, Nev. In the 1972 movie the Godfather the character of Moe Greene is heavily based on Siegel.

1956 U.S.A. Plane Crash: Venezuelan airliner plunges into Atlantic.

1963 U.S.A. Hot Line Established Between US and Soviet Union: To lessen the threat of an accidental nuclear war, the United States and the Soviet Union agree to establish a "hot line" communication system between the two nations.

1967 U.S.A. Muhammad Ali: After appearing for his scheduled induction into the U.S. Armed Forces on April 28, 1967 in Houston, he refused three times to step forward at the call of his name. On 20th June Muhammad Ali is convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted. The decision is later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

1975 U.S.A. Jaws: The summer blockbuster movie "Jaws" is released about a great white shark attacking swimmers at Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town.

1976 Lebanon Evacuation over Continued Fighting: As the fighting continues to escalate in Beirut and with westerners now facing increasing danger after the murder of the American ambassador Francis Meloy.

1977 U.S.A. Alaska Oil Pipeline: Crude oil from North Alaska begins flowing south down the trans-Alaska pipeline to the ice-free port of Valdez, Alaska.

1984 UK O'Levels and CSE's To Be Replaced By GCSE's: General Certificate of Education / GCE O-Level and CSE exams are to be abolished and replaced by a new examination for 16 year olds in Great Britain.

2002 China Mining Disaster: A gas explosion caused by a build up of gas in a Chinese coal mine kills 111 workers. China has a poor safety record in mining due to poor safety regulations.

2007 United States US Mob Beats Man to Death: A crowd in Texas beat a passenger involved in an accident to death. David Rivas Morales was a passenger in an accident in which a driver hit a young child, and when Morales left the car to check on the injured child the gathering crowd of about twenty people turned on him and attacked, leaving him for dead.

2008 Thailand Protesters Take Over Thai Capital: Thousands of protesters gathered in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, to protest the current government. The protesters demanded that the current government step down and claimed that the government was only a proxy for a former leader that was ousted in 2006 by the military.

2008 Israel Simulated Attacks Iran: 100 Israeli fighter jets carry out manoeuvres to simulate an attack on Iranian "nuclear facilities" creating increased concern over the future of oil supplies from the region and helping to keep the price of oil at an all time high.

2009 United States Work Begins on Spaceport: Construction begins in New Mexico on the first commercial spaceport. Spaceport America would take eighteen months to complete and would house Virgin Galactic's space tourism business as well as other companies involved in space tourism.