From pivotal battles and groundbreaking scientific achievements to landmark cultural moments, this week has witnessed events that shaped the course of history. Join us as we explore the triumphs, tragedies, and turning points of this remarkable week.
June 17:
- The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isère in 1885.
- Amelia Earhart became the first woman to pilot an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928.
- O.J. Simpson was charged with murder in 1994 after the televised low-speed chase.
June 18:
- The War of 1812 began as the U.S. declared war on Great Britain.
- Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
- Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983.
June 19:
- Juneteenth marks the arrival of Union troops in Galveston in 1865, freeing the last enslaved people in the U.S.
- The U.S. Senate passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964.
- Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 and is widely celebrated across the country.
June 20:
- The Great Seal of the United States was officially adopted by Congress in 1782.
- United States and Soviet Union agree to establish a nuclear “hot line” in 1963.
- The movie Jaws premiered in 1975, creating the summer blockbuster phenomenon.
June 21:
- U.S. Constitution ratified in 1788.
- “Mr. Tambourine Man” is released in 1965, and the folk-rock revolution is on.
- First privately owned spacecraft, SS1, travels beyond the earth’s atmosphere in 2004.
June 22:
- Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union in 1941.
- The GI Bill was signed into law in the United States in 1944.
- Checkpoint Charlie, the famous crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold War, was dismantled in 1990.
June 23:
- American inventor Christopher Latham Sholes and two others were granted a patent for a typewriter in 1868.
- The Antarctic Treaty was enacted in 1961, reserving the entire continent for free and nonpolitical scientific investigation.
- Aerialist Nik Wallenda crosses Grand Canyon Little Colorado River Gorge on high wire in 2013.
