What Happened On
President Ford Trips
June 1, 1975
U.S. President Gerald Ford falls down on the steps of Air Force One after arriving in Austria. Chevy Chase's parody of this on Saturday Night Live, along with another fall while climbing up the stairs of Air Force One the following December and other klutz moments would lead the media to characterize Ford as a klutz. Ford, however, was star college football player for University of Michigan.
Passport using name of "Ricardo Klement" that Eichmann used to enter Argentina in 1950
Passport using name of "Ricardo Klement" that Eichmann used to enter Argentina in 1950
Nazi War Criminal Eichmann Hanged
June 1, 1962
Adolf Eichmann was a German war criminal who, as a member of the SS, organized the transportation of Jews to concentration camps for "the final solution." After the war Eichmann was captured by the U.S., but was using forged papers that identified him as "Otto Eckmann." He eventually escaped and in 1950 used a phony passport to travel to Argentina. He was discovered hiding in Argentina after his son, Klaus Eichmann, bragged to his girlfriend about his Nazi father. He was then captured by Israeli Mossad agents and smuggled to Israel where he was tried and hanged for his war crimes.
Lou Gehrig
June 1, 1925
Baseball legend Lou Gehrig begins his record 2,130 consecutive major-league games.
Thomas Edison's First Patent
June 1, 1869
The soon to be famous inventor Thomas Edison is granted his first patent - for an electrical vote recorder. Although his vote recorder was a failure and was never used, Edison went to on to invent many other famous devices.
Don't Give Up The Ship
June 1, 1813
U.S. Capt. James Lawrence orders "Don't give up the ship" after being mortally wounded in battle during the War of 1812. He died of his injuries on June 4th. He had engaged his frigate, the USS Chesapeake, against the Royal Navy frigate HMS Shannon. The British ship was able to disable the Chesapeake during the first few minutes of the battle. Lawrence, mortally wounded during this exchange, made his famous proclamation, "Don't give up the ship. Fight her till she sinks." However, the British boarded and took his ship.
Mary Dyer being led to the gallows in Boston
Mary Dyer being led to the gallows in Boston
Hanged for Being a Quaker
June 1, 1660
Massachusetts Bay Colony had banned Quakers from entering the jurisdiction, the second offense being punishable by death. Mary Dyer violated this law and was hanged in Boston Common. She was the third of four executed Quakers known as the Boston martyrs. Mary Dyer and her husband were originally Puritans that had traveled to Boston in the 1630s to escape religious persecution by England. However, in 1651 she returned to England where she became a Quaker. When she returned to Boston she was banished for being a Quaker, with the threat of death if she returned. After several subsequent returns and banishments, she was finally hanged in Boston Common.
Quakers are a Protestant Christian denomination that began in 1650s England.
U.S. Presidents Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon were Quakers.
End of the World - Earthquake and Blood Moon - Revelation 6:12
June 1, 1638
Revelation 6:12 "…there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood" or Acts 2:20 "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord."
The greatest earthquake recorded in New Hampshire coincides with an eclipse and blood moon. The earthquake was one of the strongest of the 17th century in the U.S. colonies. It is estimated it would have measured between 6.5 and 7.0 on the Richter scale. The tremors lasted for three weeks, ending just in time for a full eclipse of the Moon on June 25th which appeared blood red in the sky. The Puritans believed this signaled the end of the world as per the Biblical prophecies.
What causes a Blood Moon?
Cycling Bans Performance Enhancing Drugs
June 1, 1965
The use of performance-enhancing drugs is made illegal in bicycle racing.
Four-Minute Mile
June 1, 1957
Don Bowden becomes the first American to run a four-minute mile (3:58.7). Roger Bannister of Britain had done it three years earlier.
1,000-mile walk
June 1, 1809
Capt. Allardyce Barclay of Scotland begins his long journey. He had to walk one mile each and every hour for 1,000 hours. He finished on July 12.
Tennessee
June 1, 1796
Tennessee becomes the 16th state.
Kentucky
June 1, 1792
Kentucky becomes the 15th state.
Birthdays
Kip Stephen Thorne
Born June 1, 1940
American Nobel-winning physicist. Developed the theory of cosmic wormholes (1985) - based on Albert Einstein's theory of relativity - in which long-distance space travel would be possible without exceeding the speed of light. Thorne was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics (with Rainer Weiss and Barry C. Barish) "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves (2017)."
First To Fall In Vietnam
James Thomas Davis
Born June 1, 1936 d. 1961
American soldier. Davis was declared "The first American to fall in defense of our freedom in Vietnam" by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. On December 22, 1961, Davis was traveling as a military advisor with ten South Vietnamese soldiers when an enemy mine blasted the truck they were riding in. The explosion caused the vehicle to roll off the road and Viet Cong rebels began spraying the truck with machine gun fire. Davis survived the crash and managed to return fire before he was killed. All ten South Vietnamese soldiers were also killed.
Note: Even though he was declared the first "official death", other American soldiers had previously died in Vietnam.
Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean Mortenson Baker)
Born June 1, 1926 d. 1962
American actress. Film: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How To Marry a Millionaire (1953), and Some Like it Hot (1959).
Andy Griffith
Born June 1, 1926 d. 2012
American actor, Grammy-winning Southern-gospel singer. Griffith's comedy career was launched with his hit comedy recording What It Was, Was Football (1954). TV: The Andy Griffith Show (1960-68, Sheriff Andy Taylor) and Matlock (1986-95, title role).
Sylbaris with burns from the eruption
Sylbaris with burns from the eruption
The Man Who Lived Through Doomsday
Ludger Sylbaris
Born June 1, 1874 d. 1929
Afro-Caribbean doomsday survivor. Sylbaris survived the 1902 Saint-Pierre volcanic eruption that killed virtually all 30,000 of the other inhabitants of the city. He survived because he was locked in a prison solitary confinement cell. The night before the volcanic eruption, Sylbaris got into a fight and was thrown into jail overnight for assault. The single-person jail cell was a bomb-proof magazine with stone walls, partially underground, with no windows, and the only opening was a small slit in door facing away from the volcano. Early the next morning, the Mount Pelée volcano on Martinique island erupted, sending a cloud of ash and rock at speeds of up to 100 mph (161 km/h) into the city of Saint-Pierre. The cloud reached temperatures of over 1,830 °F (1,000 °C), flattening the city and burning or suffocating almost the entire population in less than a minute. Sylbaris urinated on his clothing and used them to block the vent in his door. Although Sylbaris managed to avoid breathing the deadly searing hot fumes, he still received deep burns on his hands, arms, legs, and back. He wasn't found until four days later when rescue teams heard his cries for help.
The only other survivor of the 30,000 people in the direct path of the lava flow was a girl who when the volcano began to erupt jumped in a boat and rowed to a cave where she and friends used to play pirates. She was badly burned and was found unconscious after having washed out to sea on the boat.
Sylbaris later joined Barnum & Bailey's Circus billed as "The Man Who Lived Through Doomsday". He was the first black man ever to star in Barnum and Bailey's "Greatest Show on Earth".
Father of Fingerprinting
Henry Faulds
Born June 1, 1843 d. 1930
Scottish scientist, "Father of Fingerprinting." He was the first to suggest using fingerprints for criminal investigations (1880). The use of fingerprints as an ID had been introduced in the 1860s by Sir William James Herschel in India. Faulds developed a classification system that extended that use to criminal investigations.
Lisa Hartman
Born June 1, 1956
American actress. TV: Tabatha (grown-up Tabatha from Bewitched) and Knots Landing (both Ciji Dunne and Cathy Rush).
Diana Canova
Born June 1, 1953
American actress. TV: Soap (Corrine Tate).
Berkowitz and part of letter he left near victims
Berkowitz and part of letter he left near victims
"Son of Sam" Killer
David Berkowitz (Richard David Falco)
Born June 1, 1953
American serial killer. Known as "Son of Sam." He pleaded guilty to eight separate shooting attacks in New York City from 1976-77, killing six people and wounding seven others. He initially claimed to have been obeying the orders of his neighbor Sam's demon-possessed dog Harvey, but later stated that was a hoax. He was called "Son of Sam Killer" after he left a note near the bodies of two of his victims in which he referred to himself as "Son of Sam."
In the mid-1990s, he changed his confession to claim that he had been a member of a Satanic cult that orchestrated the incidents as ritual murder.
Berkowitz was also suspected in a number of unsolved arsons.
Ron Wood
Born June 1, 1947
British rock guitarist. With The Rolling Stones (1975‑).
Barbara Ross-Lee
Born June 1, 1942
American physician. She was the first black woman to lead a U.S. medical school (dean of the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio). She is also the sister of singer Diana Ross.
René Auberjonois
Born June 1, 1940 d. 2019
American actor of French-Canadian descent. TV: Benson (1980-86, Clayton Endicott III), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1995-99, Odo), and Boston Legal (2004-08, Paul Lewiston). Film: M*A*S*H (1970, Father Mulcahy).
Cleavon Little
Born June 1, 1939 d. 1992
American Tony-Emmy-winning actor. Film: Blazing Saddles (1974, the sheriff).
Morgan Freeman
Born June 1, 1937
American actor. Film: Driving Miss Daisy (1989, the chauffeur), Glory (1989), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and Bruce Almighty (2003). TV: The Electric Company (1971-77, Easy Reader).
Quote: Some of the best advice I've been given: "Don't take criticism from people you would never go to for advice."
Pat Boone (Charles Eugene Boone)
Born June 1, 1934
American singer. Music: Love Letters in the Sand (1957) and Moody River (1961).
Frank Morgan (Francis Wuppermann)
Born June 1, 1890 d. 1949
American actor. Film: The Wizard of Oz (1939, the Wizard).
Stanley and his wife on Mount Washington
Stanley and his wife on Mount Washington
Freelan O. Stanley
Born June 1, 1849 d. 1940
American automaker. He and his twin brother formed the Stanley Steamer Co. (1897-1924), which produced steam-powered automobiles. As a publicity stunt, Stanley and his wife drove one of their automobiles to the top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire to become the first humans to make this journey by car (1899). Mount Washington is the highest mountain on the eastern seaboard of North America. The climb was approximately 7.6 miles long. When descending, the engine was put in low gear and brakes were used extensively.
Francis E. Stanley
Born June 1, 1849 d. 1918
American automaker. He and his twin brother formed the Stanley Steamer Co. (1897-1924), which produced steam-powered automobiles. He also invented a dry photographic plate, which he sold along with his photography business to the Eastman Kodak Co. He died from injuries sustained when he crashed his car into a woodpile while attempting to avoid farm wagons traveling side by side on the road.
Otto I
Born June 1, 1815 d. 1867
King of Greece (1835-62). His unpopular rule caused him to be deposed in the revolution of 1862.
Brigham Young
Born June 1, 1801 d. 1877
Mormon leader. Founder of Salt Lake City and first Gov. of Utah. He left behind 17 widows.
Deaths
Ann B. Davis
Died June 1, 2014 b. 1926
American Emmy-winning actress. TV: The Brady Bunch (1969-74, housekeeper Alice Nelson) and The Bob Cummings Show (1955-59, Charmaine "Schultzy" Schultz). She also published a cookbook, Alice's Brady Bunch Cookbook (1994), with Brady Bunch inspired recipes.
Hank Ketcham (Henry King Ketcham)
Died June 1, 2001 b. 1920
American cartoonist. Creator of the comic strip Dennis the Menace (1951). It was based on his real-life son, Dennis Ketcham, who earned the nickname "Dennis the Menace" when he was four years old.
8-year-old Helen Keller (left) with tutor Anne Sullivan
8-year-old Helen Keller (left) with tutor Anne Sullivan
Helen Keller
Died June 1, 1968 b. 1880
American author, lecturer. At 19 months old Keller contracted an unknown illness that left her both deaf and blind. At age 6, she began working with Anne Sullivan who would spell the names of objects into her hand. She went on to earn her bachelors degree and became a prolific lecturer and writer. She could "hear" people's speech by reading their lips with her hand. The play and film The Miracle Worker tells the story of Keller being tutored by Anne Sullivan.
Photo Credit: Ron Moody
Photo Credit: Ron Moody
Eduard Bloch
Died June 1, 1945 b. 1872
Austrian Jewish doctor. He was Adolf Hitler's family doctor when Hitler was a child. When Germany annexed Austria in 1938, Bloch wrote Hitler who, even though Bloch was Jewish, granted him special protection by the Gestapo, allowing him to immigrate to the United States. He died several months after Hitler committed suicide.
Lizzie, her home, father, and stepmother murdered
Lizzie, her home, father, and stepmother murdered
Lizzie Borden (Lisbeth A. Borden)
Died June 1, 1927 b. 1860
American murder suspect. She was accused of axing her father and stepmother to death in 1892. She was acquitted in 1893.
28th U.S. Vice-President
Thomas Riley Marshall
Died June 1, 1925 b. 1854
American politician. 28th U.S. Vice-President (1913-21 under Woodrow Wilson). Proclaimed "What this country really needs is a good five-cent cigar" (1915).
Lincoln demonstrates his deadly advantage to Shields
Lincoln demonstrates his deadly advantage to Shields
Challenged Abraham Lincoln to a Duel
James Shields
Died June 1, 1879 b. 1810
American general, politician. He is the only person to have served as a U.S. Senator for three states: Illinois (1849-55), Minnesota (1858-59), and Missouri (1879).
In 1842, future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln wrote a disparaging letter to the newspaper calling Shields a "fool as well as a liar" and describing him, "If I was deaf and blind I could tell him by the smell." Lincoln wrote the letter under the pseudonym of a farmer named Rebecca. Afterwards, Lincoln's future wife Mary Todd and a close friend continued writing insulting letters to the paper without Lincoln's knowledge. When Lincoln took responsibility for the letters, Shields challenged him to a duel. As the one challenged, Lincoln chose the weapons. Since Shields was an excellent marksman, Lincoln chose cavalry broadswords which due to Lincoln's height and long arms gave him a deadly advantage. They met at a popular dueling site where the two men faced each other with a plank between them that neither was allowed to cross. Lincoln swung his sword cutting a tree branch above Shields' head, demonstrating to Shields that he was at a fatal disadvantage. The two men then called a truce, later becoming good friends.
The Only Bachelor U.S. President
James Buchanan
Died June 1, 1868 b. 1791
American politician. 15th U.S. President (1857-61). The only U.S. president who never married. His niece Harriet Lane acted as his First Lady.
Buchanan's leadership during his lame duck period after Abraham Lincoln was elected and leading up to the American Civil War has been widely criticized by both the North for not stopping secession and by the South for not yielding to their demands.
Yves Saint Laurent
Died June 1, 2008 b. 1936
French fashion designer. He is credited with introducing the tuxedo suit for women.
George Lawrence Mikan Jr.
Died June 1, 2005 b. 1924
American Hall of Fame basketball player, "Mr. Basketball." He was the first professional player to score 10,000 points. His proficiency at blocking shots at the rim led the NCAA to ban goaltending. He was the first commissioner of the American Basketball Association (ABA, 1967).
Photo Credit: Hovercraft Museum
Photo Credit: Hovercraft Museum
Inventor of the Hovercraft
Sir Christopher Cockerell
Died June 1, 1999 b. 1910
English inventor. Holder of 98 patents, inventor of the hovercraft (1959). He also invented devices to harness wave power for energy production.
Richard Greene
Died June 1, 1985 b. 1918
British actor. TV: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-59, title role).
Rube Marquard (Richard William Marquard)
Died June 1, 1980 b. 1886
American baseball Hall of Fame left-handed pitcher. He pitched 19 consecutive wins for the New York Giants in 1912 - a modern day major-league record.
Arthur Charles Nielsen
Died June 1, 1980 b. 1897
American marketing researcher. He founded A.C. Nielsen Co. (1923), which conducts radio and TV audience surveys.
Mary Kornman
Died June 1, 1973 b. 1915
American actress. She appeared in 41 Our Gang films.
Passport using name of "Ricardo Klement" that Eichmann used to enter Argentina in 1950
Passport using name of "Ricardo Klement" that Eichmann used to enter Argentina in 1950
Adolf Eichmann
Died June 1, 1962 b. 1906
German war criminal. As a member of the SS, he organized the transportation of Jews to concentration camps for "the final solution." After the war Eichmann was captured by the U.S., but was using forged papers that identified him as "Otto Eckmann." He eventually escaped and in 1950 used a phony passport to travel to Argentina. He was discovered hiding in Argentina after his son, Klaus Eichmann, bragged to his girlfriend about his Nazi father. He was then captured by Israeli Mossad agents and smuggled to Israel where he was tried and hanged for his war crimes.
Sax Rohmer (Arthur Henry Ward)
Died June 1, 1959 b. 1883
English author. Creator of the master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu (1912). He based his mystery-solving magician character Bazarada on his friend Harry Houdini.
John Dewey
Died June 1, 1952 b. 1859
American philosopher, education reformer. He promoted the idea of learning by doing.
Leslie Howard (Leslie Howard Steiner)
Died June 1, 1943 b. 1893
English actor. Film: Gone with the Wind (1939, Ashley Wilkes).
He was killed in 1943 during World War II when the German Luftwaffe shot down the civilian plane he was flying in. All 17 aboard were killed. Some believe the plane was targeted because the Germans believed Winston Churchill was aboard after spies at the airport saw a portly man smoking a cigar enter the plane before departing. Others speculate the plane was targeted because Howard was active in anti-German propaganda and rumored to be involved with British or Allied Intelligence.
Hans Berger
Died June 1, 1941 b. 1873
German psychiatrist. Coined the term electroencephalograph (EEG) for the device used to record brain waves. He was the first to record human brain waves and discovered the Alpha wave.
James Gordon Bennett Sr.
Died June 1, 1872 b. 1795
Scottish-born American publisher. Founder of the New York Herald (1835).
Gregory XVI (Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari)
Died June 1, 1846 b. 1765
religious leader, 254th Pope (1831-46).