Historical Events on June 6

  • 1762: At the Battle of Havana during the Seven Years’ War, British troops are able to capture the city of Havana in Cuba momentarily.
  • 1808: Joseph Bonaparte – the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte – ascends the Spanish throne.
  • 1813: John Vincent leads 700 British troops against significantly larger American forces that are under the command of John Chandler and William Winder. This battle during the War of 1812 is called the Battle of Stoney Creek and results in a British victory.
  • 1822: Alexis St. Martin is shot in the stomach on this day. This would lead to a fistula aperture into his stomach that allowed William Beaumont to study the human digestion system.
  • 1832: In Paris, the June Rebellion is put down.
  • 1844: In London, the Young Men’s Christian Association – also known as the YMCA – is founded.
  • 1859: Queensland is founded as a separate colony aside from New South Wales.
  • 1862: The Battle of Memphis begins during the American Civil War. Union troops seize Memphis, Tennessee away from Confederate forces.
  • 1918: The Battle of Belleau Wood during World War I leads to massive casualties among United States Marines as they make a push to capture Chateau-Thierry.
  • 1932: The Revenue Act of 1932 goes into effect. This creates the first ever gasoline tax in the U.S. The tax is 1-cent per U.S gallon sold.
  • 1933: In the town of Camden in New Jersey, the first drive in theater opens to the public.
  • 1934: The United States Securities and Exchange Commission is established after U.S President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Securities Act of 1934.
  • 1942: The Imperial Japanese cruise Miukuma and 4 other Japanese carriers are sunk at the Battle of Midway on this day during World War 2 by United States’ Navy dive bombers.
  • 1944: Over 150,000 Allied troop storm the beaches of Normandy in France during the Battle of Normandy. It’s the largest amphibious military operation to have ever been undertaken in history of war.

Famous Birthdays on June 6

  • American soldier and Revolutionary War patriot, Nathan Hale is born in 1755.
  • German-American physicists and Nobel Prize laureate, Karl Ferdinand Braun is born in 1850.
  • German author and Nobel Prize laureate, Thomas Mann is born in 1875.