1953: Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
On this day,
Elizabeth II is crowned queen of England in a ceremony that dates back over a
millennium. Princess Elizabeth was 25 when she inherited the British throne upon the death of her father, King
George IV. After mourning him for a year, a lavish
coronation celebration was held for her at
Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953. A thousand dignitaries and guests attended the ceremony; millions listened on radio and, for the first time, watched the proceedings on live television. A very popular queen, Elizabeth has travelled more extensively than any other reigning British monarch and has four children with her husband, Philip Mountbatten.
1997
Timothy McVeigh is found guilty of setting off a bomb outside a federal building in Oklahoma City, USA in 1995, which killed 168 people when it exploded.1994
25 senior British intelligence officers involved in counter terrorism in
Northern Ireland are killed when their
Chinook helicopter crashes on the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland.
1985
European football's governing body UEFA announces an indefinite ban on English football clubs from taking part in any European competitions following the
riot by Liverpool FC fans in Brussels’ Heysel stadium on 31st May, in which 39 people died.
1979
Polish-born Pope
John Paul II arrives in
Poland - the first visit by a Pope to a Communist country.
1976
In England, British jockey Lester Piggott wins his 7th Epsom Derby.1966
U.S. spacecraft, Surveyor I, makes a successful soft landing on the
Moon and begins sending detailed pictures back to Earth.
1965
The Vietnam War: First Australian combat troops arrive in
Vietnam. 1946
Italy abolishes its monarchy and proclaims itself a republic.1924
President
Calvin Coolidge signs the Indian Citizen Act, granting automatic American
citizenship to Native Americans born in the United States.
1921
In America, flash floods hit Colorado killing 100 people.1912
Carl Laemmle merges his movie studio, the Independent Motion Picture Company, with several others, creating Hollywood's first major studio, Universal.1865
In an event that is generally regarded as marking the end of the
American Civil War, Confederate General
Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi, signs the surrender terms offered by Union negotiators.
575 AD
Benedict I becomes Pope. 1944
American composer Marvin Hamlisch, born in New York.1941
American
actor Stacy Keach.
1941
Rolling Stones' drummer Charlie Watts.1924
Constantine, King of
Greece. Becomes King in 1964 - leaves Greece in 1967 following a military coup. The military regime officially abolishes the monarchy in 1973.
1904
Hollywood actor and Olympic swimming gold medalist Johnny Weissmuller. Famous for his portrayal of
Tarzan in early films of 20th Century. Dies in 1984.
1857
English composer Sir Edward Elgar born in Worcestershire.1840
British writer
Thomas Hardy - author of Tess of the D'Urbilles and Jude the Obscure - born in
Dorset, the son of a stonemason.
1740
French writer Marquis de Sade. Becomes famous for his enthusiasm for sexual perversion subsequently labelled 'Sadism'.1997
US tennis player
Helen Jacobs dies aged 88. Won four successive US titles between 1932-1935 and won Wimbledon in 1936.
1990
British
actor Sir
Rex Harrison - Professor Higgins in the musical My Fair Lady - dies of cancer aged 82.
1987
Spanish classical guitarist Andres Segovia.1977
Actor Stephen Boyd aged 48. Films included Ben Hur and Fantastic Voyage.1961
American playwright George Kaufman, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes
