✦ DateLore

On This Day · The 157th day of the year

June 6

A look at June 6 through the almanac — historic events, famous birthdays including Diego Velázquez and Pierre Corneille, and the day's notable deaths and observances.

♊ZodiacGemini ◈BirthstonePearl ❀Birth flowerRose
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Events

10 notable moments
  1. 2017

    Syrian civil war

    Syrian civil war: The Battle of Raqqa begins with an offensive by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to capture the city from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

    2011–2024 armed conflict in
  2. 1971

    Hughes Airwest Flight 706

    Hughes Airwest Flight 706 collides with a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II of the United States Marine Corps over the San Gabriel Mountains, killing 50.

    1971 mid-air collision over
  3. 1942

    World War II

    World War II: The United States Navy's victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy at the Battle of Midway is a major turning point in the Pacific Theater. All four Japanese fleet carriers taking part—Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū and Hiryū—are sunk, as is the heavy cruiser Mikuma. The American carrier Yorktown and the destroyer Hammann are also sunk.

    1939–1945 global conflict
  4. 1912

    Novarupta

    The eruption of Novarupta in Alaska begins. It is the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.

    Volcano in Katmai National
  5. 1882

    Shewa

    The Shewan forces of Menelik II of Ethiopia defeat the Gojjame army in the Battle of Embabo. The Shewans capture Negus Tekle Haymanot of Gojjam, and their victory leads to a Shewan hegemony over the territories south of the Abay River.

    Historical region of Ethiopia
  6. 1862

    American Civil War

    American Civil War: The First Battle of Memphis, a naval engagement fought on the Mississippi River, results in the capture of Memphis, Tennessee by Union forces from the Confederates.

    1861–1865 conflict in the
  7. 1822

    Alexis St. Martin

    Alexis St Martin is accidentally shot in the stomach, leading to William Beaumont's studies on digestion.

    Canadian subject of digestion
  8. 1813

    War of 1812

    War of 1812: In the Battle of Stoney Creek, considered a critical turning point in the war, a British force of 700 under John Vincent defeats an American force twice its size under William Winder and John Chandler.

    1812–1815 conflict in North
  9. 1674

    Shivaji

    Shivaji is crowned as the first Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire at Raigad Fort.

    Chhatrapati of the Marathas
  10. 1513

    War of the League of Cambrai

    War of the League of Cambrai: In the Battle of Novara, Swiss troops defeat the French under Louis II de la Trémoille, forcing them to abandon Milan; Duke Massimiliano Sforza is restored.

    Fourth & Fifth phase
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Famous birthday twins

Born on June 6

Diego Velázquez

b. 1599

(date of baptism), Spanish painter and educator

Pierre Corneille

b. 1606

French playwright and producer

Italo Balbo

b. 1896

Italian air marshal and fascist politician who played a key role in developing Mussolini's air force

Albert II of Belgium

b. 1934

King of the Belgians from 9 August 1993 to 21 July 2013 (abdicated)

Alexander Pushkin

b. 1799

Russian author and poet

Thomas Mann

b. 1875

German author and critic, Nobel Prize laureate

Pape Souaré

b. 1990

Senegalese footballer

Tommie Smith

b. 1944

American sprinter and football player; winner of 1968 Olympic 200m gold medal in a world record time

Deaths

  • 1991Stan Getz, American saxophonist and jazz innovator
  • 1968Robert F. Kennedy, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 64th United States Attorney General
  • 1961Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist
  • 1948Lumière brothers, French film director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1946Gerhart Hauptmann, German novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1251William II, Count of Flanders, Count of Flanders

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Bessarion of Egypt
  • —Christian feast day: Claudius of Besançon
  • —Christian feast day: Iarlaithe mac Loga
  • —Christian feast day: Ini Kopuria (Anglican Church of Melanesia, Church of England, Episcopal Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Innocent Guz
  • —Christian feast day: Marcellin Champagnat
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Maria Laura Mainetti
  • —Christian feast day: Norbert

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