This Month in History: June

circus marquee with clown and other acts

June 2, 1835 - P.T. Barnum's Circus Begins First U.S. Tour

Phineas T. Barnum was a showman and huckster who wanted to entertain people and make a lot of money. His circus was called, The Greatest Show on Earth. In 1841, he opened Barnum's American Museum in New York City, which displayed animals, curiosities, performers, and hoaxes. His celebrity grew international, meeting Queen Victoria and a Russian czar, as he entertained millions. He was even invited to the White House to meet President Lincoln. Barnum's circus merged with Bailey's in 1887 to become the largest circus in the world. In 1907, the Ringling Brothers bought the circus and 110 years later went out of business. Animal rights activists, lawsuits, and dwindling profits led to its demise. Ringling announced it would re-launch the circus without animals in September 2023. 

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Watergate Hotel and Office Complex

June 17, 1972 - Burglary at the Watergate Democratic Headquarters Office

Five men broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate hotel and office complex in Washington, D.C. A security guard discovered the team and when arrested, they were carrying $3500, and high-end surveillance and electronic equipment. The FBI launched an investigation and two Washington Post journalists, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, reported connections between Nixon’s reelection campaign and the break-in. The White House denied the allegations and President Richard Nixon won reelection in a landslide in November 1972. A senate committee was formed and White House staff testified that Nixon approved the cover-up of the break-in and maintained a voice-activated tape recorder system in the White House. The committee wanted the tapes but Nixon refused to comply, citing executive privilege and separation of powers. The committee sued the president, the Supreme Court ruled that the president must surrender the tapes, and Nixon complied. The recordings revealed that he had participated in devising a plan to cover up the White House connection to the Watergate burglary. Based on this evidence, the House Judiciary Committee adopted three articles of impeachment. Before the full House could vote, Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974.

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first class of female astronauts in 1979

June 18, 1983 - Sally Ride First American Woman in Space

Dr. Ride was born in Los Angeles on May 26, 1951. After attending two other colleges and trying to become a tennis pro, she started her junior year at Stanford University. Ride saw an ad in the school newspaper inviting women to apply to the space program. Out of 8,000 applicants, she was chosen for the 1978 class of 35, six of which were women. Ride earned a doctorate in physics and her pilot's license while training for five years at NASA. Ride became the first American woman in space when she blasted off from Cape Canaveral in 1983. She went on a six-day mission aboard the space shuttle Challenger, which was later destroyed just after takeoff in 1986. Ride left NASA in 1987 and became a University of California professor and director of their space institute. In 2001, she started her own company, Sally Ride Science, which motivated girls and young women to pursue careers in math, science, and technology (image of female astronauts from Picryl).

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American soldiers and Red Cross workers in France WWI

June 28, 1914 - Archduke Ferdinand Assassinated 

June 28, 1919 - Treaty of Versailles

World War I began after the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire was assassinated along with his wife in Sarajevo by Serbian-nationalist, Gavrilo Princip. The Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) fought against the Allied Powers (Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan, Canada, and the United States). Trench warfare, mustard gas, and advances in military technology led to the death of 16 million people. The United States didn't join the war until April 1917 after Germany continually attacked non-military ships carrying Americans. Germany signed an armistice so that fighting ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, in 1918. The Treaty of Versailles was the peace treaty between Germany and the Allies. The treaty held Germany responsible for the war and required them to relinquish land, make reparations, and demilitarize. The treaty humiliated Germany while ignoring the issues that led to the war. Economic distress and resentment turned into a sense of ultra-nationalism that led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, bringing war two decades later (image of WWI soldiers from Picryl).

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Factual information from: History and Headlines, United States Senate, NASA, and The National WWI Museum and Memorial

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By BethN on June 9, 2024