1837 – Queen Victoria succeeded to the British throne on the 20th June 1837.

1840 – Samuel Morse received the patent for the telegraph on the 20th June 1840..

1877 – Alexander Graham Bell installed the world’s first commercial telephone service on the 20th June 1877, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

1887 – Victoria Terminus, the busiest railway station in India, openeds in Bombay on the 20th June 1887.

1909 – Errol Flynn the Australian actor was born on the 20th June 1909 (d. 1959).

1924 – Chet Atkins the American musician, songwriter, and producer was born on the 20th June 1924 (d. 2001).

1924 – Fritz Koenig the German sculptor that designed The Sphere was born on the 20th June 1924.

1931 – Olympia Dukakis the American actress was born on the 20th June 1931.

1942 – Brian Wilson the American singer-songwriter and musician from The Beach Boys was born on the 20th June 1942.

1945 – Anne Murray the Canadian singer and guitarist was born on the 20th June 1945. Anne Murray singing Snowbird in1970 (YouTube video)…  

1948 – Toast of the Town, later The Ed Sullivan Show, mades its television debut on the 20th June 1948.

1949 – Lionel Richie the American singer-songwriter and musician was born on the 20th June 1949.

1952 – John Goodman the American actor was born on the 20th June 1952.

1963 – The so-called “red telephone” was established between the Soviet Union and the United States on the 20th June 1963, following the Cuban Missile Crisis.

1967 – Nicole Kidman the Australian-American actress was born on the 20th June 1967.

1971 ~ Josh Lucas the American actor was born Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer in Little Rock, Arkansas on on the 20th June 1971. Josh Lucas is known for his roles in Glory Road, Sweet Home Alabama, A Beautiful Mind, Stealth, Poseidon, J. Edgar and Red Dog. Josh Lucas verified Twitter account: www.twitter.com/JoshLucas

1972 – Watergate scandal: An 18½-minute gap appeared in the tape recording of the conversations between U.S. President Richard Nixon and his advisers regarding the arrests of his operatives on the 20th June 1972, while breaking into the Watergate complex.

1990 – Asteroid Eureka was discovered on the 20th June 1990.

1991 – The German Bundestag voted to move the capital from Bonn back to Berlin on the 20th June 1991.

2001 ~ WORLD REFUGEE DAY was first celebrated on the 20th June 2001, On 4 December 2000. The United Nations General Assembly noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. ~ www.UnitedAgainstRacism.org

2003 – The WikiMedia Foundation was founded in St. Petersburg, Florida on the 20th June 2003.

2013 ~ Jeffrey Smart (AO) the Australian painter known for his Precisionist depictions of urban landscapes died on the 20th June 2013 aged 91 (born 26 July 1921). The Age news: Jeffrey Smart dead at 91

2013 ~ ESTiMATE the Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse owned by Queen Elizabeth II  won the Ascot Gold Cup in England. The Queen became the first reigning British monarch in history with a winning horse in Royal Ascot’s biggest race. She was the first monarch in 207 years to have a horse win at Royal Ascot.

The Queen is celebrating after her horse made an historic win at Royal Ascot (YouTube video)…

Today in History for June 20th ~ video presented by the Associated Press… 

1815 – Cornelius Krieghoff the Canadian painter was born on the 19th June 1815 (died 1872).

1846 – Antonio Abetti the Italian astronomer was born on the 19th June 1846 (died 1928).

1884 – Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes the French painter was born on the 19th June 1884 (died 1974).

1893 – Madeleine Astor the American survivor of the Sinking of the RMS Titanic was born on the 19th June 1893 (died 1940).

1902 – Guy Lombardo the Canadian-American violinist and bandleader was born on the 19th June 1902 (died 1977).

1910 – The first Father’s Day was celebrated on the 19th June 1910, in Spokane, Washington.

1928 – Tommy DeVito the American singer and guitarist from The Four Seasons was born on the 19th June 1928.

1932 – José Sanchis Grau the Spanish author and illustrator was born on the 19th June 1932 (died 2011).

1937 ~ J. M. BARRiE the Scottish author died on the 19th June 1937 (born 9th May 1860). Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan.

1947 – Salman Rushdie the Indian author was born on the 19th June 1947.

1950 – Ann Wilson the American singer-songwriter from Heart was born on the 19th June 1950.

1953 – Larry Dunn the American keyboard player from Earth, Wind & Fire was born on the 19th June 1953.

1953 – Simon Wright the English drummer from AC/DC was born on the 19th June 1953.

1959 – Mark DeBarge the American singer-songwriter from DeBarge was born on the 19th June 1959.

1962 – Paula Abdul the American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress was born on the 19th June 1962.

1970 – Brian Welch the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Korn was born on the 19th June 1970.

1964 – Boris Johnson the American-English journalist, politician and as Mayor of London was born on the 19th June 1964.

1978 – Garfield made its debut on the 19th June 1978. Garfield is the holder of the Guinness World Record for the world’s most widely syndicated comic strip. YouTube video: Garfield the Movie

1983 – Macklemore the American rapper was born on the 19th June 1983.

2007 ~ Lockie Leonard the Australian television series adapted from the Lockie Leonard books by Tim Winton, first screened on the 19th June 2007, on the Nine Network, and premiered in the UK on the 27th September 2008. The children’s series was filmed in Albany, Western Australia. The 2nd series was filmed in 2009 and screened in 2010 in Australia, the UK and Ireland. The theme song is Worlds Away” by Jebediah. YouTube video: Lockie Leonard – The Best Parts – Part 1…

2013 – James Gandolfini the American actor died on the 19th June 2013 aged 51 (born 1961). James Gandolfini is best known for his role as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos, a drama series about a troubled crime boss character struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia.

Today in History for June 19th ~ video presented by the Associated Press… 

1464 – Rogier van der Weyden the Flemish painter died on the 18th June 1464 (born 1400)

1858 ~ Charles Darwin received a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that included nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Darwin’s own on the 18th day of June in 1858, prompting Darwin to publish his theory.

1928 ~ Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean on the 18th day of June in 1928.

1936 – Barack Obama, Sr. the Kenyan economist and father of U.S. President Barack Obama was born on the 18th June 1936 (d. 1982).

1940 ~ The “Finest Hour” speech was delivered by Winston Churchill to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on the 18th day of June in 1940.

1942 – Paul McCartney the English singer-songwriter and musician from The Beatles was born on the 18th June 1942.

1961 – Alison Moyet the English singer-songwriter from Yazoo was born on the 18th June 1961.

1983 ~ Astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space on the 18th day of June in 1983.

2012 ~ KARiSE EDEN the Australian soul singer became the 1st winner of the first season of THE VOiCE in Australia, on the 18th day of June in 2012. See Karise Eden’s first amazing appearance on The Voice on the 15th of April in 2012, singing the classic song “It’s A Man’s Man’s World”…

See Karise Eden performing her last song on the grand finale night, prior to the announcement of The Voice’s first Australian winner, on the 18th of June in 2012… 

See the Sunrise story about Karise Eden on the morning after The Voice grand final…

Visit Karise Eden’s website: www.KariseEden.com and like Karise Eden Facebook  

Today in History for June 18th ~ video presented by the Associated Press… 

1596 – The Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz discovered the Arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen on the 17th June 1596.

1631 – Mumtaz Mahal died during childbirth on the 17th June 1631. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spent the next 17 years building her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal.

1867 – John Robert Gregg the American inventor was born on the 17th day of June in 1867 (d. 1948).

1867 – Henry Lawson the Australian poet was born on the 17th day of June in 1867 (d. 1922).

1885 – The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor on the 17th June 1885.

1898 ~ M. C. Escher the Dutch artist was born Maurits Cornelis Escher in  Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands on the 17th June in 1898 (died 27th March 1972 aged 73).

1907 ~ Charles Eames, Jr  the American designer who made major contributions to modern architecture and modern furniture was born in St. Louis, Missouri on the 17th June 1907 (died 21st August 1978 aged 71).  Charles Eames and his wife Ray-Bernice Eames (1912~1988) also worked together in the fields of industrial and graphic design, fine art and film. www.EamesDesigns.com | www.EamesFoundation.org

1943 – Barry Manilow the American singer was born on the 17th day of June in 1943.

1944 – Iceland declared independence from Denmark and became a republic on the 17th June 1944.

1947 – Paul Young the English singer and percussionist from Mike + The Mechanics was born on the 17th day of June in 1947 (d. 2000).

1967 – Eric Stefani the original from No Doubt, and now cartoon animator was born on the 17th day of June in 1967.

1980 – Venus Williams the American tennis player was born on the 17th day of June in 1980.

1988 – Stephanie Rice the Australian swimmer was born on the 17th day of June in 1988.

1994 –  O.J. Simpson was arrested for the murders of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, after a televised highway chase on the 17th day of June in 1994.

2013 ~ HARRiSON CRAiG won The Voice in Australia on the 17th June 2013.

Today in History for June 17th ~ video presented by the Associated Press… 

1779 – Spain declared war on the Kingdom of Great Britain on the 16th June 1779, and the Great Siege of Gibraltar began.

1792 – Thomas Mitchell the Australian explorer was born on the 16th June 1792 (d. 1855).

1816 – Lord Byron read Fantasmagoriana to his 4 house guests Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, Claire Clairmont, and John Polidoriat the Villa Diodati on the 16th June 1816, which inspired his challenge that each guest write a ghost story, which culminated in Mary Shelley writing the novel Frankenstein, John Polidori writing the short story The Vampyre, and Byron writing the poem Darkness.

1829 – Geronimo the Native American leader was born on the 16th June 1829 (d. 1909).

1858 – Abraham Lincoln delivered his House Divided speech in Springfield, Illinois on the 16th June 1858.

1883 – The Victoria Hall theatre panic in Sunderland, England killed 183 children on the 16th June 1883.

1890 – Stan Laurel the English actor and comedian was born on the 16th June 1890 (d. 1965).

1903 – The Ford Motor Company was incorporated on the 16th June 1903.

1911 – IBM was founded as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company in Endicott, New York on the 16th June 1911

1911 – A 772 gram stony meteorite hit the earth near Kilbourn, Wisconsin damaging a barn on the 16th June 1911.

1952 – Gino Vannelli the Canadian singer-songwriterwas was born on the 16th June 1952.

1963 – Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the 1st woman in space on the 16th June 1963, during Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 Mission.

1967 – The Monterey Pop Festival began on the 16th June 1967.

1971 – Tupac Shakur the American rapper was born on the 16th June 1971 (d. 1996).

1975 ~ Peter Helliar the Australian comedian, actor, writer, producer, director, radio & television presenter was born in Melbourne on the 16th June 1975. Peter Helliar is known for his work on television as Rove McManus‘ sidekick on The Loft Live and Rove Live, and as Bryan Strauchan aka Strauchanie on Before the Game ~ www.strauchanie.com.au | Peter Helliar’s Twitter verified: www.Twitter.com/PJHelliar | Peter Helliar’s official Facebook: www.Facebook.com/PeterHelliar 

1977 – Oracle Corporation was incorporated in Redwood Shores, California, as Software Development Laboratories (SDL) on the 16th June 1977, by Larry Ellison, Bob Miner and Ed Oates. .

1990 ~ John Newman the British singer and musician was born on the 16th June 1990. John Newman is best known for the song Love Me Again which peaked at No.1 on the UK Singles Chart in July 2013, as well as being a featured artist on Rudimental‘s 2012 singles Feel the Love and Not Giving In.

2010 – Bhutan became the first country to institute a total ban on tobacco on the 16th June 2010.

2012 – China successfully launched its Shenzhou 9 spacecraft on the 16th June 2012, carrying 3 astronauts, including the 1st female Chinese astronaut, Liu Yang, to the Tiangong-1 orbital module.

2012 – The United States Air Force‘s robotic Boeing X-37B spaceplane returned to Earth on the 16th June 2012, after a classified 469-day orbital mission.

Today in History for June 16th ~ video presented by the Associated Press… 

1300 – The city of Bilbao was founded on the 15th June 1300.

1502 – Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Martinique on the 15th June 1502, on his 4th voyage.

1667 – The first human blood transfusion was administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys on the 15th June 1667

1843 – Edvard Grieg the Norwegian pianist and composer was born on the 15th June 1843 (died 1907).

1937 – Waylon Jennings the American singer-songwriter from The Highwaymen was born on the 15th June 1937 (d. 2002).

1941 ~ Harry Nilsson the American singer-songwriter and musician was born on the 15th June 1941 (died 1994 aged 52). Nilsson achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s, with his hit singles Everybody’s Talkin’ (1969), Without You (1971) and Coconut (1972). Nilsson’s career is notable because he was one of the few major pop-rock recording artists of his era to achieve significant commercial success without ever performing major public concerts or regular tours. He was awarded Grammys for 2 of his recordings; best male contemporary vocal in 1969 for Everybody’s Talkin’ in the Academy Award-winning movie Midnight Cowboy, and best male pop vocal in 1972 for Without You.

1945 ~ Mike Rudd the New Zealand-born leader of Australian progressive rock bands Spectrum and Ariel was born on the 15th June 1945.

1946 – Noddy Holder the English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Slade was born on the 15th June 1946.

1946 – Demis Roussos the Greek singer was born on the 15th June 1946.

1949 – Russell Hitchcock the Australian singer from Air Supply was born on the 15th June 1949.

1951 – Steve Walsh the American singer-songwriter and keyboardist from Kansas was born on the 15th June 1951.

1958 ~ Neil Arthur the singer from Blancmange was born on the 15th June 1958.

1963 – Helen Hunt the American actress was born on the 15th June 1963.

1964 – Courteney Cox the American actress, director, and producer was born on the 15th June 1964.

1969 – Ice Cube the American rapper, producer, director, and actor was born on the 15th June 1969.

1976 – Gary Lightbody the Irish singer-songwriter and musician from Snow Patrol was born on the 15th June 1976.

1984 – Luke Hodge the Australian footballer was born on the 15th June 1984.

2012 ~ Nik Wallenda became the 1st person in the World to walk a tightrope stretched over Niagara Falls on the 15th June 2012.

Today in History for June 15th ~ video presented by the Associated Press… 

1886 ~ King Ludwig II of Bavaria was found dead in Lake Starnberg south of Munich at 11:30 pm on the 13th day of June in 1886.

1927 – Slim Dusty the Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer was born on the 13th June 1927 (died 2003).

1934 ~ Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met in Venice, Italy on the 13th day of June in 1934; Mussolini later described the German dictator as “a silly little monkey”.

1935 – Christo the Bulgarian-French sculptor and painter was born on the 13th June 1935.

1953 – Tim Allen the American actor and producer was born on the 13th June 1953.

1969 – Søren Rasted the Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist from Aqua was born on the 13th June 1969.

1970 ~ “The Long and Winding Road” became the Beatles’ 20th and last number one song in the United States.

1981 ~ Chris Evans the American actor was born on the 13th June 1981.

1983 ~ Pioneer 10 became the 1st man made object to leave the central Solar System when it passed beyond the orbit of Neptune on the 13th day of June in 1983.

1986 ~ Mary-Kate Olsen the American actress, fashion designer, producer, author, and businesswoman was born was born 2 minutes before her twin sister Ashley on the 13th June 1986. Mary-Kate co-founded The Row, a luxury fashion brand, and also Olsenboye, the more affordable line, with her fraternal twin sister Ashley Olsen. Mary-Kate pursued acting independently until 2012.

1986 ~ Ashley Olsen the American actress, fashion designer, producer, author, and businesswoman was born 2 minutes after her twin sister Mary-Kate on the 13th June 1986. Ashley co-founded The Row, a luxury fashion brand, and also Olsenboye, the more affordable line, with her fraternal twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen. Ashley started her own fashion company called Elizabeth and James. Ashley is two minutes older than Mary-Kate

1997 ~ A jury sentenced Timothy McVeigh to death for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing on the 13th day of June in 1997.

Today in History for June 13th ~ video presented by the Associated Press… 

1939 – Shooting began on Paramount Pictures‘ Dr. Cyclops on the 12th June 1939, becoming the first horror film photographed in three-strip Technicolor.

1929 – Anne Frank the German-Dutch author and Holocaust victim was born on the 12th June 1929 (d. 1945).

1930 – Jim Nabors the American actor was born on the 12th June 1930.

1942 – Anne Frank received a diary for her 13th birthday on the 12th June 1942.

1952 ~ Walter Russell Mead the Professor at Bard College and blogger at Editor-at-Large of The American Interest magazine was born on the 12th June 1952. Walter Russell Mead Bio at Bard | Walter Russell Mead’s Blog | Twitter: www.twitter.com/WRMead

1953 – Rocky Burnette the American singer-songwriter and guitarist was born on the 12th June 1953.

1964 – Anti-apartheid activist and ANC leader Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison on the 12th June 1964, for sabotage in South Africa.

1967 – Venera program: Venera 4 was launched on the 12th June 1967 (it became the first space probe to enter another planet‘s atmosphere and successfully return data).

1979 – Bryan Allen won the 2nd Kremer prize for a man powered flight across the English Channel in the Gossamer Albatross.

1994 – The Boeing 777, the world’s largest twinjet, made its 1st flight on the 12th June 1994.

1997 – Queen Elizabeth II reopens the Globe Theatre in London on the 12th June 1997.

Today in History for June 12th ~ video presented by the Associated Press…