12 History Lessons + 5 Births & 6 Deaths for June 16, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1487 – The Battle of Stoke Field takes place, ending the Wars of the Roses and cementing Henry VII’s hold on the English throne.
- 1779 – Spain declares war on Britain, joining the American Revolutionary War on the side of the colonies.
- 1858 – Abraham Lincoln delivers his famous “House Divided” speech in Springfield, Illinois.
- 1884 – The first roller coaster in America opens at Coney Island, New York.
- 1903 – Ford Motor Company is incorporated.
- 1933 – The U.S. National Industrial Recovery Act becomes law, part of FDR’s New Deal.
- 1944 – The Icelandic Republic is formally established; Sveinn Björnsson becomes its first president.
- 1958 – Imre Nagy, former Hungarian Prime Minister, is executed following the failed 1956 uprising against Soviet control.
- 1963 – Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space aboard Vostok 6.
- 1976 – The Soweto Uprising begins in South Africa, as thousands of Black students protest apartheid education policies.
- 2010 – Bhutan becomes the first country to institute a total ban on tobacco.
- 2015 – Donald Trump announces his candidacy for President of the United States.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1937 – Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, former Tsar and Prime Minister of Bulgaria (88)
- 1946 – Giacomo Agostini, legendary motorcycle racer (79)
- 1951 – Roberto Durán, Panamanian boxing champion (74)
- 1972 – John Cho, actor (Harold & Kumar, Star Trek) (53)
- 1980 – Phil Mickelson, American pro golfer and six-time major champion (45)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1902 – Ernst Schröder, German mathematician and logician (Age 64)
- 1958 – Imre Nagy, Hungarian politician and revolutionary (Age 62)
- 1977 – Wernher von Braun, German-American aerospace engineer and space architect (Age 65)
- 2003 – Georg Henrik von Wright, Finnish philosopher and successor to Ludwig Wittgenstein (Age 87)
- 2012 – Rodney King, whose 1991 beating by LAPD officers sparked national outrage (Age 47)
- 2014 – Tony Gwynn, Hall of Fame MLB player (Age 54)
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