This week in history
JUNE 4
781 BC: The first historic solar eclipse is recorded in China1896: Henry Ford, test-drives his ‘Quadricycle’ — the first gasoline-powered automobile1929: American inventor, George Eastman demonstrates a Technicolor movie in New York1971: Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas scores a glorious 274 against England at Edgbaston, in only his second Test1973: A patent for the ATM is granted to Donald Wetzel, Tom Barnes and George Chastain1975: Hollywood actress, Angelina Jolie is born1993: Shane Warne of Australia dismisses England’s Mike Gatting with what is now known as ‘Ball of the Century’
JUNE 5
1783: Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier give the first successful balloon flight demonstration1968: US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is shot by an assassin and dies the next day1977: Apple II, one of the first personal computers, goes on sale1981: The Centers for Disease Control publishes the first report about the disease that would later become known as AIDS1984: Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi orders an attack on the Golden Temple, the holiest site of the Sikh religion
JUNE 6
1808: Napoleon’s brother, Joseph Bonaparte is crowned King of Spain1912: The eruption of Novarupta in Alaska begins. It is the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century1934: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is established to protect investors and maintain the integrity of the securities markets1943: Former Pakistan cricket team captain, Asif Iqbal is born1957: Former English cricket team captain, Mike Gatting is born1959: Pakistani Test cricketer, Tahir Naqqash is born1967: Former Pakistan all-rounder, Wasim Haider is born1969: Indian spinner, Sunil Joshi is born1973: Former Pakistani cricketer, Ashfaq Ahmed is born1994: Brian Lara surpasses Hanif Mohammad’s 499 for Warwickshire against Durham to score the most runs in a first-classinnings
JUNE 7
1862: The US and Britain agree to suppress slave trade1892: Benjamin Harrisonbecomes the first President of the US to attend a baseball game1917: American singer and actor, Dean Martin is born1970: Brazilian footballer, Cafu is born1975: Sony introduces the Betamax videocassette recorder for sale to the public1991: Mount Pinatubo explodes generating an ash column 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) high
JUNE 8
1945: English cricketer, Derek Underwood is born1949: George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-four is published1957: Indian actress, Dimple Kapadia is born1968: The assassin of Martin Luther King Junior — James Earl Ray — is arrested1982: Ronald Reagan becomes the first US president to address a joint session of Britain’s Parliament1992: The first World Ocean Day is celebrated, coinciding with the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil1999: Thomas Harris’s Hannibal hits bookstores
JUNE 9
1822: The first patent for false teeth is registered in the US by Charles Graham1870: English novelist, Charles Dickens dies1934: Cartoon character, Donald Duck makes his screen debut in The Wise Little Hen1959: The first submarine to carry ballistic missiles — The USS George Washington — is launched1961: Canadian actor, Michael J. Fox is born1969: The vaccine to prevent German measles is licensed in the US1981: Hollywood actress Natalie Portman is born1983: Zimbabwe shock Australia in their first One-Day International during the third World Cup1984: Dutch football player, Wesley Sneijder is born1985: Indian actress, Sonam Kapoor is born
JUNE 10
1946: Italy replaces its monarchy with a republic1965: English model and actress, Elizabeth Hurley is born1977: Apple ships its first Apple II personal computer — O. A.