Discover what happened on June 7 in history, along with notable events that shaped military history, sports, technology, entertainment, and life in Michigan.
What Happened on June 7 in History?
Important events on this day include the end of the Battle of Midway during World War II, the launch of the future Edmund Fitzgerald, the opening of Graceland to the public, the debut of Johnny Cash’s television show, and the Detroit Red Wings winning their first Stanley Cup in 42 years.
JUNE 7 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1712 – The Pennsylvania Assembly banned the importation of slaves.
1775 – The United Colonies changed their name to the United States.
1776 – Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, proposed to the Continental Congress a resolution calling for a Declaration of Independence.
1892 – J.F. Palmer patented the cord bicycle tire.
1892 – Benjamin Harrison became the first U.S. President to attend a baseball game.
1892 – John Joseph Doyle became the first pinch-hitter in baseball when he was used in a game.
1929 – The sovereign state of Vatican City came into existence as copies of the Lateran Treaty were exchanged in Rome.
1932 – Over 7,000 war veterans marched on Washington, DC, demanding their bonuses.
1942 – The Battle of Midway ended. The sea and air battle lasted 4 days. Japan lost four carriers, a cruiser, and 292 aircraft, and suffered 2,500 casualties. The U.S. lost the Yorktown, the destroyer USS Hammann, 145 aircraft, and suffered 307 casualties.
1944 – Off of the coast of Normandy, France, the Susan B. Anthony sank. All 2,689 people aboard survived.
1953 – The television puppet show “Kukla, Fran and Ollie” was broadcast from Boston, MA, in history’s first “compatible color” television show.
1955 – The TV game show, “The $64,000 Question”, premiered.
1958 – The freighter, Hull 301, was launched. The ship later became known as the Edmund Fitzgerald.
1966 – Sony Corporation unveiled its brand new consumer home videotape recorder, the CV-2000. The black and white only unit sold for $995.
1965 – The Supreme Court of the U.S. handed down its decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, effectively legalizing the use of contraception by married couples.
1965 – In the U.S., the Gemini 4 mission was completed. The mission featured the first spacewalk by an American.
1968 – Legoland Billund opened in Billund, Denmark. It was the original Legoland park.
1969 – Johnny Cash debuted his own network show on CBS-TV. It ran for two years.
1975 – Sony introduced the Betamax, the first consumer videocassette recorder. The bulky machine sold for $995.
1976 – TV’s “The NBC Nightly News”, with John Chancellor and David Brinkley, aired for the first time.
1982 – In Memphis, TN, Priscilla Presley opened Graceland to the public. The bathroom where Elvis Presley died five years earlier was kept off-limits. The mansion soon became the top tourist attraction in Memphis.
1985 – The film “The Goonies” opened in theaters.
1990 – Universals Studios Florida opened in Orlando, FL.
1993 – The ground breaking ceremony was held for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, OH.
1993 – On his 35th birthday, Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, and asked to be referred to as “The Artist Formerly Known As Prince”. In May 2000, he went back to being known as Prince.
1994 – The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia declared the RMS Titanic, Inc. (RMST) salvor-in-possession of the wreck and the wreck site of the RMS Titanic.
1995 – Michael Jackson set a Billboard chart record as “Scream” entered The Hot 100 at #5, the highest debut ever on the chart.
1997 – The Detroit Red Wings completed a sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers with a 2-1 win in Game 4 of the Final at Joe Louis Arena. It was the first championship victory for the Red Wings since 1955.
1998 – In a hate crime that shocked the nation, James Byrd Junior was chained to a pickup truck and dragged to his death in Jasper, TX. Two white men are later sentenced to death for the crime. A third received life in prison.
2000 – U.S. Federal Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ordered the breakup of Microsoft Corporation.
2002 – A Connecticut jury found Michael Skakel, 41, a Kennedy cousin, guilty of the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley.
2018 – The journal Science announced that the Mars Curiosity Rover found organic matter, including methane, on the planet Mars.
2021 – In Siberia, a microscopic multi-cleed organism was brought back to life after being frozen for 24,000 years.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON JUNE 7:
James Ivory – 98 years old (1928) – Director, producer, and screenwriter
Liam Neeson – 74 years old (1952) – Irish-American actor
Orhan Pamuk – 74 years old (1952) – Turkish-American novelist, screenwriter, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
Louise Erdrich – 72 years old (1954) – Novelist and poet
Mick Foley – 61 years old (1965) – Wrestler
Dave Navarro – 59 years old (1967) – Musician and television personality
Allen Iverson – 51 years old (1975) – Basketball player
Bill Hader – 48 years old (1978) – Actor, comedian, and screenwriter
Emily Ratajkowski – 35 years old (1991) – Model and actress
Fetty Wap – 35 years old (1991) – Rapper, singer, and songwriter
Jordan Clarkson – 34 years old (1992) – Filipino-American basketball player
Swae Lee – 33 years old (1993) – Rapper
Christian McCaffrey – 30 years old (1996) – Football player
David Montgomery – 29 years old (1997) – Football player
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR JUNE 7:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
