Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. (1953) More than 3 million people filled the streets in London to catch a passing glance.
Europe launched a maiden voyage to another planet — Mars. (2003) The Mars Express Orbiter along with the Beagle 2 lander will explore Mars until December 31, 2012.
The Rolling Stones launched their first U.S. concert tour.
(1964) The tour started in Lynn, Massachusetts. In 1989, the band was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the U.S., and in 2008 it became the second most successful band in the Billboard Hot 100.
The Bhutan Broadcasting Service brought television transmissions to the Kingdom for the first time. (1999) For many years, Bhutan was the only place in the world to ban TV, and it was one of the last countries in the world to not have broadcast television. The nation’s first radio transmission didn’t even occur until 1973.
Bridget Bishop was the first to go to trial in the Salem witch trials. (1692) Between 1692 and 1693, accused “witches” were tried in courts in various areas around colonial Massachusetts. Bishop was found guilty and was hanged on June 10th that year.
Martha Washington, the first American first lady was born. (1731) Known as “Lady Washington,” she was married to the first U.S. President George Washington. Martha also was the first woman to be commemorated on a U.S. postage stamp in 1902 and was the first woman to appear on U.S. currency, the $1 Silver Certificate.
A U.S. tornado outbreak in Lower Ohio Valley spawned 66 tornadoes. (1990) 12 people were killed as tornadoes devastated the Midwest states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.
Pope John Paul II visited Poland making him the first Pope to visit a communist country. (1979) Born as Karol Józef Wojtyła in Poland, Pope John Paul served as Pope from October 16, 1978 until his death on April 2, 2005.
Timothy McVeigh was found guilty of the Oklahoma City bombing. (1997) The 1995 bombing killed 168 people. McVeigh was convicted of 15 counts of murder and conspiracy. He was executed on June 11, 2001.
Steven Spielberg’s movie Schindler’s List was banned in Indonesia. (1994) The film ultimately won seven Academy Awards in the U.S., but was banned by censors in several countries, mostly for its political content.