On This Day: 1 June

1 June in world history

• 2008A fire on the back lot of Universal Studios Hollywood destroyed the King Kong Encounter and a large archive of music and film master recordings.
• 2007Cyclone Gonu develops from an area of convection in the Arabian Sea, later becoming the worst recorded natural disaster in Oman.
• 2001A Hamas-affiliated Islamist militant blew himself up outside a nightclub in Tel Aviv, Israel, killing 21 people, most of whom were teenage girls.
• 1994Republic of South Africa becomes a republic in the Commonwealth of Nations.
• 1990Cold War: George H. W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to end chemical weapon production.
• 1988Group representation constituencies were introduced to the parliament of Singapore.
• 1979The first black-led government of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 90 years takes power.
• 1962Adolf Eichmann, former SS officer in Nazi Germany, is hanged in Israel for having committed crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other offenses.
• 1950The Chinchaga fire ignites. By September, it would become the largest single fire on record in North America.
• 1943BOAC Flight 777 is shot down over the Bay of Biscay by German Junkers Ju 88s, killing British actor Leslie Howard and leading to speculation that it was actually an attempt to kill British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
• 1942World War II: The crews of three Japanese submarines scuttled their vessels and committed suicide after entering Sydney Harbour and launching a failed attack.
• 1918World War I: Western Front: Battle of Belleau Wood: Allied Forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord engage Imperial German Forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince.
• 1854Åland War: The British navy destroys merchant ships and about 16,000 tar barrels of the wholesale stocks area in Oulu, Grand Duchy of Finland.
• 1813War of 1812: Mortally wounded, U.S. Navy captain James Lawrence ordered his crew "Don't give up the ship!" as USS Chesapeake was captured by HMS Shannon off the coast of Boston.
• 1794French Revolutionary Wars: A British fleet captured six French ships of the line in a naval battle off Ushant that came to be known as the Glorious First of June.
• 1779The court-martial for malfeasance of Benedict Arnold, a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, begins.
• 1676Scanian War: The Swedish warship Kronan, one of the largest ships in the world at the time, sank at the Battle of Öland (depicted) with the loss of around 800 men.
• 1670In Dover, England, Charles II of England and Louis XIV of France sign the Secret Treaty of Dover, which will force England into the Third Anglo-Dutch War.

Born on 1 June

• 1985Dinesh Karthik, Indian cricketerIndia
• 1942Parveen Kumar, Pakistani-English physician and academic
• 1929Nargis, Indian actress (died 1981)India
• 1924William Sloane Coffin, American minister and activist (died 2006)
• 1833John Marshall Harlan, American lawyer, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and politician; Attorney General of Kentucky (died 1911)
• 1825John Hunt Morgan, American general (died 1864)

Died on 1 June

• 1996Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, Indian politician, 6th President of India (born 1913)India
• 1962Adolf Eichmann, German Nazi SS-Obersturmbannführer, key organizer of the Holocaust (born 1906)
• 1833Oliver Wolcott Jr., American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Treasury, 24th Governor of Connecticut (born 1760)
• 1830Swaminarayan, Indian religious leader (born 1781)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 1 June in history?

2008: A fire on the back lot of Universal Studios Hollywood destroyed the King Kong Encounter and a large archive of music and film master recordings. 2007: Cyclone Gonu develops from an area of convection in the Arabian Sea, later becoming the worst recorded natural disaster in Oman. 2001: A Hamas-affiliated Islamist militant blew himself up outside a nightclub in Tel Aviv, Israel, killing 21 people, most of whom were teenage girls. 1994: Republic of South Africa becomes a republic in the Commonwealth of Nations.

Which famous people were born on 1 June?

Dinesh Karthik, Indian cricketer (1985); Parveen Kumar, Pakistani-English physician and academic (1942); Nargis, Indian actress (died 1981) (1929); William Sloane Coffin, American minister and activist (died 2006) (1924).

Which day is observed on 1 June?

World Milk Day; Children's Day (International), and its related observances: The Day of Protection of Children Rights (Armenia); Children's Day (International), and its related observances: Mothers' and Children's Day (Mongolia); Gawai Dayak, harvest festival in the state of Sarawak (Malaysia); Global Day of Parents (International).