Famous June Birthdays
Born on June 1st, this American was one of the most famous sheriffs or lawyers on television.
Who is Andy Griffith?
He was born very poor, and slept in dresser drawers in relative’s houses for the first few month of his life. Later he got into acting and met his lifelong friend Don Knotts. He played against his good boy persona as a villainous character in A Face in the Crowd, before becoming famous for playing Sheriff Andy Taylor and Ben Matlock.
This executive order issued on January 1st, 1863, freed slaves in the confederate states.
What is the Emancipation Proclamation?
What is the Emancipation Proclamation?
Issued by Abraham Lincoln, this law changed the legal status of more than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in the confederate states. As soon as slaves escaped the control of their enslavers, either by fleeing to Union lines or through the advance of federal troops, they were permanently free. In addition, the Proclamation allowed for former slaves to "be received into the armed service of the United States". It did not however free slaves in the “border states” which had remained in the Union but still had slaves, such as Missouri and West Virginia.
If you were born in the month of June, you have one of these zodiac signs.
What are Gemini and Cancer?
If you were born between May 21st and June 20th, you’re a Gemini, and if you were born between June 21st and July 22nd, you’re a Cancer. If you’re a Gemini, you’re thought to be Spontaneous, playful, a bit erratic, and driven by its insatiable curiosity. If you’re a Cancer, you’re thought to be nurturing and loyal, a little moody, and protective of their loved ones.
The United States flag goes by this nickname.
What is “Old Glory?”
The first U.S. flag to be called “Old Glory” was flown by an American sea captain in the 1820s and in the U.S. Civil War, the flag was hidden in a quilt to save it from being seized by Confederate forces. Today, the original “Old Glory” is part of the collection at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
On June 17, 1885, the country of France shipped this gift to America.
What is the Statue of Liberty?
The idea for the statue was born in 1865, when the French historian and abolitionist Édouard de Laboulaye proposed a monument to commemorate the upcoming centennial of U.S. independence (1876), the perseverance of American democracy and the liberation of the nation's slaves.
Fundraising proved difficult, especially for the Americans, and by 1885 work on the pedestal was threatened by lack of funds. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer, of the New York World, started a drive for donations to finish the project and attracted more than 120,000 contributors, most of whom gave less than a dollar (equivalent to $34 in 2023). The statue was built in France, shipped overseas in crates, and assembled on the completed pedestal on what was then called Bedloe's Island, now Liberty Island.
Born on June 10th, 1922, this child actress wore ruby slippers.
Who is Judy Garland?
She was originally born Frances Ethel Gumm, but changed her name for show business. She starred opposite Mickey Rooney in the Andy Hardy movies. She went on to star in the famous Wizard of Oz as Dorothy. She struggled with addictions throughout her youth and adulthood, some caused by studios which may have given her drugs to keep her filming day to day, and forced her to diet unhealthily. She died of an overdose at the age of 47.
This amendment to the US constitution finally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.
What is the 13th amendment?
This Amendment was passed at the end of the Civil War before the Southern states had been restored to the Union, and should have easily passed in Congress. However, though the Senate passed it in April 1864, the House initially did not. At that point, Lincoln took an active role to ensure passage through Congress. He insisted that passage of the 13th Amendment be added to the Republican Party platform for the upcoming 1864 Presidential election. The necessary number of states (three-fourths) ratified it by December 6, 1865.
This is one of June’s two birth flowers.
What are Roses? or What are Honeysuckles?
A red rose means ‘I love you’ and is a sign of romance; pink represents happiness and admiration; a white rose symbolizes innocence and purity; orange means desire and excitement; yellow represents cheer and happiness, although some folklore considered it to mean jealousy. A red and white rose paired together has come to symbolize unity.
The honeysuckle traditionally symbolized happiness and affection for a new love. It has also been known to represent nostalgia for first loves or old flames. Honeysuckles were commonly planted near homes to create a feeling of nostalgia and to honor those who have died. According to other legends, planting a honeysuckle near the home would keep away negativity and protect you from evil spirits.
"The Star Spangled Banner" was written by this author and poet.
Who is Francis Scott Key?
Key observed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814 during the War of 1812. He was inspired upon seeing the American flag still flying over the fort at dawn and wrote the poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry"; it was published within a week with the suggested tune of the popular song "To Anacreon in Heaven". The song with Key's lyrics became known as "The Star-Spangled Banner" and slowly gained in popularity as an unofficial anthem, finally achieving official status as the national anthem more than a century later under President Herbert Hoover.
On June 4, 1919, the 19th Amendment was passed giving women the right to do this.
What is Vote?
The amendment was the culmination of a decades-long movement for women's suffrage in the United States, at both the state and national levels, and was part of the worldwide movement towards women's suffrage and part of the wider women's rights movement. The first women's suffrage amendment was introduced in Congress in 1878. However, a suffrage amendment did not pass the House of Representatives until May 21, 1919, which was quickly followed by the Senate, on June 4, 1919. It was then submitted to the states for ratification, achieving the requisite 36 ratifications to secure adoption, and thereby go into effect, on August 18, 1920. The Nineteenth Amendment's adoption was certified on August 26, 1920.
Born on June 16th, 1890, he was the shorter, thinner man in a famous silent comedy duo.
Who is Stan Laurel?
Laurel was English, and was originally named Arthur Stanley Jefferson. He changed his name after it was pointed out that his stage name, Stan Jefferson, had 13 letters. He began his career in music hall, and was Charlie Chaplin’s understudy for a time, polishing his pantomime chops. He traveled to the US on the same ship as Chaplin. He met Oliver Hardy partly by accident, and the two were costars in several films before working almost exclusively with each other. The two would act in 107 films together.
This state was where Juneteenth originated.
What is Texas?
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informed slaves of their emancipation from slavery in Galveston Bay, Texas. He marched with 2,000 Union soldiers to enforce this freedom.
June is one of only three months to have three birthstones. This is one of them.
What is Pearl, Alexandrite, or Moonstone?
Pearls are organic gems that grow inside the tissue of a living saltwater or freshwater mollusk. Natural pearls form when the mollusk secretes a substance called nacre around an irritant such as a piece of sand or a parasite that has invaded its shell. Pearls have long been associated with purity, humility and innocence.
Moonstone is the best-known gem of the feldspar group of minerals. It is renowned for its adularescence, the light that appears to billow across a gemstone, giving it a special glow. This June birthstone has been associated with both the Roman and Greek lunar deities. Hindu mythology claims that it is made of solidified moonbeams. Moonstone is often associated with love, passion and fertility; it is believed to bring great luck.
Alexandrite is the rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl that changes color in different lighting. Most prized are those alexandrite birthstones that show a vivid green to bluish green in daylight or fluorescent light, and an intense red to purplish red in incandescent light. Major alexandrite deposits were first discovered in 1830 in Russia’s Ural Mountains. The gem was named after the young Alexander II (1818–1881), heir apparent to the throne.
The US flag has been placed on every single continent, and these two extraterrestrial bodies.
What are the Moon and Mars?
Most people are familiar with the first American flag that was planted on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission by Neil Armstrong in July 1969. There were five other flags placed, and one could still but standing, but the Apollo 11 flag is probably not one of them.
Many of the US’s Mars lander have flags painted or affixed to them. But the US flag that is currently the farthest from Earth is aboard Voyager 1, currently 15 billion miles from Earth and counting.
Celebrated on June 6th, this day recognizes an important WWII event.
What is D-Day?
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it is the largest seaborne invasion in history.
Allied casualties were documented for at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead.
Born on June 19th, 1903, this first baseman was known as the Iron Horse.
Who is Lou Gehrig?
According to his birth certificate, he weighed almost 14 lbs at birth. He hit a grand slam out of Cubs Park (now Wrigley Field) at the age of 17. He was signed to the Yankees in 1923. He played first base, often a position for a strong hitter but weaker fielder. He played in 2130 consecutive days, a record not broken until 1996 by Cal Ripken Jr. He was forced to retire in 1939 after being diagnosed with ALS, which became commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and passed away at the age of 37. His number 4 was retired by the Yankees.
This president made Juneteenth a federal holiday.
Who is Joe Biden?
Juneteenth was celebrated in several states as a state holiday, but on June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill into law recognizing Juneteenth National Independence Day.
This Roman goddess might have been the namesake for June.
Who is Juno?
Juno is the ancient Roman goddess of marriage and childbirth. And the month of June is still a popular month for weddings today! As a natural extension of marriage, Juno was also the goddess of childbirth. Another interpretation of the origins of “June” says that the name came from the Latin juvenis, “young people,” who were celebrated at this time.
The current US flag was made official by this president.
Who is Eisenhower?
The 50-star flag was ordered by then president Eisenhower on August 21, 1959, and was adopted in July 1960. It is the longest-used version of the U.S. flag and has been in use for over 63 years.
An early form of instant messaging used in war, this communication system of dots and dashes was patented June 20, 1840
What is Morse code?
Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of the early developers of the system adopted for electrical telegraphy.
To increase the efficiency of transmission, Morse code was originally designed so that the duration of each symbol is approximately inverse to the frequency of occurrence of the character that it represents in text of the English language. Thus the most common letter in English, the letter e, has the shortest code – a single dit. Because the Morse code elements are specified by proportion rather than specific time durations, the code is usually transmitted at the highest rate that the receiver is capable of decoding.
Born on June 27t, 1880, this women championed the rights of the deaf and blind and gave them a voice.
Who is Helen Keller?
Keller lost her sight and hearing at the age of 19 months. She was eventually taught to communicate through sign language and writing by her tutor, Anne Sullivan, who was herself partially blind. Keller would go on to write 14 books, tour 35 countries, and campaign for those with disabilities, labor rights and world peace. Her story has been portrayed in many different films.
This color of soda is often drunk during Juneteenth celebrations.
What is Red?
Though no one knows why for sure, there are some theories on why this became popular. West Africans welcomed and entertained their household guests with red-colored beverages — more accurately described as teas — made from hibiscus flower petals or kola nuts, which are indigenous to that part of Africa. These drinks had such strong cultural resonance that these botanical ingredients crossed the Atlantic Ocean with humans in bondage. Additionally, it’s widely believed that the color red symbolically represents the blood shed by enslaved African ancestors. Big Red Soda in Waco, Texas is the defacto Juneteenth beverage in Texas.
The summer solstice falls on this date in 2024.
What is June 20th?
This date has the most hours of daylight and heralds the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Traditionally, in temperate regions (especially Europe), the summer solstice is seen as the middle of summer and referred to as "midsummer"; although today in some countries and calendars it is seen as the beginning of summer. The central axis of Stonehenge was aligned with the sunrise at the summer solstice and sunset at the winter solstice so that the stones precisely frame the rising and setting sun when days were at their longest and shortest.
The US Military folds the flag with this many folds.
What is 13?
The source and the date of origin of this Flag Folding Procedure is unknown. However, some sources attribute it to the Gold Star Mothers of America while others to an Air Force chaplain stationed at the United States Air Force Academy. Some sources also indicate that the 13 folds are a nod to the original first 13 colonies.
In June 2002, this singing contest show premiered on television.
What is American Idol?
It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to April 7, 2016, for 15 seasons. It was on hiatus for two years until March 11, 2018, when a revival of the series began airing on ABC.
The success of American Idol has been described as "unparalleled in broadcasting history". A rival TV executive said the series was "the most impactful show in the history of television".