On This Day

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On July 13th 869, the Jōgan Earthquake struck off the coast of Japan. The resulting tsunami killed over 1000 people based on written accounts. The name comes from the Jōgan period, spanning from 859 to 877 AD. Pictured: (Left) Ocean Seismometers used to analyze the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and predict the epicenter of the Jōgan quake.

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On June 25th 1950, the Northern Korean People's Army invaded South Korea, marking the start of the Korean War. It sprung from reunification efforts by the north with support from China. The 38th parallel divide was established after the United States defeated Japan during World War II. Tensions built following the occupation of Korea by first Japan and then the United States. Kim Il-sung in coordination with Stalin of the Soviet Union led the invasion.

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On June 24th 747, Julius Nepos became the 12th roman emperor of the 5th Century, making him one of the last in the long line of succession. Nepos rose to the position following his deposition of Glycerius. Glycerius surrendered without resistance, however Nepos' rule would be short lived. In August 748, Nepos fled to Dalmatia following an attack by Orestes. It is believed that Nepos was eventually murdured by supporters/friends of Glycerius. The Encyclopedia Britannica describes Nepos as "the last legitimate Western Roman emperor".

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On June 21st 1788, New Hampshire becomes the 9th state to ratify the Constitution. This cleared the way for the Confederation congress to begin setting up the new federal government, as the minimum required number of states had been met. New Hampshire is known as the Granite State/White Mountain State with the motto "Live Free or Die".

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On June 20 1939, the Heinkel He 176, an experimental rocket plane developed by the German scientist Ernst Heinkel, took its maiden voyage. It was the world's first plane to be propelled solely by a liquid-fuelled rocket. The flight lasted 50 seconds and test pilot Erich Warsitz made a somewhat bumpy landing, but it was a clear success and proof the plane design worked. Unfortunately for Heinkel, funding was cancelled soon after, grounding the plane and project for good.

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On June 19th 1718, people in the Gansu Province of China were rocked by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. The Tongwei–Gansu earthquake hit along the Indian/Eurasian plate boundary outside of modern day Lanzhou. It triggered landslides across the region creating widespread death and destruction. From one account: "All government offices, the Confucian school, temples and the National Altar were destroyed, and all official and civilian houses collapsed..." More than 70,000 were estimated dead as a result of the quake. The reference images show visual analysis of the region's landslides to pinpoint the quake's epicenter.

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On June 18th 1908, the University of the Philippines is established. Created from the University Act, it became the country's national university. The Philippine College of Medicine was the first college in the system, previously the Philippine Medical School, established 3 years prior. Through its growth and reorganization over decades, the University of the Philippines System (UP) ultimately came to have 8 constituent universities. The main campus being UP Diliman in present day Quezon City. Today enrollment is estimated at over 40,000 undergraduate students and over 16,000 graduate students across all campuses.

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On June 17th 1967, China tested its first hydrogen bomb, codenamed Test No. 6. The successful detonation marked a significant milestone in China's nuclear weapons technology, at the time making it the only the 4th country to develop such a bomb.

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On June 16th 1963, Valentina Tereshkova rode on the Vostok 6 of the Soviet Union, making her the first woman in space. Born to Belarus migrants, Valentina grew up in the Soviet Union, an had an uncharacteristic path to becoming a cosmonaut. Ultimately, her love of parachuting and skydiving brought her to the soviet space program. The total duration of her mission was 2 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes. Her journey was televised and a monument was crafted for her near the coordinates of her landing, 53° 12.563' N 80° 48.237' E. Valentina is still alive and, at present, a politician within the Russian government.

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On June 16th 1963, Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to enter space. She rode on the Vostok 6 made by the Soviet Union. Valentina would eventually be awarded the Order of Lenin and continue on to have a successful political career in Russia.

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On June 15th 2007, gameshow legend Bob Barker stepped down from his role at The Price is Right, after over 30 years 🤯 If you relate, you relate 🔥

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On June 14th 1800, the Battle of Marengo was fought between French and Austrian forces. Napoleon Bonaparte and his army came out victorious and drove Austrian forces out of Italy. The victory further solidified Napoleon's political power in Paris.

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On June 13th, 1971 the New York Times publishes the first excerpt of the Pentagon Papers. It detailed US activities in Vietnam from 1945 to 1968, previously undisclosed and actively hidden from the public. Publishing of the papers were part of a growing movement challenging the motivations behind the Vietnam War.

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On June 8th, 1966, the AFL and the NFL made the official announcement about their plans to merge, bringing an end to the nearly decade-long rivalry. Pictured: Tex Schramm (Left), GM of the Dallas Cowboys, and Lamar Hunt (Right), chief architects of the merger.

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On June 8th, 1949, George Orwell's novel 1984 was published by Secker & Warburg in the United Kingdom. Completed in the aftermath of WWII, the book critiques the idea of a totalitarian government. It has remained relevant in the digital age, being a reference point for discussions on censorship and privacy.

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On June 8th, 1889, a patent (U.S. Patent No. 395,782) was awarded to Herman Hollerith. This is widely regarded as the inception of modern machine learning, with the patent describing statistical analysis leveraged through tabulating machines, traditionally used for the US Census. Pictured: A page from Herman's patent.

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