June 26
1819 - The bicycle was patented by W. K. Clarkson.
1843 - Hong Kong was proclaimed a British crown colony.
1917 - The first troops of the American Expeditionary Force deployed to France during World War I landed in St. Nazaire.
1945 - The charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco.
1948 - The Berlin Airlift began in earnest after the Soviet Union cut off land and water routes to the isolated western sector of Berlin.
1959 - The St. Lawrence Seaway, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, was opened to traffic.
1963 - President John F. Kennedy gave his, "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner) speech in West Berlin.
1976 - The CN Tower in Toronto opened, then the world's tallest free-standing structure.
1977 - Forty-two people were killed when a fire sent toxic smoke pouring through the Maury County Jail in Columbia, Tennessee.
1977 - Elvis Presley performed what would be his final concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.
1990 - President George H.W. Bush went back on his "no new taxes" campaign pledge, conceding that tax increases would have to be included in any deficit reduction package worked out with congressional negotiators.
1993 - President Bill Clinton announced the U.S. had launched missiles against Iraqi targets because of "compelling evidence" Iraq had plotted to assassinate former President George H.W. Bush.
1996 - The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Virginia Military Institute to admit women or forgo state support.
1997 - The first Harry Potter novel, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" by J.K. Rowling, was published in the United Kingdom. (It was later released in the United States under the title "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.)
2000 - The first map of the human genome, which required decoding more than 3 billion biochemical "letters" of human DNA, is completed.
2003 - Former South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond died at age 100.
2008 - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a handgun ban in the District of Columbia as it affirmed, 5-4, that an individual right to gun ownership existed.
2013 - The U.S. Supreme Court gave the nation's legally married same-sex couples equal federal footing with all other married Americans and cleared the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California.
2020 - After protesters in Washington, D.C. attempted to pull down a statue of Andrew Jackson, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect monuments, memorials and statues.
2022 - A U.S. Navy destroyer that engaged a superior Japanese fleet in the largest sea battle of World War II in the Philippines became the deepest wreck ever discovered, according to explorers.
Birthdays
25 - Harley Quinn Smith (actress)
27 - Jacob Elordi (actor)
31 - Ariana Grande (actress/singer)
32 - Jennette McCurdy (author/actress)
33 - Amanda Cerny (model)
40 - Aubrey Plaza (actress)
44 - Jason Schwartzman (actor)
45 - Ryan Tedder (singer)
50 - Derek Jeter (baseball player)
51 - Gretchen Wilson (singer)
54 - Sean Hayes (actor)
54 - Chris O'Donnell (actor)
54 - Nick Offerman (actor)
56 - Shannon Sharpe (football player)
63 - Greg LeMond (cyclist)
67 - Patty Smyth (singer)
68 - Chris Isaak (singer)
73 - Robert Davi (actor)
78 - Brenda Holloway (singer)
86 - Billy Davis Jr. (singer)
================================
Today in Sports History - June 26
1906 - The first Grand Prix motor race was held in Le Mans, France.
1916 - The Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians played the first game where the players wore numbers on their sleeves which were used to identify them.
1944 - The New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees played against each other in a six inning contest in a war bonds fund-raiser. Over 50,000 people watched the game. The final score was Dodgers 5, Yankees 1 and the Giants 0.
1970 - Frank Robinson (Baltimore Orioles) hit two grand slams against the Washington Senators in a 12-2 win.
1979 - Muhammad Ali, at 37 years old, announced that he was retiring as world heavyweight boxing champion.
1990 - Jennifer Capriati, at age 14, became the youngest winner of a match in Wimbledon history.
1991 - The Charlotte Hornets select UNLV forward Larry Johnson with the first pick in the NBA Draft.
1996 - The Philadelphia 76ers select Georgetown guard Allen Iverson with the first pick in the NBA Draft.
1998 - Jamaica a World Cup match, marking the first time a Caribbean team had won in the World Cup since 1938.
2001 - Ray Bourque (Colorado Avalanche) announced his retirement just 17 days after winning his first Stanley Cup. Bourque retired after 22 years and held the NHL record for highest-scoring defenseman and playing in 19 consecutive All-Star games.
2002 - The Houston Rockets select Chinese center Yao Ming with the first pick in the NBA Draft.
2003 - The Cleveland Cavaliers select St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School forward LeBron James with the first pick in the NBA Draft.
2008 - The Chicago Bulls select Memphis point guard Derrick Rose with the first pick in the NBA Draft.
2014 - The Cleveland Cavaliers select Kansas forward Andrew Wiggins with the first pick in the NBA Draft.
2022 - The Colorado Avalanche defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning to win their third Stanley Cup.
1819 - The bicycle was patented by W. K. Clarkson.
1843 - Hong Kong was proclaimed a British crown colony.
1917 - The first troops of the American Expeditionary Force deployed to France during World War I landed in St. Nazaire.
1945 - The charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco.
1948 - The Berlin Airlift began in earnest after the Soviet Union cut off land and water routes to the isolated western sector of Berlin.
1959 - The St. Lawrence Seaway, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, was opened to traffic.
1963 - President John F. Kennedy gave his, "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner) speech in West Berlin.
1976 - The CN Tower in Toronto opened, then the world's tallest free-standing structure.
1977 - Forty-two people were killed when a fire sent toxic smoke pouring through the Maury County Jail in Columbia, Tennessee.
1977 - Elvis Presley performed what would be his final concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.
1990 - President George H.W. Bush went back on his "no new taxes" campaign pledge, conceding that tax increases would have to be included in any deficit reduction package worked out with congressional negotiators.
1993 - President Bill Clinton announced the U.S. had launched missiles against Iraqi targets because of "compelling evidence" Iraq had plotted to assassinate former President George H.W. Bush.
1996 - The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Virginia Military Institute to admit women or forgo state support.
1997 - The first Harry Potter novel, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" by J.K. Rowling, was published in the United Kingdom. (It was later released in the United States under the title "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.)
2000 - The first map of the human genome, which required decoding more than 3 billion biochemical "letters" of human DNA, is completed.
2003 - Former South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond died at age 100.
2008 - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a handgun ban in the District of Columbia as it affirmed, 5-4, that an individual right to gun ownership existed.
2013 - The U.S. Supreme Court gave the nation's legally married same-sex couples equal federal footing with all other married Americans and cleared the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California.
2020 - After protesters in Washington, D.C. attempted to pull down a statue of Andrew Jackson, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to protect monuments, memorials and statues.
2022 - A U.S. Navy destroyer that engaged a superior Japanese fleet in the largest sea battle of World War II in the Philippines became the deepest wreck ever discovered, according to explorers.
Birthdays
25 - Harley Quinn Smith (actress)
27 - Jacob Elordi (actor)
31 - Ariana Grande (actress/singer)
32 - Jennette McCurdy (author/actress)
33 - Amanda Cerny (model)
40 - Aubrey Plaza (actress)
44 - Jason Schwartzman (actor)
45 - Ryan Tedder (singer)
50 - Derek Jeter (baseball player)
51 - Gretchen Wilson (singer)
54 - Sean Hayes (actor)
54 - Chris O'Donnell (actor)
54 - Nick Offerman (actor)
56 - Shannon Sharpe (football player)
63 - Greg LeMond (cyclist)
67 - Patty Smyth (singer)
68 - Chris Isaak (singer)
73 - Robert Davi (actor)
78 - Brenda Holloway (singer)
86 - Billy Davis Jr. (singer)
================================
Today in Sports History - June 26
1906 - The first Grand Prix motor race was held in Le Mans, France.
1916 - The Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians played the first game where the players wore numbers on their sleeves which were used to identify them.
1944 - The New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees played against each other in a six inning contest in a war bonds fund-raiser. Over 50,000 people watched the game. The final score was Dodgers 5, Yankees 1 and the Giants 0.
1970 - Frank Robinson (Baltimore Orioles) hit two grand slams against the Washington Senators in a 12-2 win.
1979 - Muhammad Ali, at 37 years old, announced that he was retiring as world heavyweight boxing champion.
1990 - Jennifer Capriati, at age 14, became the youngest winner of a match in Wimbledon history.
1991 - The Charlotte Hornets select UNLV forward Larry Johnson with the first pick in the NBA Draft.
1996 - The Philadelphia 76ers select Georgetown guard Allen Iverson with the first pick in the NBA Draft.
1998 - Jamaica a World Cup match, marking the first time a Caribbean team had won in the World Cup since 1938.
2001 - Ray Bourque (Colorado Avalanche) announced his retirement just 17 days after winning his first Stanley Cup. Bourque retired after 22 years and held the NHL record for highest-scoring defenseman and playing in 19 consecutive All-Star games.
2002 - The Houston Rockets select Chinese center Yao Ming with the first pick in the NBA Draft.
2003 - The Cleveland Cavaliers select St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School forward LeBron James with the first pick in the NBA Draft.
2008 - The Chicago Bulls select Memphis point guard Derrick Rose with the first pick in the NBA Draft.
2014 - The Cleveland Cavaliers select Kansas forward Andrew Wiggins with the first pick in the NBA Draft.
2022 - The Colorado Avalanche defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning to win their third Stanley Cup.