100 Years Ago This Month: Historical Events from June 1926

The month of June has been home to many historical events over the years. Here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in June 1926.

· Ignacy Moscicki is elected as the President of Poland on June 1. Moscicki’s election to the ceremonial position comes after General Józef Pilsudski, who led a coup d’etat to overthrow the previous government, declines to become president.

· Underwater construction of the Holland Tunnel is halted on June 1. The work stalls due to the sinking of the PS Washington Irving while the ship was being towed to Jersey City, New Jersey. The ship initially experienced trouble after it was struck by another ship in the North River during a fog.

· Norma Jeane Mortenson is born in Los Angeles on June 1. Mortenson would grow up and gain worldwide recognition and fame as an actress and model using the stage name “Marilyn Monroe.”

· A spectator at San Francisco’s Ewing Field accidentally drops a lit cigarette on June 5. The cigarette sparks a fire that burns down the wooden structure and soon spreads to adjacent buildings, ultimately destroying or damaging 40 buildings and houses.

· The Forrest River massacre of indigenous Australians begins on June 6. The massacre is started by policemen who were carrying out a punitive expedition against indigenous Australians after the killing of a white Australian.

· Babe Ruth hits a homerun that sportswriters at the June 8 game at Navin Field in Detroit estimate traveled 600 feet. That distance has never been confirmed.

· The “June Tenth Movement” begins in Korea on June 10. The movement is a student protest against Japanese colonial rule.

· Brazil announces its withdrawal from the League of Nations on June 14. Costa Rica had previously withdrawn in 1924.

· Italian Fascist leader Aurelio Padovani, who had fallen out of favor with Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, is killed when a fourth floor balcony at his home collapses on June 16. Padovani had stepped outside to greet admirers on the street below when the balcony collapsed, killing him and eight others.

· The Seventh Street Bridge opens in Pittsburgh on June 17. The bridge is renamed to honor Pittsburgh native and acclaimed artist Andy Warhol in 2005.

· On June 19, DeFord Bailey becomes the first African American to be listed in newspaper radio schedules as a performer on “WSM Barn Dance,” which is later renamed “The Grand Ole Opry.”

· New York Giants catcher Jimmy Boyle makes his major league debut on June 20. Boyle plays just one inning, the ninth inning of an 8-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, in what would be the only major league appearance of his career.

· Tens of thousands of spectators at Chicago’s Soldier Field on June 21 watch a performance by the world’s largest children’s choir, composed of 60,000 children from more than 300 Roman Catholic parochial schools across the city.

· The Scholastic Aptitude Test, now known as the SAT, is administered to college and university applicants for the first time on June 23. More than 8,000 students at more than 300 testing centers sit for the exam.

· The “Sanjuanada,” a plot to overthrow the Prime Minister and dictator of Spain, is foiled on June 23, one day before it was to take place.

· Amateur golfer Bobby Jones wins the British Open on June 25. Jones’s victory marks the first time a non-professional had won the event.

· Melvin James Kaminsky is born in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn on June 28. Kaminsky grows up to become a beloved comedian, using the stage name “Mel Brooks.” TF266913

The month of June has been home to many historical events over the years. Here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in June 1926.

· Ignacy Moscicki is elected as the President of Poland on June 1. Moscicki’s election to the ceremonial position comes after General Józef Pilsudski, who led a coup d’etat to overthrow the previous government, declines to become president.

· Underwater construction of the Holland Tunnel is halted on June 1. The work stalls due to the sinking of the PS Washington Irving while the ship was being towed to Jersey City, New Jersey. The ship initially experienced trouble after it was struck by another ship in the North River during a fog.

· Norma Jeane Mortenson is born in Los Angeles on June 1. Mortenson would grow up and gain worldwide recognition and fame as an actress and model using the stage name “Marilyn Monroe.”

· A spectator at San Francisco’s Ewing Field accidentally drops a lit cigarette on June 5. The cigarette sparks a fire that burns down the wooden structure and soon spreads to adjacent buildings, ultimately destroying or damaging 40 buildings and houses.

· The Forrest River massacre of indigenous Australians begins on June 6. The massacre is started by policemen who were carrying out a punitive expedition against indigenous Australians after the killing of a white Australian.

· Babe Ruth hits a homerun that sportswriters at the June 8 game at Navin Field in Detroit estimate traveled 600 feet. That distance has never been confirmed.

· The “June Tenth Movement” begins in Korea on June 10. The movement is a student protest against Japanese colonial rule.

· Brazil announces its withdrawal from the League of Nations on June 14. Costa Rica had previously withdrawn in 1924.

· Italian Fascist leader Aurelio Padovani, who had fallen out of favor with Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, is killed when a fourth floor balcony at his home collapses on June 16. Padovani had stepped outside to greet admirers on the street below when the balcony collapsed, killing him and eight others.

· The Seventh Street Bridge opens in Pittsburgh on June 17. The bridge is renamed to honor Pittsburgh native and acclaimed artist Andy Warhol in 2005.

· On June 19, DeFord Bailey becomes the first African American to be listed in newspaper radio schedules as a performer on “WSM Barn Dance,” which is later renamed “The Grand Ole Opry.”

· New York Giants catcher Jimmy Boyle makes his major league debut on June 20. Boyle plays just one inning, the ninth inning of an 8-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, in what would be the only major league appearance of his career.

· Tens of thousands of spectators at Chicago’s Soldier Field on June 21 watch a performance by the world’s largest children’s choir, composed of 60,000 children from more than 300 Roman Catholic parochial schools across the city.

· The Scholastic Aptitude Test, now known as the SAT, is administered to college and university applicants for the first time on June 23. More than 8,000 students at more than 300 testing centers sit for the exam.

· The “Sanjuanada,” a plot to overthrow the Prime Minister and dictator of Spain, is foiled on June 23, one day before it was to take place.

· Amateur golfer Bobby Jones wins the British Open on June 25. Jones’s victory marks the first time a non-professional had won the event.

· Melvin James Kaminsky is born in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn on June 28. Kaminsky grows up to become a beloved comedian, using the stage name “Mel Brooks.”