The History Shack

On June 30, 1908, near the remote Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Siberia, Russia, an extraordinary explosion shook the Earth. This event, known as the Tunguska event, released energy estimated between 3 and 50 megatons—making it the largest impact event recorded in history. The explosion is believed to have been caused by a meteor air burst. A stony asteroid, about 50–60 meters wide, entered Earth's atmosphere and exploded at an altitude of 5 to 10 kilometers. This massive blast flattened around 80 million trees over a vast area of 2,150 square kilometers (830 square miles), but surprisingly, no crater was found. Despite occurring in a sparsely populated area, the explosion's shockwave was felt far and wide. It created seismic waves that spread across Eurasia, and airwaves reached as far as Germany, Denmark, Croatia, and the UK. The shockwave was equivalent to a 5.0 magnitude earthquake, illustrating the event's incredible power. One of the most intriguing aspects of the Tu...

   OTD June 30th is the one-hundred-eightieth-first day of the year, with 184 days remaining until the end of the year.   Events 1559 – King Henry II of France is mortally wounded in a jousting match against Gabriel, Comte de Montgomery. 1758 – Seven Years' War: Habsburg Austrian forces destroy a Prussian reinforcement and supply convoy in the Battle of Darmstadt, helping to expel Prussian King Frederick the Great from Moravia. 1864 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln grants Yosemite Valley to California for "public use, resort, and recreation." 1905 – Albert Einstein sent the article On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies, in which he introduced special relativity, for publication in Annalen der Physik. 1937 – The world's first emergency telephone number, 999, was introduced in London. 1953 – Flint, Michigan's first Chevrolet Corvette rolls off the assembly line. 2019 – Donald Trump becomes the first sitting U.S. President to visit the Democrati...

   OTD June 29th marks the significant milestone of being the one-hundred-eightieth day of the year, with 185 days remaining until the end of the year.   Events 1613 – The Globe Theatre in London, built by William Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, burns to the ground. 1764 – One of the strongest tornadoes in history strikes Woldegk, Germany, killing one person while leveling numerous mansions with winds estimated greater than 300 miles per hour. 1786 – Alexander Macdonell and over five hundred Roman Catholic highlanders leave Scotland to settle in Glengarry County, Ontario. 1880 – France annexes Tahiti, renaming the independent Kingdom of Tahiti as "Etablissements de français de l'Océanie". 1927 – The Bird of Paradise, a U.S. Army Air Corps Fokker trimotor, completes the first transpacific flight from the mainland United States to Hawaii. 1956—President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act 1956, officia...

   OTD June 28th is the one-hundred-seventy-ninth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 186 days remain until the end of the year.   Events 1098 – Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul at the battle of Antioch. 1778 – American Revolutionary War: The American Continentals engage the British in the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse, resulting in a standstill and British withdrawal under darkness. 1838 – Coronation of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. 1870 – The US Congress establishes the first federal holidays (New Year's Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). 1914 – Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie are assassinated in Sarajevo; this is the casus belli of World War I. 1926 – Mercedes-Benz is formed by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, merging their two companies. 1987 – For the first time in military history, a civilian population was targeted for a chemical attack when Iraqi warplanes bombed the Iranian ...

   OTD June 27th is the one-hundred-seventy-eighth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 187 days remain until the end of the year.   Events 1499 – On a Spanish-financed trip, Amerigo Vespucci sights the coast south of Cape Cassipore. 1743 – In the Battle of Dettingen, George II becomes the last reigning British monarch to participate in a battle. 1760 – Anglo-Cherokee War: Cherokee warriors defeat British forces at the Battle of Echoee near present-day Otto, North Carolina. 1864 – American Civil War: Confederate forces defeated Union forces during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain during the Atlanta Campaign. 1895 – The inaugural run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York City, the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives. 1946 – In the Canadian Citizenship Act, the Parliament of Canada establishes the definition of Canadian citizenship. 1950 – The United States decided to send troops to fig...

William Joseph Mosconi, lovingly known as Willie, was born on June 27, 1913, right in the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Just picture a young boy who was so captivated by the game of billiards that he'd sneakily practice using potatoes for balls and a broomstick for a cue! That was young Willie. His father, who owned a pool hall, initially tried to steer him away from the game, thinking it wasn't a suitable career. But as they say, talent and passion always shine through, and Willie was soon allowed to fully embrace his love for billiards. At just 11 years old, Willie was already starting to make waves. He played an exhibition match against Ralph Greenleaf, the reigning world champion, and nearly won! This incredible performance was just the beginning. By the age of 20, Willie clinched his first World Straight Pool Championship in 1933, marking the start of a truly legendary career. Willie Mosconi didn't just play pool; he absolutely dominated it. Between 1941 and 195...

   OTD June 26th is the one-hundred-seventy-seventh day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 188 days remain until the end of the year.   Events 699 – En no Ozuno, a Japanese mystic and apothecary later regarded as the founder of the folk religion Shugendō, is banished to Izu Ōshima. 1718 – Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia, Peter the Great's son, mysteriously dies after being sentenced to death by his father for plotting against him. 1740 – A combined force of Spanish, free blacks, and allied Indians defeat a British garrison at the Siege of Fort Mose near St. Augustine during the War of Jenkins' Ear. 1857 – The first inauguration of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, London. 1906 – The first Grand Prix motor race is held at Le Mans. 1918 – World War I: Allied forces under John J. Pershing and James Harbord defeat Imperial German forces under Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, in the Battle of Belleau Wood. 1927 – The Cyclone roller coaster opens on Co...

   OTD June 25th is the one-hundred-seventy-sixth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 189 days remain until the end of the year.   Events 524 – The Burgundians defeat the Franks in the Battle of Vézeronce. 1658 – Spanish forces fail to retake Jamaica at the Battle of Rio Nuevo during the Anglo-Spanish War. 1678 – Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia is the first woman awarded a Doctor of Philosophy when she graduates from the University of Padua. 1786 – Gavriil Pribylov discovers St. George Island of the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. 1848 – A photograph of the June Days uprising becomes the first known instance of photojournalism. 1876 – American Indian Wars: Battle of the Little Bighorn: 300 men of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer are wiped out by 5,000 Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. 1910 – Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Firebird premiered in Paris, bringing him t...

   OTD June 24th is the one-hundred-seventy-fifth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 190 days remain until the end of the year.   Events 637 – The Battle of Moira is fought between the High King of Ireland and the Kings of Ulster and Dál Riata. It is claimed to be the largest battle in Ireland's history. 1374 – A sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion. 1717—The Premier Grand Lodge of England was founded in London, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world (it is now the United Grand Lodge of England). 1880 – First performance of O Canada at the Congrès National des Canadiens-Français. The song would later become the national anthem of Canada. 1916 – Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract. 1948—Cold War: The start of the Berlin Blockade: The Soviet Un...

Television, a word that once sparked curiosity and excitement, has become an integral part of our daily lives. But how did it all begin? Let’s travel back to the late 1940s and early 1950s, the golden era when network television took its first steps, transforming the way we consume entertainment and information. The world had just emerged from the shadows of World War II, and the atmosphere was ripe for innovation and change. 1946 and 1947 were pivotal years as the first regularly scheduled television programs began to air. NBC and CBS, two giants in the radio industry, were quick to embrace this new medium. NBC’s WNBT (later known as WNBC) and CBS’s WCBW (later WCBS-TV) were among the pioneers, broadcasting a variety of shows that captivated audiences. In 1948, a significant event occurred that would shape the future of television—the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lifted a freeze on the issuance of new television licenses. This decision sparked a boom in the number of TV sta...

   OTD June 23rd is the one-hundred-seventy-forth day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 191 days remain until the end of the year.   Events 1532 – Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France sign the "Treaty of Closer Amity With France" (also known as the Pommeraye treaty), pledging mutual aid against Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. 1611 – The mutinous crew of Henry Hudson's fourth voyage sets Henry, his son, and seven loyal crew members adrift in an open boat in what is now Hudson Bay; they are never heard from again. 1780 – American Revolution: Battle of Springfield fought in and around Springfield, New Jersey 1810 – John Jacob Astor forms the Pacific Fur Company. 1860 – The United States Congress established the Government Printing Office. 1868 – Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the "Typewriter." 1894—The International Olympic Committee was founded at the Sorbonne in Paris at the initiative of Ba...

Glenn Danzig, born Glenn Allen Anzalone on June 23, 1955, in Lodi, New Jersey, has left an indelible mark on the worlds of punk and heavy metal music. His career has spanned decades, crossing genres and continually pushing creative boundaries. Growing up in Lodi, New Jersey, Glenn was the third of four sons in a family headed by a TV repairman and Marine Corps veteran. Music became a big part of his life as he dove into heavy metal. Although he experimented with drugs and alcohol starting at age ten, he made a mature decision to quit by the time he was fifteen. During these formative years, Glenn also developed a fascination with horror literature and comics—interests that would significantly influence his later work. He graduated from Lodi High School in 1973, setting the stage for his future in music. Glenn's musical journey began when he was eleven, working as a drum roadie. As a teenager, he played in various local garage bands, teaching himself vocals and guitar. These experie...

   OTD June 22nd is the one-hundred-seventy-third day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 192 days remain until the end of the year.   Events 217 BC – Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV, Philopator of Egypt, defeats Antiochus III, the Great of the Seleucid kingdom . 1633 – The Holy Office in Rome forces Galileo Galilei to recant his view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe in the form he presented it in after heated controversy. 1783 – A poisonous cloud caused by the eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland reaches Le Havre in France. 1793 – Haitian Revolution: The Battle of Cap-Français ends with French Republican troops and black slave insurgents capturing the city. 1807 – In the Chesapeake–Leopard affair, the British warship HMS Leopard attacks and boards the American frigate USS Chesapeake. 1898—Spanish-American War: In a chaotic operation, 6,000 men of the U.S. Fifth Army Corps begin landing at Daiquirí, Cuba, about 16 miles (26 k...

Kris Kristofferson, born on June 22, 1936, in the small town of Brownsville, Texas, was destined for a life full of rich experiences and remarkable achievements. The son of Mary Ann (née Ashbrook) and Lars Henry Kristofferson, a dedicated U.S. Army Air Corps officer, Kris's early years were marked by frequent relocations due to his father's military career. These moves imbued in him a sense of resilience and adaptability. Settling in California for his high school years, Kris graduated from San Mateo High School, where his academic prowess and athletic talents began to shine. He then attended Pomona College, excelling in both sports and academics. Graduating summa cum laude in literature, Kristofferson's academic journey was only beginning. His exceptional scholarship earned him a coveted Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford. At Oxford, he studied English literature, honing his writing skills and developing a passion for songwriting that would shape his future. De...