On This Day June 6th

 OTD

June 6th is the one-hundred-fifty-seventh day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 208 days remain until the end of the year.

 

Events

913 – Constantine VII, the eight-year-old illegitimate son of Leo VI the Wise, becomes nominal ruler of the Byzantine Empire under the regency of a seven-man council headed by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, appointed by Constantine's uncle Alexander on his deathbed.

1654 – Swedish Queen Christina abdicated her throne in favor of her cousin Charles Gustav and converted to Catholicism.

1844 – The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) is founded in London.

1892 – The Chicago "L" elevated rail system begins operation.

1912 – The eruption of Novarupta in Alaska begins. It is the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century.

1944 – Commencement of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, with the execution of Operation Neptune—commonly referred to as D-Day—the largest seaborne invasion in history. Nearly 160,000 Allied troops crossed the English Channel, with about 5,000 landing and assault craft, 289 escort vessels, and 277 minesweepers participating. By the end of the day, the Allies had landed on five invasion beaches and were pushing inland.

 

Birthdays

1436 – Regiomontanus (Johannes Müller von Königsberg), German mathematician, astronomer, and bishop (d. 1476). He inspired Copernicus's Heliocentric solar system theory.

1599 – Diego Velázquez (date of baptism), Spanish painter and educator (d. 1660)

1755 – Nathan Hale, American soldier (d. 1776)

1756 – John Trumbull, American soldier and painter (d. 1843)

1850 – Karl Ferdinand Braun, German American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate in 1909 for physics (d. 1918). Without his research, there would be no TV, radio, or cell phone.

1907 – Bill Dickey, American baseball player and manager who played in eight World Series, winning seven (d. 1993)

1947 – Robert Englund, American actor best known for Nightmare on Elm Street.

1956 – Björn Borg, Swedish tennis player; winner of eleven Grand Slam singles titles including five consecutive Wimbledon’s.

1985 – Becky Sauerbrunn, American footballer; twice a winner of the FIFA Women's World Cup, also an Olympic gold medalist

 

Holiday Highlight

D-Day

On the morning of June 6, 1944, American troops and their allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, in an invasion codenamed Operation Overlord during World War II, which began the liberation of France, and, ultimately, other areas of Europe, from Hitler’s Nazi regime. This day, known as D-Day, and the strategically planned landing of 156,000 British, Canadian, and American troops at 6:30 A.M. on the five beaches of Normandy was code-named Operation Neptune.

Earlier in the morning of June 6, 24,000 airborne troops were dropped into battle by parachute to close exits and overtake bridges slowing the advancement of Nazi reinforcements. Troops entering the beaches by land and sea were met with Hitler’s ‘Atlantic Wall,’ 2,400 miles of bunkers, landmines, and beach obstacles (metal tripods, barbed wire, and wooden stakes) established in anticipation of a French coast invasion. Nazis planted 4 million landmines along Normandy beaches.

Planning for our invasion of German-occupied France began in 1942. In an attempt to mislead the Germans and maintain the secrecy of the details of the D-Day invasion, the Allies conducted a military deception codenamed Operation Bodyguard. It included fake radio transmissions, double agents, and a ‘phantom army’ commanded by American General George Patton.

June 5 was originally chosen as D-Day due to predictions of weather and high tide based on the moon's phase. Bad weather conditions interfered with the established plans, and D-Day was moved to June 6.

Ultimately, over 4,400 identified soldiers, sailors, airmen, and coastguardsmen died on D-Day, with an estimated 5,000 or more lost at sea, in an air battle, or otherwise not identified. Their sacrifice and the valiant efforts of all troops turned the tide of the entire war that day.

 

Holidays And Observance

Bonza Bottler Day

D-Day Invasion Anniversary

Drive-in Movie Day

National Applesauce Cake Day

National Eyewear Day

National Gardening Exercise Day

National Higher Education Day

National Hunger Awareness Day

National Huntington's Disease Awareness Day

National Yo-Yo Day

Russian Language Day

YMCA Day

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