June 1st

Approximate domestication of the horse in the Eurasian steppes near Dereivka, central Ukraine (hypothesis only).

Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, announced their separation after 40 years of marriage.

Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330 carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of everyone on board.

Nepal’s Crown Prince Dipendra went on a shooting spree, killing his father, mother, sister, brother, and other members of the royal family before shooting himself.

European Central Bank is founded in Brussels to define and execute the European Union's monetary policy.

1st transmission of CNN, the Cable News Network.

Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) ends 90 years of white rule. In 1980, the Republic of Zimbabwe achieved sovereignty from the United Kingdom.

Deaf and blind author and educator Helen Keller died at age 87.

Beatles release "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" in the US, goes on to spend 15 weeks at number one.

Kenya becomes a republic with Jomo Kenyatta as its 1st President.

General Charles De Gaulle became the premier of France.

The first group of Berlin women start clearing the rubble of World War II. In Germany, the Trümmerfrauen are a well-known symbol for a new beginning after the total desolation in the aftermath of the war, and for the Wirtschaftswunder, the rapid reconstruction of Germany's economy through hard labor.

The first issue of Action Comics, featuring Superman, was published.

Actress Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortensen in Los Angeles.

Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig's streak of playing in 2,130 consecutive games began when he entered a game as a pinch hitter for the New York Yankees.

The Heimlich maneuver is published. Henry Heimlich is credited with developing the technique using abdominal thrusts to stop choking.

James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States, died near Lancaster, Pa., at age 77.

The British explorer James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole. It is the location where the Earth's magnetic field points directly downwards. It lies in the vicinity of the Geographic North Pole.

Tennessee became the 16th state in the United States.

Kentucky became the 15th state in the United States.

Battle of Öland: allied Danish-Dutch forces defeat the Swedish navy in the Baltic Sea, during the Scanian War (1675–79).

Beijing, under control of Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Beijing.