June 24

Events

1312 BC – Mursili II launches a campaign against the Kingdom of Azzi-Hayasa.

217 BC – The Romans, led by Gaius Flaminius, are ambushed and defeated by Hannibal at the Battle of Lake Trasimene.

109 – Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north-west of Rome.

474 – Julius Nepos forces Roman usurper Glycerius to abdicate the throne and proclaims himself Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

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 the history of Ireland.

972 – Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces, takes place.

1128 – Battle of São Mamede, near Guimarães: Forces led by Afonso I defeat forces led by his mother Teresa of León and her lover Fernando Pérez de Traba. After this battle, the future king calls himself "Prince of Portugal", the first step towards "official independence" that will be reached in 1139 after the Battle of Ourique.

1230 – The Siege of Jaén started in the context of the Spanish Reconquista.

1314 – First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn concludes with a decisive victory by Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce, though England did not recognize Scottish independence until 1328 with the signing of the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton.

1340 – Hundred Years' War: Battle of Sluys: The French fleet is almost completely destroyed by the English fleet commanded in person by King Edward III.

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.

1497 – John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings.

1509 – Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are crowned King and Queen of England.

1535 – The Anabaptist state of Münster is conquered and disbanded.

1571 – Miguel López de Legazpi founds Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines.

1597 – The first Dutch voyage to the East Indies reaches Banten, Java.

1604 – Samuel de Champlain discovers the mouth of the Saint John River, site of Reversing Falls and the present day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.

1622 – Battle of Macau: The Dutch attempt but fail to capture Macau.

1717 – The Premier Grand Lodge of England, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world (now the United Grand Lodge of England), is founded in London.

1762 – Battle of Wilhelmsthal: The British-Hanoverian army of Ferdinand of Brunswick defeats French forces in Westphalia.

1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Great Siege of Gibraltar begins.

1793 – The first Republican constitution in France is adopted.

1812 – Napoleonic Wars: Napoleon's Grande Armée crosses the Neman river beginning the invasion of Russia.

1813 – Battle of Beaver Dams: A British and Indian combined force defeats the United States Army.

1821 – The Battle of Carabobo takes place. It is the decisive battle in the war of independence of Venezuela from Spain.

1859 – Battle of Solferino (Battle of the Three Sovereigns): Sardinia and France defeat Austria in Solferino, northern Italy.

1866 – Battle of Custoza: An Austrian army defeats the Italian army during the Austro-Prussian War.

1880 – First performance of O Canada, the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français.

1894 – Marie François Sadi Carnot is assassinated by Sante Geronimo Caserio.

1902 – King Edward VII of the United Kingdom develops appendicitis, delaying his coronation.

1913 – Greece and Serbia annul their alliance with Bulgaria.

1916 – Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million-dollar contract.

1918 – First airmail service in Canada from Montreal to Toronto.

1932 – A bloodless revolution instigated by the People's Party ends the absolute power of King Prajadhipok of Siam (now Thailand).

1938 – Pieces of a meteorite, estimated to have weighed 450 metric tons when it hit the Earth's atmosphere and exploded, land near Chicora, Pennsylvania.

1939 – Siam is renamed Thailand by Plaek Phibunsongkhram, the country's third prime minister.

1940 – World War II: Operation Collar, the first British Commando raid on occupied France, by No 11 Independent Company.

1947 – Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington.

1948 – Start of the Berlin Blockade: The Soviet Union makes overland travel between West Germany and West Berlin impossible.

1949 – The first television western, Hopalong Cassidy, is aired on NBC starring William Boyd.

1954 – First Indochina War: Battle of Mang Yang Pass: Viet Minh troops belonging to the 803rd Regiment ambush G.M. 100 of France in An Khê.

1957 – In Roth v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment.

1963 – The United Kingdom grants Zanzibar internal self-government.

1973 – The UpStairs Lounge arson attack takes place at a gay bar located on the second floor of the three-story building at 141 Chartres Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Thirty-two people die as a result of fire or smoke inhalation.

1981 – The Humber Bridge is opens to traffic, connecting Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It would be the world's longest single-span suspension bridge for 17 years.

1982 – "The Jakarta Incident": British Airways Flight 9 flies into a cloud of volcanic ash thrown up by the eruption of Mount Galunggung, resulting in the failure of all four engines.

1989 – Jiang Zemin succeeds Zhao Ziyang to become the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

1995 – "Rugby World Cup final": South Africa defeats New Zealand, Nelson Mandela presents Francois Pienaar with the Webb-Ellis trophy in an iconic post-apartheid moment.

2002 – The Igandu train disaster in Tanzania kills 281, the worst train accident in African history.

2004 – In New York, capital punishment is declared unconstitutional.

2010 – John Isner of the United States defeats Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon, in the longest match in professional tennis history.

2010 – Julia Gillard assumes office as the first female Prime Minister of Australia.

2012 – Lonesome George, the last known individual of Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii, a subspecies of the Galápagos tortoise, dies.

2013 – Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is found guilty of abusing his power and having sex with an underage prostitute, and is sentenced to seven years in prison.

Births

1210 – Count Floris IV of Holland (d. 1234)

1244 – Henry I, Landgrave of Hesse (d. 1308)

1257 – Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford, England noblemen (d. 1331)

1314 – Philippa of Hainault (d. 1369)

1322 – Joanna, Duchess of Brabant (d. 1406)

1343 – Joan of Valois, Queen of Navarre (d. 1373)

1360 – Nuno Álvares Pereira, Portuguese general

1386 – John of Capistrano, Italian priest and saint (d. 1456)

1419 – John of Sahagún, Spanish Augustinian friar, priest and saint (d. 1479)

1465 – Isabella del Balzo, Queen Consort of Naples (d. 1533)

1485 – Johannes Bugenhagen, Polish-German priest and reformer (d. 1558)

1485 – Elizabeth of Denmark, Electress of Brandenburg (d. 1555)

1499 – Johannes Brenz, German theologian and the Protestant Reformer (d. 1570)

1519 – Theodore Beza, French theologian and scholar (d. 1605)

1532 – Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, English politician (d. 1588)

1532 – William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (d. 1573)

1535 – Joanna of Austria, Princess of Portugal (d. 1573)

1542 – John of the Cross, Spanish mystic and saint (d. 1591)

1546 – Robert Persons, English Jesuit priest, insurrectionist, and author (d. 1610)

1587 – William Arnold, English-American settler (d. 1675)

1661 – Hachisuka Tsunanori, Japanese daimyo (d. 1730)

1663 – Jean Baptiste Massillon, French bishop (d. 1742)

1687 – Johann Albrecht Bengel, German-Lutheran clergyman and scholar (d. 1757)

1694 – Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, Swiss author and theorist (d. 1748)

1704 – Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens, French philosopher and author (d. 1771)

1753 – William Hull, American general and politician, 1st Governor of Michigan Territory (d. 1825)

1755 – Anacharsis Cloots, Prussian-French activist (d. 1794)

1767 – Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès, French geographer and author (d. 1846)

1771 – Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, French chemist and businessman, founded DuPont (d. 1834)

1774 – Antonio González de Balcarce, Argentinian commander and politician, 5th Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (d. 1819)

1774 – François-Nicolas-Benoît Haxo, French general and engineer (d. 1838)

1777 – John Ross, Scottish commander and explorer (d. 1856)

1782 – Juan Larrea, Argentinian captain and politician (d. 1847)

1783 – Johann Heinrich von Thünen, German economist and geographer (d. 1850)

1784 – Juan Antonio Lavalleja, Uruguayan general and politician, President of Uruguay (d. 1853)

1788 – Thomas Blanchard, American inventor (d. 1864)

1795 – Ernst Heinrich Weber, German physician and psychologist (d. 1878)

1797 – John Hughes, Irish-American archbishop (d. 1864)

1804 – Stephan Endlicher, Austrian botanist, numismatist, and sinologist (d. 1849)

1804 – Willard Richards, American religious leader (d. 1854)

1811 – John Archibald Campbell, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1889)

1813 – Henry Ward Beecher, American minister and reformer (d. 1887)

1813 – Francis Boott, American composer (d. 1904)

1821 – Guillermo Rawson, Argentinian physician and politician (d. 1890)

1825 – Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna of Russia (d. 1844)

1826 – George Goyder, English-Australian surveyor (d. 1898)

1835 – Johannes Wislicenus, German chemist and academic (d. 1902)

1838 – Jan Matejko, Polish painter (d. 1893)

1839 – Gustavus Franklin Swift, American businessman (d. 1903)

1842 – Ambrose Bierce, American short story writer, essayist, and journalist (d. 1914)

1846 – Samuel Johnson, Nigerian priest and historian (d. 1901)

1850 – Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, Irish field marshal and politician, Governor-General of Sudan (d. 1916)

1852 – Friedrich Loeffler, German bacteriologist and academic (d. 1915)

1856 – Henry Chapman Mercer, American archaeologist and author (d. 1930)

1858 – Hastings Rashdall, English historian, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1924)

1865 – Robert Henri, American painter and educator (d. 1929)

1867 – Ruth Randall Edström, American educator and activist (d. 1944)

1869 – Prince George of Greece and Denmark (d. 1957)

1872 – Frank Crowninshield, American journalist and art and theatre critic (d. 1947)

1880 – Oswald Veblen, American mathematician and academic (g. 1960)

1881 – George Shiels, Irish-Canadian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1949)

1882 – Athanase David, Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 1953)

1882 – Carl Diem, German businessman (d. 1962)

1883 – Victor Francis Hess, Austrian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)

1883 – Jean Metzinger, French artist (d. 1956)

1883 – Arthur L. Newton, American runner (d. 1956)

1883 – Frank Verner, American runner (d. 1966)

1884 – Frank Waller, American runner (d. 1941)

1885 – Olaf Holtedahl, Norwegian geologist (d. 1975)

1888 – Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect, designed the Rietveld Schröder House (d. 1964)

1893 – Roy O. Disney, American businessman, co-founded The Walt Disney Company (d. 1971)

1895 – Jack Dempsey, American boxer and soldier (d. 1983)

1897 – Daniel K. Ludwig, American businessman (d. 1992)

1897 – Omkarnath Thakur, Indian singer, musicologist, and academic (d. 1967)

1898 – Armin Öpik, Estonian-Australian paleontologist and geologist (d. 1983)

1898 – Karl Selter, Estonian politician, 14th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (d. 1958)

1900 – Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician and engineer (d. 1945)

1901 – Marcel Mule, French saxophonist (d. 2001)

1901 – Harry Partch, American composer and theorist (d. 1974)

1901 – Chuck Taylor, American basketball player and salesman (d. 1969)

1904 – Phil Harris, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1995)

1905 – Fred Alderman, American sprinter (d. 1998)

1906 – Pierre Fournier, French cellist and educator (d. 1986)

1906 – Willard Maas, American poet and educator (d. 1971)

1907 – Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet and translator (d. 1989)

1908 – Hugo Distler, German organist, composer, and conductor (d. 1942)

1908 – Alfons Rebane, Estonian colonel (d. 1976)

1909 – Jean Deslauriers, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1978)

1909 – William Penney, Baron Penney, English mathematician and physicist (d. 1991)

1911 – Juan Manuel Fangio, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1995)

1911 – Ernesto Sabato, Argentinian physicist and academic (d. 2011)

1912 – Brian Johnston, English sportscaster and author (d. 1994)

1912 – Mary Wesley, English author (d. 2002)

1913 – Gustaaf Deloor, Belgian cyclist and soldier (d. 2002)

1914 – Jan Karski, Polish-American activist and academic (d. 2000)

1914 – Pearl Witherington, French secret agent (d. 2008)

1915 – Fred Hoyle, English astronomer and author (d. 2001)

1916 – William B. Saxbe, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 70th United States Attorney General (d. 2010)

1917 – David Easton, Canadian-American political scientist and academic (d. 2014)

1917 – Ramblin' Tommy Scott, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)

1917 – Joan Clarke, English cryptanalyst and numismatist (d. 1996)

1918 – Mildred Ladner Thompson, American journalist and author (d. 2013)

1918 – Yong Nyuk Lin, Singaporean businessman and politician, Singaporean Minister for Education (d. 2012)

1919 – Al Molinaro, American actor (d. 2015)

1922 – Jack Carter, American actor and comedian (d. 2015)

1922 – John Postgate, English microbiologist, author, and academic (d. 2014)

1923 – Margaret Olley, Australian painter and philanthropist (d. 2011)

1924 – Kurt Furgler, Swiss politician, 70th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 2008)

1924 – Archie Roy, Scottish astronomer and academic (d. 2012)

1927 – Fernand Dumont, Canadian sociologist, philosopher, and poet (d. 1997)

1927 – James B. Edwards, American dentist, soldier, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Energy (d. 2014)

1927 – Martin Lewis Perl, American physicist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)

1929 – Carolyn S. Shoemaker, American astronomer

1930 – Claude Chabrol, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2010)

1930 – Donald Gordon, South African businessman and philanthropist

1930 – William Bernard Ziff, Jr., American publisher (d. 2006)

1931 – Billy Casper, American golfer and architect (d. 2015)

1932 – David McTaggart, Canadian-Italian environmentalist (d. 2001)

1933 – Sam Jones, American basketball player and coach

1934 – Ferdinand Biwersi, German footballer and referee (d. 2013)

1934 – Jean-Pierre Ferland, Canadian singer-songwriter

1935 – Terry Riley, American composer and educator

1937 – Anita Desai, Indian-American author and academic

1938 – Lawrence Block, American author

1938 – Abulfaz Elchibey, 1st democratically elected Azerbaijani president

1938 – Ken Gray, New Zealand rugby player (d. 1992)

1939 – Brigitte Fontaine, French singer

1940 – Vittorio Storaro, Italian cinematographer

1941 – Erkin Koray, Turkish singer-songwriter and guitarist

1941 – Julia Kristeva, Bulgarian-French psychoanalyst and author

1941 – Graham McKenzie, Australian cricketer

1942 – Michele Lee, American actress and singer

1942 – Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Chilean engineer and politician, 32nd President of Chile

1942 – Colin Groves, Australian academician and educator

1943 – Birgit Grodal, Danish economist and academic (d. 2004)

1944 – Kathryn Lasky, American author

1944 – John "Charlie" Whitney, English guitarist

1944 – Chris Wood, English saxophonist (d. 1983)

1945 – Colin Blunstone, English singer-songwriter

1945 – Wayne Cashman, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1945 – George Pataki, American lawyer and politician, 53rd Governor of New York

1945 – Betty Stöve, Dutch tennis player

1946 – David Collenette, Canadian civil servant and politician, 32nd Canadian Minister of National Defence

1946 – Ellison Onizuka, American colonel, engineer, and astronaut (d. 1986)

1946 – Robert Reich, American economist and politician, 22nd United States Secretary of Labor

1947 – Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, and television personality (d. 2014)

1947 – Mick Fleetwood, English-American drummer

1947 – Peter Weller, American actor and director

1948 – Patrick Moraz, Swiss keyboard player and songwriter

1949 – John Illsley, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer

1949 – Betty Jackson, English fashion designer

1950 – Nancy Allen, American actress

1950 – Bob Carlos Clarke, Irish-born English photographer (d. 2006)

1950 – Jan Kulczyk, Polish businessman (d. 2015)

1950 – Mercedes Lackey, American author

1951 – Raelene Boyle, Australian sprinter

1951 – Charles Sturridge, English director, producer, and screenwriter

1952 – Dianna Melrose, English diplomat, British High Commissioner to Tanzania

1952 – Bob Neill, English lawyer and politician

1953 – William E. Moerner, American chemist and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate

1953 – Michael Tuck, Australian footballer and coach

1955 – Chris Higgins, English geneticist and academic

1955 – Edmund Malura, German footballer and manager

1955 – Loren Roberts, American golfer

1956 – Owen Paterson, English politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

1957 – Mark Parkinson, American lawyer and politician, 45th Governor of Kansas

1958 – Jean Charest, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada

1958 – Silvio Mondinelli, Italian mountaineer

1958 – John Tortorella, American ice hockey player and coach

1959 – Andy McCluskey, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer

1960 – Elish Angiolini, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland

1960 – Siedah Garrett, American singer-songwriter and pianist

1960 – Juli Inkster, American golfer

1960 – Karin Pilsäter, Swedish accountant and politician

1960 – Erik Poppe, Norwegian director, cinematographer, and screenwriter

1961 – Dennis Danell, American singer and guitarist (d. 2000)

1961 – Iain Glen, Scottish actor

1961 – Bernie Nicholls, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1961 – Ralph E. Reed, Jr., American journalist and activist

1961 – Curt Smith, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1963 – Yuri Kasparyan, Russian guitarist

1963 – Preki, Serbian-American soccer player and coach

1963 – Mike Wieringo, American author and illustrator (d. 2007)

1964 – Jean-Luc Delarue, French television host and producer (d. 2012)

1964 – Kathryn Parminter, Baroness Parminter, English politician

1964 – Gary Suter, American ice hockey player and scout

1965 – Claude Bourbonnais, Canadian race car driver

1965 – Uwe Krupp, German ice hockey player and coach

1966 – Adrienne Shelly, American actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)

1967 – Jeff Cease, American guitarist

1967 – Bill Huard, Canadian ice hockey player

1967 – Richard Z. Kruspe, German guitarist

1967 – Janez Lapajne, Slovenian director and producer

1967 – John Limniatis, Greek-Canadian footballer and manager

1967 – Sherry Stringfield, American actress

1968 – Alaa Abdelnaby, Egyptian-American basketball player and sportscaster

1970 – David May, English footballer

1970 – Bernardo Sassetti, Portuguese pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2012)

1972 – Robbie McEwen, Australian cyclist

1972 – Denis Žvegelj, Slovenian rower

1973 – Alexis Gauthier, French chef

1973 – Jere Lehtinen, Finnish ice hockey player

1974 – Dan Byles, English sailor, rower, and politician

1974 – Vinnie Fiorello, American drummer and songwriter

1975 – Marek Malík, Czech ice hockey player

1975 – Federico Pucciariello, Argentinian-Italian rugby player

1976 – Brock Olivo, American football player and coach

1977 – Dimos Dikoudis, Greek basketball player and manager

1977 – Jeff Farmer, Australian footballer

1978 – Luis García, Spanish footballer

1978 – Pantelis Kafes, Greek footballer

1978 – Shunsuke Nakamura, Japanese footballer

1978 – Ariel Pink, American singer-songwriter

1978 – Juan Román Riquelme, Argentinian footballer

1978 – Emppu Vuorinen, Finnish guitarist and songwriter

1979 – Mindy Kaling, American actress and producer

1979 – Petra Němcová, Czech model and philanthropist

1980 – Cicinho, Brazilian footballer

1980 – Nina Dübbers, German tennis player

1980 – Andrew Jones, Australian race car driver

1980 – Minka Kelly, American actress

1982 – Kevin Nolan, English footballer

1982 – Mark Penney, Canadian director and producer

1982 – Jarret Stoll, Canadian ice hockey player

1983 – Rebecca Cooke, English swimmer

1983 – Gianni Munari, Italian footballer

1983 – Gard Nilssen, Norwegian drummer

1983 – David Shillington, Australian rugby league player

1984 – Andrea Raggi, Italian footballer

1984 – J.J. Redick, American basketball player

1984 – Johanna Welin, Swedish-born German 2.0 point wheelchair basketball player.

1985 – Diego Alves Carreira, Brazilian footballer

1985 – Tom Kennedy, English footballer

1985 – Nate Myles, Australian rugby league player

1985 – Vernon Philander, South African cricketer

1985 – Yukina Shirakawa, Japanese model

1986 – Stuart Broad, English cricketer

1986 – Phil Hughes, American baseball player

1986 – Solange Knowles, American singer-songwriter and actress

1987 – LiSA, Japanese singer-songwriter

1987 – Simona Dobrá, Czech tennis player

1987 – Serdar Güneş, Turkish footballer

1987 – Craig Henderson, New Zealand footballer

1987 – Arturo Lupoli, Italian footballer

1987 – Josh Lillis, English footballer

1987 – Lionel Messi, Argentinian footballer

1988 – Micah Richards, English footballer

1989 – Teklemariam Medhin, Eritrean runner

1990 – Michael Del Zotto, Canadian ice hockey player

1990 – Richard Sukuta-Pasu, German footballer

1991 – Aidan Sezer, Australian rugby league player

1992 – David Alaba, Austrian footballer

Deaths

803 – Higbald of Lindisfarne, English bishop

1088 – William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Norman aristocrat

1241 – Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria

1253 – Amadeus IV, Count of Savoy (b. 1197)

1314 – Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester, English commander (b. 1291)

1314 – Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, English soldier and politician, Lord Warden of the Marches (b. 1274)

1398 – Hongwu Emperor of China (b. 1328)

1439 – Frederick IV, Duke of Austria (b. 1382)

1503 – Reginald Bray, English architect and politician, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (b. 1440)

1519 – Lucrezia Borgia, Italian wife of Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara (b. 1480)

1520 – Hosokawa Sumimoto, Japanese commander (b. 1489)

1604 – Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English courtier, Lord Great Chamberlain (b. 1550)

1637 – Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, French astronomer and historian (b. 1580)

1643 – John Hampden, English politician (b. 1595)

1766 – Adrien Maurice de Noailles, French soldier and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1678)

1778 – Pieter Burman the Younger, Dutch philologist and academic (b. 1714)

1803 – Matthew Thornton, Irish-American judge and politician (b. 1714)

1817 – Thomas McKean, American lawyer and politician, 2nd Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1734)

1835 – Andreas Vokos Miaoulis, Greek admiral and politician (b. 1769)

1908 – Grover Cleveland, American lawyer and politician, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (b. 1837)

1909 – Sarah Orne Jewett, American novelist, short story writer, and poet (b. 1849)

1922 – Walther Rathenau, German businessman and politician, 7th German Minister for Foreign Affairs (b. 1867)

1931 – Otto Mears, Russian-American businessman (b. 1840)

1931 – Xiang Zhongfa, Chinese politician, 2nd General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (b. 1880)

1932 – Ernst Põdder, Estonian general (b. 1879)

1943 – Camille Roy, Canadian priest and critic (b. 1870)

1946 – Louise Whitfield Carnegie, American philanthropist (b. 1857)

1947 – Emil Seidel, American politician, Mayor of Milwaukee (b. 1864)

1962 – Volfgangs Dārziņš, Latvian composer, pianist and music critic (b. 1906)

1964 – Stuart Davis, American painter and academic (b. 1892)

1968 – Tony Hancock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)

1969 – Frank King, American cartoonist (b. 1883)

1969 – Willy Ley, German-American historian and author (b. 1906)

1976 – Minor White, American photographer, critic, and academic (b. 1908)

1978 – Robert Charroux, French author and critic (b. 1909)

1984 – Clarence Campbell, Canadian businessman (b. 1905)

1987 – Jackie Gleason, American actor, comedian, and producer (b. 1916)

1988 – Csaba Kesjár, Hungarian race car driver (b. 1962)

1991 – Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-American author and playwright (b. 1917)

1991 – Rufino Tamayo, Mexican painter and illustrator (b. 1899)

1994 – Jean Vallerand, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1915)

1997 – Brian Keith, American actor (b. 1921)

2000 – Vera Atkins, British intelligence officer (b. 1908)

2002 – Pierre Werner, Luxembourgian banker and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Luxembourg (b. 1913)

2004 – Ifigeneia Giannopoulou, Greek songwriter and author (b. 1957)

2005 – Paul Winchell, American actor, voice artist, and ventriloquist (b. 1922)

2007 – Chris Benoit, Canadian wrestler (b. 1967)

2007 – Derek Dougan, Northern Irish footballer and manager (b. 1938)

2008 – Gerhard Ringel, Austrian mathematician and academic (b. 1919)

2009 – Roméo LeBlanc, Canadian journalist and politician, 25th Governor General of Canada (b. 1927)

2010 – Fred Anderson, American jazz tenor saxophonist (b. 1929)

2011 – Tomislav Ivić, Croatian football coach and manager (b. 1933)

2012 – Darrel Akerfelds, American baseball player and coach (b. 1962)

2012 – Gad Beck, German author and educator (b. 1923)

2012 – Gu Chaohao, Chinese mathematician and academic (b. 1926)

2012 – Miki Roqué, Spanish footballer (b. 1988)

2012 – Ann C. Scales, American lawyer, educator, and activist (b. 1952)

2013 – Mick Aston, English archaeologist and academic (b. 1946)

2013 – Emilio Colombo, Italian politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1920)

2013 – Jackie Fargo, American wrestler and trainer (b. 1930)

2013 – Joannes Gijsen, Dutch bishop (b. 1932)

2013 – William Hathaway, American lawyer and politician (b. 1924)

2013 – James Martin, English-Bermudian computer scientist and author (b. 1933)

2013 – Alan Myers, American drummer (b. 1955)

2014 – John Clement, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1928)

2014 – Olga Kotelko, Canadian runner and softball player (b. 1919)

2014 – Ramón José Velásquez, Venezuelan journalist, lawyer, and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1916)

2014 – Eli Wallach, American actor (b. 1915)

2015 – Cristiano Araújo, Brazilian singer-songwriter (b. 1986)

2015 – Mario Biaggi, American police officer, politician and criminal (b. 1917)

2015 – Walter Browne, Australian-American chess and poker player (b. 1949)

2015 – Marva Collins, American author and educator (b. 1936)

2015 – Susan Ahn Cuddy, American lieutenant (b. 1915)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

María Guadalupe García Zavala

Nativity of St. John the Baptist

June 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Discovery Day, observed on the nearest Monday to June 24 (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Earliest day on which Armed Forces Day can fall, while June 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Saturday in June. (United Kingdom)

Earliest day on which Mother's Day can fall, while June 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in June. (Kenya)

Feast of Raḥmat (Bahá'í Faith) (Date is generally June 24, but this may vary from year to year)

Army Day or Battle of Carabobo Day (Venezuela)

Bannockburn Day (Scotland)

Day of the Caboclo (Amazonas, Brazil)

St John's Day and the second day of the Midsummer celebrations (although this is not the astronomical summer solstice, see June 20) (Roman Catholic Church, Europe), and its related observances:

Enyovden (Bulgaria)

Jaanipäev (Estonia)

Jāņi (Latvia)

Jónsmessa (Iceland)

Midsummer Day (England)

Saint Jonas' Festival or Joninės (Lithuania)

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (Quebec)

Sânziene (western Carpathian Mountains of Romania)

Youth Day (Ukraine)