June 2 in Pop Culture History

June 2 Fun Facts, Trivia and History

June 2 History Highlights

  • 1692 – Prosecutions in the Salem Witch Trials began
  • 1835 – P. T. Barnum and his circus began touring the United States.
  • 1953 – The coronation of the United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II.
  • 1964 – The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was formed.
  • If you were born on June 2nd,
    You were likely conceived the week of… September 9th (prior year)

Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth was the elder daughter of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and his wife Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. As a member of the Royal family, she actually had little chance for coronation until her uncle, Edward VIII abdicated, making her father, King George VI, on December 11th, 1936, at which time Elizabeth became the heir presumptive.

  • Her coronation was watched by a TV audience of 20 million people, a lot for 1953.
  • She is the world’s longest-reigning monarch.
  • Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip met officially in 1934 at the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Prince George, Duke of Kent, when she was just 8 years old. Philip was 13.
  • Her marriage to Philip lasted 73 years, four, months and 19 days, the longest royal marriage on record.
  • She’s the only person in the UK allowed to drive without a license.
  • She has two birthdays: Her actual birthday in April 21, and her official birthday, which is held on a Saturday in June, when the weather’s better!
  • Born at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, the location is now a restaurant, Hakkasan.
  • To date, she has sent over 50,000 Christmas Cards.
  • As a character, Elizabeth has “appeared” over 100 times on television and film.
  • Her favorite dog? Corgi (she’s had over 30 of them).
  • Nailpolish of choice? That would be Essie’s classic pale pink polish Ballet Slipper.
  • She Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945, at age 19, where she trained to be a mechanic. She became the first female member of the Royal Family to join the Armed Services as a full-time active member.
  • Her official title: “Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.”
  • The Queen signs her letters and statements with the name “Elizabeth R.”

June 2 is…

Gun Violence Awareness Day
National Bubba Day
Rocky Road Day

National Gun Violence Awareness Day

This day encourages individuals to wear orange to raise awareness about gun violence and advocate for its prevention. The color orange, rooted in hunting culture to signify safety, symbolizes the importance of protecting human life. The day unites people nationwide to support efforts to save lives from gun violence and recognize America’s tradition of responsible gun ownership.

National “Bubba” Day

National Bubba Day is celebrated on June 2 each year. This day honors everyone affectionately called Bubba, a nickname often derived from young children trying to say “brother.” The day recognizes and celebrates all those with this endearing nickname.

National Rocky Road Day

National Rocky Road Day celebrates the classic ice cream made from marshmallows, nuts, and chocolate. Created in 1929 by William Dreyer to boost spirits during the Great Depression, the original mix included almonds, mini marshmallows, and milk chocolate ice cream. This flavor quickly became a favorite in the U.S. and worldwide.

June 2 Birthday Quotes

“You can’t please everyone. Just because I don’t behave a certain way, some folks will say you don’t have any street cred. I’ve pretty much had to put up with that since I was a little kid, just because I was raised to communicate in a certain fashion. Some people didn’t like it.”
– Wayne Brady

“I am still determined to be cheerful and to be happy in whatever situation I may be, for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances; we carry the seeds of the one, or the other about with us, in our minds, wherever we go.”
– Martha Washington

“Music can make a difference. There is a global nature to music, which has the potential to bring all people together. Music is truly an international language, and I hope to contribute by widening communication as much as I can.”
– Marvin Hamlisch

“I’ve been to Hell. You’ve only read about it.”
– Marquis de Sade

“I stupidly ignored education completely. I found it dull and I preferred to cause chaos and have fun. I regret this massively now.”
– Dominic Cooper

June 2 Birthdays

1731 – Martha Washington, First First Lady (died in 1802)
1740 – Marquis de Sade, French philosopher and politician (died in 1814)
1840 – Tom Hardy English novelist (died in 1928)
1904 – Johnny Weissmuller, Hungarian-American swimmer and actor (died in 1984)
1941 – Stacy Keach, American character actor
1944 – Marvin Hamlisch, American composer and conductor (died in 2012)
1948 – Jerry Mathers, American actor
1958 – Lex Luger, American wrestler and football player
1960 – Kyle Petty, American race car driver and sportscaster
1972 – Wayne Brady, American actor, comedian, game show host, and singer
1978 – Justin Long, American actor
1978 – Dominic Cooper, English actor
1978 – Nikki Cox, American actress

June 2 History

455 – The Sack of Rome: Vandals entered Rome, and plundered the city for several weeks.

1098 – First Crusade: The first Siege of Antioch ended as Crusader forces take the city. The crusades were a result of Muslim conquests of the Christian holy lands.

1858 – The Donati Comet was first seen and named after its discoverer, Giovanni Battista Donati, in Florence.

1865 – Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, a commander of Confederate forces, signed the surrender terms offered by Union negotiators, ending the US civil war.

1928 – Kraft’s Velveeta Cheese was made available.

1962 #1 Hit June 2, 1962 – July 6, 1962: Ray Charles – I Can’t Stop Loving You.
Ray Charles hit Billboards Top 5 in both Pop and R&B with a country tune – I Can’t Stop Loving You.

1966 – Surveyor 1 landed in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon.

1973 #1 Hit June 2, 1973 – June 29, 1973: Paul McCartney and Wings – My Love

1979 #1 Hit June 2, 1979 – June 8, 1979: Donna Summer – Hot Stuff

1991Liquid Television debuted on MTV

1997 – Timothy McVeigh was convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, in which 168 people died.

2001 #1 Hit June 2, 2001 – July 6, 2001: Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, and Pink – Lady Marmalade

2004 – Ken Jennings began his 74-game winning streak on the syndicated game show Jeopardy.

June 2, 2011 (fiction) The Bifrost Bridge was destroyed in Asgard, Thor, Marvel Cinematic Universe

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

The Capital of the Solomon Islands is Honiara

Wocka Wocka Wocka! #TVCatchphrase

“How could this happen? I was so careful. I picked the wrong play, the wrong director, the wrong cast. Where did I go right?” – Max Bialystock

Water boiling and water freezing are 212-32=180 degrees apart, which makes sense because they are opposites.

“Yo, Adrian!” – Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) in Rocky, 1976

“Too often, we judge other groups by their worst examples while judging ourselves by our best intentions.”- GWB

Royal Crown (RC Cola) was the first company to sell soft drinks in a can (1954), and later the first company to sell a soft drink in an aluminum can.

I always stress out before a game of Paper Scissors Rock, as if I’m somehow bad at it.

Hannah Callowhill Penn is one of eight people to have been granted “Honorary Citizenship” by the United States

Useless Pronunciation: Q as in queue

“Everything here is edible; even I’m edible. But that, dear children, is cannibalism, and is in fact frowned upon in most societies.” – Johnny Depp (as Willy Wonka)

The Capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana

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