June 6 in Pop Culture History

June 6 Fun Facts, Trivia and History

June 6 History Highlights

  • 1933 – 1933 – America’s first drive-in opened near Camden, New Jersey, opened.
  • 1942 – The United States Navy’s victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy at the Battle of Midway.
  • 1944 – D-Day: The Normandy Landings
  • 1983 – Reading Rainbow premiered on PBS
  • If you were born on June 6th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… September 13th (prior year)

D-Day: The Normandy Landings

The Normandy landings were the historical landing operations of World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it was one of the largest seaborne invasions in history– a liberation mission for France (and later western Europe). The operation began on Tuesday, June 6th, 1944 when Allied forces invaded Nazi Germany occupied lands with over 150 thousand troops.

Operation Neptune, including D-Day, involved huge naval forces, including 6,939 vessels: 1,213 naval combat ships, 4,126 landing ships and landing craft, 736 ancillary craft, and 864 merchant vessels.

The invasion force consisted mainly of British, Canadian and American soldiers tasked with opening up routes through some heavily defended areas along the French coast towards major port cities such as Cherbourg – not without casualties or challenges. Cooperation among service branches was excellent despite occasional difficulties that arose during planning logistics for this joint military undertaking with more than 160 ships.

On D-Day, the Allies landed 156,000 troops in Normandy. 73,000 American (23,250 on Utah Beach, 34,250 on Omaha Beach, and 15,500 airborne troops), 83,115 British and Canadian (61,715 of them British) with 24,970 on Gold Beach, 21,400 on Juno Beach, 28,845 on Sword Beach, and 7,900 airborne troops. German casualties on D-Day have been estimated at 4,000 to 9,000 men. Allied casualties were documented for at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead.

Although the Allies failed to achieve any of their goals on the first day, the foothold the Allies captured forced Germany to fight the war on two fronts, and within 9 months the Allies were victorious over the German army.

June 6 is…

Applesauce Cake Day
Drive-In Movie Day

June 6 Birthday Quotes

“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
– Nathan Hale

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.”
– Harvey Fierstein

“Boxing should probably be banned. But until then, I’m a big fan.”
– Sam Simon

“I’m clearly not Brad Pitt, and I’m never going to be Brad Pitt.”
– Paul Giamatti

“Because I am known in the horror genre now, I try and do at least one horror movie a year for my fans, my fans have been so good to me.”
– Robert Englund

June 6 Birthdays

1755 – Nathan Hale, American soldier (died in 1776)
1756 – John Trumbull, American painter (died in 1843)
1890 – Ted Lewis, American singer, clarinet player, and bandleader (died in 1971)
1936 – Levi Stubbs, American soul singer; lead vocalist of the Four Tops (died in 2008)
1947 – Robert Englund, American actor
1954 – Harvey Fierstein, American actor and playwright
1955 – Sam Simon, American director, producer, and screenwriter; co-developer of The Simpsons (died in 2015)
1956 – Björn Borg, Swedish tennis player
1959 – David Schultz, American wrestler (died in 1996)
1963 – Jason Isaacs, English actor
1967 – Paul Giamatti, American actor

June 6 History

1844
The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded in London.

1882
(Cyclone) More than 100,000 people in Bombay, India, were killed.

1892
The Chicago “L” elevated rail system began operation.

1889
The Great Seattle Fire destroyed 25 blocks of downtown Seattle.

1912
(Volcano Eruption) Novarupta

1920
June 6, 1920 (fiction) Doctor Ivo Shandor founded the Cult of Gozer, Ghostbusters, Film

1933
America’s first drive-in opened near Camden, New Jersey, opened. The first feature was a 1932 film, Wives Beware, and admission was 25 cents per car and an additional 25 cents per person.

1942
The first parachute jump in the US using a nylon parachute was made by Adeline Gray in Hartford, Connecticut.

1944
June 6, 1944 Birthday (fictional) Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump, Film

D-Day: the day the Allied powers crossed the English Channel. They landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, turning the tide of the war against Germany.

1948
BBC Television began broadcasting again for the first time since 1939.

1952
King Peak – 16,972 ft (5,173 m) – Yukon, Canada – First ascent: June 6, 1952, by William Hackett, Allen Auten, James Wilson, and Keith Hart

1964
#1 Hit June 6, 1964June 26, 1964: The Dixie CupsChapel of Love

The Rolling Stones debuted on American TV on The Hollywood Palace.

1971
The Ed Sullivan Show aired for the final time on CBS.

1987
#1 Hit June 6, 1987June 12, 1987: Kim WildeYou Keep Me Hangin’ On

1997
Farrah Fawcett made a bizarre appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman. She went on long tirades and story-telling sprees that made little to no sense and was distracted by blinking lights in the studio.

1998
#1 Hit June 6, 1998September 4, 1998: Brandy & MonicaThe Boy Is Mine

Sex and The City premiered on HBO

2002
A near-Earth asteroid, estimated at 30 feet in diameter, exploded over the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Libya.

2005
In Gonzales v. Raich, the US Supreme Court upheld a federal law banning cannabis, including medical marijuana.

2015
#1 Hit June 6, 2015 – July 24, 2015: Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick LamarBad Blood

2020
#1 Hit June 6, 2020 – June 12, 2020: Rain on MeLady Gaga and Ariana Grande

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

Vanessa Williams voices the female brown M&M.

The speed of time is exactly one second per second.

“Some pains are physical, and some pains are mental, but the one that’s both is dental.” – Ogden Nash

A group of organized Criminals is called a Gang.

There’s been 5 mission impossible movies and they’ve completed the mission every time. Someone needs to work on renaming those movies.

When leaving a voice mail, say your name and number before AND after the message. #advice

If you number all the letters in the alphabet, all vowels are odd numbers. #workthecode

Sports are evolved versions of fetch.

Tab Hunter – Real Name: Arthur Gellen

“My daddy never did get what he wanted. But he had what he needed.” – Tiana #moviequotes

A group of Penguins (at rest) is called a Colony or Rookery or Huddle. A group of baby Penguins is called a Crèche.

‘Goodbye’ is a contraction of the phrase ‘God be with you’, originating in 1580.

1 Astronomical Unit (AU) = Earth-Sun distance = 93 million miles.

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