Today in History: June 6

In 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association was founded in London.

In 1855, Captain Absalom Boston died. The beloved captain of Nantucket had led an all-black crew on the whale ship Industry before helping to integrate schools on Nantucket.

In 1912, Novarupta, a volcano on the Alaska peninsula, began a three-day eruption, sending ash as high as 100,000 feet; it was the most powerful volcanic eruption of the 20th century and ranks among the largest in recorded history.

In 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission was established.

In 1939, the first Little League baseball game was played as Lundy Lumber defeated Lycoming Dairy 23-8 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, on “D-Day” as they began the liberation of German-occupied Western Europe.

In 1968, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, 25 1/2 hours after he was shot by Sirhan Bishara Sirhan.

In 1977, a sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law imposing an automatic death sentence on defendants convicted of the first-degree murder of a police officer.

In 1982, Israeli forces invaded Lebanon to drive Palestine Liberation Organization fighters out of the country. (The Israelis withdrew in June 1985.)

In 1989, burial services were held for Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

In 2001, Democrats assumed control of the U.S. Senate after the decision of Vermont Republican James Jeffords to become an independent.

In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled, 6-3, that people who smoked marijuana because their doctors recommended it to ease pain could be prosecuted for violating federal drug laws.

In 2006, soul musician Billy Preston died in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 59.

In 2020, tens of thousands rallied in cities from Australia to Europe to honor George Floyd and voice support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Massive, peaceful protests took place nationwide to demand police reform.

Last year, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a no-confidence vote, securing enough support from his Conservative Party to remain in office despite a substantial rebellion that left him a weakened leader with an uncertain future. (Johnson would resign on July 7.) The former top leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group and other members were charged with seditious conspiracy for what federal prosecutors said was a coordinated attack on the US Capitol to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.