1494 – Treaty of Tordesillas: Spain and Portugal divide the new world along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands, off the west coast of Africa
1628 – English King Charles I ratifies the Petition of Rights
1654 – Louis XIV crowned King of France
1753 – British Museum founded by an Act of Parliament with royal assent from King George II (opens in 1759)
1919 – Following a series of riots by the Maltese population, British troops fired into the crowd, killing four. Sette Giugno is a Maltese national holiday celebrated annually on 7 June.
1929 – Vatican City becomes a sovereign state
1965 – The Supreme Court of the United States decides on Griswold v. Connecticut, effectively legalizing the use of contraception by married couples
Births & Deaths: 1917 – Poet Gwendolyn Brooks, whose work depicted the everyday life of urban African Americans and who was the first African American poet to win the Pulitzer Prize (1949), was born.
Music: 1972 – Musical “Grease” opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 3,388 performances
TV & Film: 1975 – Sony introduces the Betamax videocassette recorder for sale to the public
2004 – For her performance in A Raisin in the Sun, Phylicia Rashad became the first African American to win a Tony Award for best actress.
