On June 14, 1943, the US Supreme Court ruled in West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette that school children could not be compelled to salute the US flag if it conflicted with their religious beliefs.
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On June 14, 1966, the Roman Catholic Church abolished the Index Librorum Prohibitum (index of prohibited books). The list was first published in 1559 to ban books that the Church considered immoral or contradictory to Church teachings. Read a list of authors and works placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitum.
On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court required that a suspect be warned of certain rights before police questioning. Learn more about Miranda v. Arizona.
On June 13, 1995, France announced that it would resume nuclear testing in French Polynesia. The next year, France signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, after widespread protests ensued following the resumed tests.
On June 12, 1987, the Central African Republic’s former leader Jean-Bédel Bokassa sentenced to death in C.A.R. for treason, embezzlement, and murder of political dissenters. His sentence was then commuted to life in prison before he was released as part of a general amnesty program at the end of his life.
On June 12, 1967, the US Supreme Court struck down a Virginia state law prohibiting interracial marriages. Learn more about Loving v. Virginia.
On June 11, 1963, the University of Alabama desegregated when Governor George Wallace, facing Alabama National Guard troops federalized by President Kennedy, ended his blockade of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and allowed two African-American students to enroll. Watch President Kennedy’s Civil Rights speech, delivered on this day.
On June 10, 1920, the League of Nations convened for the first time. It was not formally dissolved until 1946. The United States was never a member. Learn more about the history of the League of Nations.
On June 10, 1946, the US Supreme Court upheld uneven congressional districting plans in Colegrove v. Green. The case challenged an Illinois districting plan that concentrated voters into large districts in the center of the state and did not balance for population. The court reasoned that districting was a political question for the states to [...]
On June 9, 1969, the US Senate confirmed Warren Burger as chief justice of the United States, succeeding Earl Warren. Read Chief Justice Burger’s own account of the events surrounding the confirmation.
