On This Day: June 2

Updated June 1, 2012, 2:28 pm

On June 2, 1953, Queen Elizabeth II of Britain was crowned in Westminster Abbey, 16 months after the death of her father, King George VI.

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On June 2, 1904, Johnny Weissmuller, the Olympic gold medallist and actor famous for his portrayal of “Tarzan”was born Following his death on Jan. 20, 1984, his obituary appeared in The Times.

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On This Date

By The Associated Press

1851 Maine became the first state to enact a law prohibiting alcohol.

1886 President Grover Cleveland, 49, married Frances Folsom, 21, in a White House ceremony.

1897 Mark Twain was quoted by the New York Journal as saying “the report of my death was an exaggeration.”

1924 Congress granted U.S. citizenship to all American Indians.

1941 Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig died at age 37 of a degenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

1946 The Italian monarchy was abolished in favor of a republic.

1966 The U.S. space probe Surveyor 1 landed on the moon and began transmitting detailed photographs of the lunar surface.

1979 Pope John Paul II arrived in his native Poland on the first visit by a pope to a Communist country.

1981 The Japanese video arcade game “Donkey Kong” made its U.S. debut.

1987 President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating economist Alan Greenspan to succeed Paul Volcker as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.

1995 A U.S. Air Force F-16C was shot down by Bosnian Serbs while on a NATO air patrol in northern Bosnia; the pilot, Capt. Scott F. O’Grady, was rescued six days later.

1997 Timothy McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.

1998 Voters in California passed Proposition 227, requiring that all schoolchildren be taught in English.

2010 Amid the Deepwater Horizon oil spill crisis, BP chief executive Tony Hayward apologized in a statement posted on Facebook for having told reporters, “I’d like my life back.”

2010 Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga lost his bid for a perfect game against Cleveland with two outs in the ninth inning on a call that first base umpire Jim Joyce later admitted he’d blown.

2011 Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination during an appearance in New Hampshire.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Actor Justin Long turns 34 years old today.

AP Photo/Dan Steinberg

Actor Dominic Cooper turns 34 years old today.

AP Photo/Victoria Will

1937 Sally Kellerman, Actress, turns 75

1941 Stacy Keach, Actor, turns 71

1941 Charlie Watts, Rock musician (Rolling Stones), turns 71

1943 Charles Haid, Actor (“Hill Street Blues”), turns 69

1944 Marvin Hamlisch, Composer, turns 68

1948 Jerry Mathers, Actor (“Leave it to Beaver”), turns 64

1950 Joanna Gleason, Actress, turns 62

1954 Dennis Haysbert, Actor (“24”), turns 58

1955 Dana Carvey, Comedian (“Saturday Night Live”), turns 57

1955 Michael Steele, Rock musician (The Bangles), turns 57

1960 Kyle Petty, Auto racer, turns 52

1972 Wayne Brady, Actor, comedian (“Whose Line is it Anyway”), turns 40

1972 Wentworth Miller, Actor (“Prison Break”), turns 40

1977 Zachary Quinto, Actor (“Heroes”), turns 35

1978 Nikki Cox, Actress, turns 34

Historic Birthdays

Johnny Weissmuller 6/2/1904 – 1/20/1984 American champion swimmer and actor.Go to obituary »

70 Martha Washington 6/2/1731 – 5/22/1802
American first lady (1789-1797)

74 Marquis de Sade 6/2/1740 – 12/2/1814
French nobleman and writer

87 Thomas Hardy 6/2/1840 – 1/11/1928
English novelist and poet

76 Sir Edward Elgar 6/2/1857 – 2/23/1934
English composer

78 Felix Weingartner 6/2/1863 – 5/7/1942
Austrian conductor and composer

97 Charles Stewart Mott 6/2/1875 – 2/18/1973
American automotive industrialist

79 John Lehmann 6/2/1907 – 4/7/1987
English poet, editor and publisher

66 Barbara Pym 6/2/1913 – 1/11/1980
English novelist

69 Charles Conrad, Jr. 6/2/1930 – 7/8/1999
American astronaut

1851	Maine became the first state to enact a law prohibiting alcohol.
1886	President Grover Cleveland, 49, married Frances Folsom, 21, in a White House ceremony.
1897	Mark Twain was quoted by the New York Journal as saying “the report of my death was an exaggeration.”
1924	Congress granted U.S. citizenship to all American Indians.
1941	Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig died at age 37 of a degenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
1946	The Italian monarchy was abolished in favor of a republic.
1966	The U.S. space probe Surveyor 1 landed on the moon and began transmitting detailed photographs of the lunar surface.
1979	Pope John Paul II arrived in his native Poland on the first visit by a pope to a Communist country.
1981	The Japanese video arcade game “Donkey Kong” made its U.S. debut.
1987	President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating economist Alan Greenspan to succeed Paul Volcker as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.
1995	A U.S. Air Force F-16C was shot down by Bosnian Serbs while on a NATO air patrol in northern Bosnia; the pilot, Capt. Scott F. O’Grady, was rescued six days later.
1997	Timothy McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 168 people.
1998	Voters in California passed Proposition 227, requiring that all schoolchildren be taught in English.
2010	Amid the Deepwater Horizon oil spill crisis, BP chief executive Tony Hayward apologized in a statement posted on Facebook for having told reporters, “I’d like my life back.”
2010	Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga lost his bid for a perfect game against Cleveland with two outs in the ninth inning on a call that first base umpire Jim Joyce later admitted he’d blown.
2011	Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination during an appearance in New Hampshire.

1937	Sally Kellerman, Actress, turns 75
1941	Stacy Keach, Actor, turns 71
1941	Charlie Watts, Rock musician (Rolling Stones), turns 71
1943	Charles Haid, Actor (“Hill Street Blues”), turns 69
1944	Marvin Hamlisch, Composer, turns 68
1948	Jerry Mathers, Actor (“Leave it to Beaver”), turns 64
1950	Joanna Gleason, Actress, turns 62
1954	Dennis Haysbert, Actor (“24”), turns 58
1955	Dana Carvey, Comedian (“Saturday Night Live”), turns 57
1955	Michael Steele, Rock musician (The Bangles), turns 57
1960	Kyle Petty, Auto racer, turns 52
1972	Wayne Brady, Actor, comedian (“Whose Line is it Anyway”), turns 40
1972	Wentworth Miller, Actor (“Prison Break”), turns 40
1977	Zachary Quinto, Actor (“Heroes”), turns 35
1978	Nikki Cox, Actress, turns 34

70	Martha Washington 6/2/1731 – 5/22/1802 American first lady (1789-1797)
74	Marquis de Sade 6/2/1740 – 12/2/1814 French nobleman and writer
87	Thomas Hardy 6/2/1840 – 1/11/1928 English novelist and poet
76	Sir Edward Elgar 6/2/1857 – 2/23/1934 English composer
78	Felix Weingartner 6/2/1863 – 5/7/1942 Austrian conductor and composer
97	Charles Stewart Mott 6/2/1875 – 2/18/1973 American automotive industrialist
79	John Lehmann 6/2/1907 – 4/7/1987 English poet, editor and publisher
66	Barbara Pym 6/2/1913 – 1/11/1980 English novelist
69	Charles Conrad, Jr. 6/2/1930 – 7/8/1999 American astronaut