Author: Martin D'Anjou

“The Sopranos” series finale on HBO (infamous “cut to black” ending).

The Spirit Rover is launched, beginning NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission.

CFL Montreal Concordes lose to Toronto in their first game; football team will later revert to former name, the Alouettes, but eventually fold.

The Six-Day War ends: Israel and Syria agree to a cease-fire.

Italy declared war on France and Britain. In addition, Canada declared war on Italy.

Alcoholic Anonymous was founded by William G. Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith.

The Jardin des Plantes zoo opened in Paris. It was the first public zoo.

Over 1 million people protest in Hong Kong over proposed new extradition laws to China in one of largest-ever protests in the city.

French Open Men’s Tennis: Rafael Nadal beats Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1; 3rd straight French singles title; 12th overall; first to win 12 singles titles at same Grand Slam; 18th major.

Edward Snowden publicly makes his identity known as the leaker of NSA documents.

Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche) became the first National Hockey League (NHL) player to win three Conn Smythe Trophies. The award is given to the playoff’s Most Valuable Player.

Canadiens beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 to clinch their 24th Stanley Cup title in the 100th anniversary season.

Pittsburgh Penguins pick Mario Lemieux as their number one draft choice in the NHL Entry draft.

Donald Duck makes his debut in “The Wise Little Hen”.

Jacques Cartier became the first to sail into the river he named Saint Lawrence.

World’s most powerful supercomputer, Summit, can process 200,000 trillion calculations per second, launched at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, by IBM and NVidia

Ray Bourque plays the final game in his NHL career

Vietnam War: The photographer Nick Ut takes his Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of a naked 9-year-old Phan Th? Kim Phúc running down a road after being burned by napalm.

The United States Supreme Court rules that restaurants in Washington, D.C., cannot refuse to serve black patrons.

George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is published.

“Lassie” debuted on ABC radio. It was a 15-minute show.

Ives W. McGaffey received a U.S. patent for the suction vacuum cleaner.

Stanley Cup Final, Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL: Tampa Bay Lightning beat Calgary Flames, 2-1 for 4-3 series win; Tampa Bay’s 1st-ever appearance in final.

Universal Studios Florida opens in Orlando, FL.

Wayne Gretzky wins his ninth NHL Hart (MVP) Trophy in 10 years.

Priscilla Presley opens Graceland to the public; the bathroom where Elvis Presley died five years earlier was kept off-limits.

Sony Corporation unveiled its brand new consumer home videotape recorder. The black and white only unit sold for $995.

The United Colonies changed their name to the United States.

LeBron James eclipses Michael Jordan’s record (109) for most 30-point games in NBA playoff history in Cleveland Cavaliers’ 110-102 Game 3 Finals loss to Golden State Warriors.

Tetris, one of the best-selling video games of all time, is released.

U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy died in Los Angeles after being shot by Sirhan Sirhan. Kennedy the evening before while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The Basketball Association of America was formed in New York City, NY.

The D-Day invasion of Europe took place on the beaches of Normandy, France. 400,000 Allied American, British and Canadian troops were involved.

Laying of cornerstone of Montreal General Hospital.

Miss America pageant announces an end to its swimsuit competition.

French Open Women’s Tennis: Serena Williams wins her 3rd French title and 20th Grand Slam singles event; beats Lucie ?afá?ová of Czech Republic 6-3, 6-7, 6-2.

Robert F. Kennedy, a U.S. presidential candidate, is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian. Kennedy dies the next day.

The National Hockey League (NHL) awarded three new franchises. The Minnesota North Stars, the California Golden Seals and the Los Angeles Kings.

The Six Day War between Israel and Egypt, Syria and Jordan began.

Elvis Presley introduces his new single, “Hound Dog”, on The Milton Berle Show, scandalizing the audience with his suggestive hip movements.

Benjamin Franklin flew a kite for the first time to demonstrate that lightning was a form of electricity.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter announces his resignation, 5 days after his re-election, amid FIFA’s involvement in a bribery scandal.

The former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of demonstrators during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.

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

The National Arts Center in Canada opened its doors to the public.

Elizabeth was crowned queen of England at Westminster Abbey.

George Herman “Babe” Ruth announced that he was retiring from baseball.

Mexican-American boxer Andy Ruiz Jr produces a huge upset when he stops English champion Anthony Joshua in 7 at Madison Square Garden; wins IBF, WBO, IBO and WBA world heavyweight titles.

US President Donald Trump announces the US is withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Switzerland?s Gotthard Base Tunnel is completed – world?s longest at 57km and most expensive tunnel costing ?11bn.

General Motors filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. The filing made GM the largest U.S. industrial company to enter bankruptcy protection.

Cable News Network (CNN) begins broadcasting.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono record Give Peace a Chance, during their ‘bed-in’ at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel.

Siesta was abolished by the government of Mexico.

Quebec is the first Province of Canada coins minted: pennies, nickels, dimes and 20 cent pieces.

Tiger Woods is arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Jupiter, Florida.

Heat wave in India centered in Telengana and Andhra Pradesh states is reported to have killed 1800 people in a week.

Space shuttle Discovery completed the first docking with the International Space Station.

Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra record Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”, the best-selling Christmas single in history.

Canadian Pacific ocean liner Empress of Ireland outbound from Quebec is hit by a Norwegian collier ship Storstad in Gulf of St. Lawrence; 1,024 lives are lost, 464 saved.