June 19: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Thousands of pigeons went missing after a freak weather incident.

Over 250,000 pigeons that were raised from birth were released for a race. Only 10% of the pigeons returned, and it is believed that an unexplained weather event occurred which caused them to go missing.

The ten millionth patent, a specialized laser radar, was issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Batman Returns was released in the US.

The movie was made with an $80 million budget and earned $282.8 million worldwide.

Drug lord Pablo Escobar handed himself into the police.

Escobar had been negotiating his surrender for a few weeks prior with an 82-year-old catholic priest.

The US Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that required schools to teach creationism.

The Supreme Court ruled that the law violated the First Amendment's Establishment Clause because it was intended to advance one specific religion over another.

The TIROS-7 meteorological satellite was launched atop a Thor-Delta rocket.

TIROS-7 aimed to test new and experimental infrared equipment and television techniques. It was spin-stabilized, which allowed its external television cameras to take cloud-cover pictures and transmit them back to earth.

Kuwait declared its independence from the UK.

In Atlanta, Georgia, legislation passed that made pinball machines illegal in the city.

At the time, it was seen as a form of gambling.

Father’s Day was celebrated for the first time in the US.

The day was first celebrated in Washington but didn't become a national holiday until Mother's Day was made official 58 years later.

Benito Mussolini was arrested in Switzerland for a violent strike. He spent two weeks in jail and was deported to Italy.

Years later, Mussolini played a pivotal role in WWII due to his fascist imperial ambitions.

The USS Kearsarge sank the CSS Alabama off the coast of Cherbourg, France.

Once the USS Kearsarge spotted the Confederate CSS Alabama ship and was in range, war ensued.

President Lincoln signed an Act that made slavery illegal in US territories.

Slavery also became illegal in the States on January 1, 1863.

Sir Robert Peel introduced the Metropolitan Police Act in Britain.

The Act created the Metropolitan Police of London and replaced the previous unorganized systems that were in place. It became the first known modern police force.

Louis IV was crowned king of West Francia.

France was divided into separate parts during the medieval ages, and King Louis IV was made king of the western part of the Frankish Empire. His coronation took place in Laon, France.