June 26: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Same-sex marriage became legal in all 50 states.

It was a long time coming for many, and the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in favor of the change.

Ice Age: Continental Drift premiered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The first Harry Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” hit the shelves in the UK.

President Bill Clinton ordered a US cruise missile strike on Iraq.

The attack came as a warning for the attempted assassination of former president George H. W. Bush.

Elvis Presley performed his final performance in Indianapolis, Indiana, US.

The musical “Grease” opened at the New London Theatre.

The US Navy’s Vanguard SLV-2 launch vehicle failed to reach Earth’s orbit.

The Vanguard SLV-2 was the name for both the rocket and the satellite it carried. This flight would have been the second success of the Vanguard Program. However, as the rocket's second stage cut off early, it struggled to reach the required altitude to place the satellite into orbit.

Fifty countries signed the United Nations Charter in San Francisco.

The treaty was the ground basis for the United Nations, which is an intergovernmental organization. The UN was officially formed on October 24, 1945.

Charlie Chaplin’s silent movie “The Gold Rush” was released.

Karl Benz patented the gasoline-operated motor car.

William IV became king of The United Kingdom and Hanover until his death in 1837.

Dr. Zabdiel Boylston of Harvard University gave the first smallpox inoculations in Boston following America’s biggest outbreak.

Boylston started by inoculating his six-year-old son Thomas. He then tested the vaccine on his 36-year-old slave and their two-year-old son. They all responded positively, and during the campaign, Boylston successfully inoculated 247 people.

The emperor of China patented the toothbrush using coarse boar bristles.

Richard III was crowned King of England.

Richard's older brother, Edward IV, had previously been the King of England. When Edward IV died, his 12-year-old son, Edward V, was in line to become the next king. However, Richard managed to convince the lords of England that Edward IV's marriage wasn't legitimate, making Richard III next in line for the throne instead of Edward V.