June 26
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1948: Berlin airlift takes flight
On this day, the United States and Britain began supplying West Berlin with food and other vital necessities by air after the Soviet Union’s Berlin blockade cut off all land and water access to the city. What started as a risky response to a Cold War crisis became one of the largest aid missions in history, as Allied aircraft delivered food, fuel, medicine, and other essentials to the city’s 2.5 million residents for 11 months.
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National Archives, Washington, D.C. (NAID 341666631); Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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© Universal History Archive—Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Born this day in 1911, American sportswoman Babe Didrikson Zaharias was one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century, attaining success in numerous sports, though she is perhaps best known for her achievements in golf.
Famous Birthdays
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Robin Reid/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States
2015
In Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional; writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy stated that “no longer may this liberty be denied.” [Read about milestone decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court.]
© Steph Chambers/Getty Images
2015
Ontario-born Connor McDavid was selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League’s entry draft. [Who are the 10 of the best NHL players in history?]
© Orhan Çam/stock.adobe.com
2013
In United States v. Windsor, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the provision in the Defense of Marriage Act that defined marriage for federal purposes as a legal union between one man and one woman. [Why are there nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court?]
© 2001 Warner Bros.
1997
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (also called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) was first published, in London; the book launched the hugely popular series about a boy wizard. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about literary characters.]
UPI/Bettmann Archive
1979
After almost 20 years of professional fights, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali announced his retirement from boxing. [Test your knowledge of sports.]
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
1977
Elvis Presley performed at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. It was his last public concert. [Take our quiz about rock and roll.]
© 2005 Index Open
1976
At 1,815 feet (553 meters), CN Tower was the world’s tallest freestanding structure when it opened (it was surpassed in 2007 by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates). [Can you match the famous building to its city?]
Ronald Martinez—Getty Images/Thinkstock
1974
Baseball player Derek Jeter—who, as one of the game’s leading competitors, helped the New York Yankees win multiple World Series titles—was born in Pequannock, New Jersey. [Read our list of the 10 greatest baseball players of all time.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1948
American writer Shirley Jackson’s best-known work, the short story The Lottery, was first published, in The New Yorker; the tale is a powerful allegory of barbarism and social sacrifice. [Watch a dramatization of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.”]
© 1938 Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
1904
Peter Lorre, who first achieved international fame playing the psychotic child murderer in the classic film M (1931; directed by Fritz Lang), was born in Rózsahegy, Hungary. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about movie actors.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1721
With the support of Puritan minister Cotton Mather, Zabdiel Boylston began the first smallpox vaccinations in the American colonies. [Why are vaccinations the most effective tools in medicine?]
© MAXPPP/Alamy
1483
Richard Plantagenet, duke of Gloucester, began his reign as Richard III after usurping power from his nephew, Edward V. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about English royalty.]