Today in history: June 2
In 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place in London’s Westminster Abbey, 16 months after the death of her father, and more events that happened on this day in history.
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1941: Lou Gehrig
In 1941, baseball’s “Iron Horse,” Lou Gehrig, died in New York of a degenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; he was 37.
1953: Queen Elizabeth II
In 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place in London’s Westminster Abbey, 16 months after the death of her father, King George VI.
1979: Pope John Paul II
In 1979, Pope John Paul II arrived in his native Poland on the first visit by a pope to a Communist country.
1987: Alan Greenspan
In 1987, President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating economist Alan Greenspan to succeed Paul Volcker as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.
1997: Timothy McVeigh
In 1997, Timothy McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people. (McVeigh was executed in June 2001.)
1999: South Africa
In 1999, South Africans went to the polls in their second post-apartheid election, giving the African National Congress a decisive victory; retiring president Nelson Mandela was succeeded by Thabo Mbeki (TAH’-boh um-BEH’-kee).
2008: Bo Diddley
In 2008, Bo Diddley, 79, a founding father of rock ‘n’ roll, died in Archer, Florida, at age 79.
2009: Scott Roeder
In 2009, Scott Roeder (ROH’-dur), an anti-abortion activist, was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of late-term abortion provider Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas. (Roeder was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 50 years.)
2011: Mitt Romney
Ten years ago: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination during an appearance in New Hampshire.
2016: Barack Obama
Five years ago: President Barack Obama, speaking at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, implored the next generation of U.S. military leaders not to give in to isolationism or pull back from U.S. leadership in the world, drawing a contrast with a foreign policy vision laid out by Donald Trump.
2016: Paul Ryan
Five years ago: House Speaker Paul Ryan endorsed Donald Trump’s bid for president, telling The Associated Press his goal was to make sure the GOP was “at full strength in the fall.”
2020: France
One year ago: Outrage over George Floyd’s death spread around the world; tear gas choked Paris as riot police faced off with protesters setting fires.
2020: Joe Biden
One year ago: Nine states and the District of Columbia voted in the largest slate of presidential primaries in almost three months; the vote count would confirm that Joe Biden had clinched the Democratic nomination.
2020: Protests
One year ago: Defying curfews, protesters streamed back into the nation’s streets, hours after President Donald Trump urged governors to put down the violence set off by the death of George Floyd.
2020: Wes Unseld
One year ago: Basketball Hall of Famer Wes Unseld died at 74.