Today in history: June 1
In 2009, General Motors filed for Chapter 11, becoming the largest U.S. industrial company to enter bankruptcy protection, and more events that happened on this day in history.
Video
1812: James Madison
In 1812, President James Madison, in a message to Congress, recounted what he called Britain’s “series of acts hostile to the United States as an independent and neutral nation”; Congress ended up declaring war.
1916: Louis Brandeis
In 1916, Louis Brandeis took his seat as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the first Jewish American to serve on the nation’s highest bench.
1943: Leslie Howard
In 1943, a civilian flight from Portugal to England was shot down by Germany during World War II, killing all 17 people aboard, including actor Leslie Howard.
1958: Charles de Gaulle
In 1958, Charles de Gaulle became premier of France, marking the beginning of the end of the Fourth Republic.
1980: Cable News Network
In 1980, Cable News Network made its debut.
2003: The G8
In 2003, leaders of the world’s seven wealthiest nations and Russia pledged billions of dollars to fight AIDS and hunger on the opening day of their summit in Evian, France.
2009: Air France Flight 447
In 2009, Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330 carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean with the loss of everyone on board.
2009: General Motors
In 2009, General Motors filed for Chapter 11, becoming the largest U.S. industrial company to enter bankruptcy protection.
2011: Space Shuttle Endeavour
Ten years ago: Space shuttle Endeavour and its six astronauts returned to Earth, closing out the next-to-last mission in NASA’s 30-year program.
2011: The GOP
Ten years ago: In a face-to-face meeting, GOP leaders complained to President Barack Obama that he had not produced a detailed plan of spending cuts and accused him of playing politics over Medicare; the White House said Obama had in fact led on the issue, and accused Republicans of trying to destroy the popular health care program for seniors.
2015: Caitlyn Jenner
In 2015, Vanity Fair released its cover photo featuring the former Bruce Jenner with the headline, “Call Me Caitlyn” as the Olympic gold medalist publicly completed a gender transition.
2016: Ken Starr
Five years ago: Ken Starr resigned as Baylor University’s chancellor, a week after the former prosecutor who’d led the investigation of the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal was removed as the school’s president over its handling of sexual assault complaints against football players.
2017: Donald Trump
In 2017, President Donald Trump declared he would pull the U.S. from the landmark Paris climate agreement. (President Joe Biden signed an order returning the U.S. to that accord on his first day in office.)
2020: Lafayette Park
One year ago: Police violently broke up a peaceful and legal protest by several thousand people in Lafayette Park across from the White House, using chemical agents, clubs and punches to send protesters fleeing; the protesters had gathered following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis a week earlier. President Donald Trump, after declaring himself “the president of law and order” and threatening to deploy the U.S. military in a Rose Garden speech, then walked across the empty park to be photographed holding a Bible in front of St. John’s Church, which had been damaged a night earlier in a protest fire.