Today in History, 6/24

1340: During the Hundred Year's War, the French fleet is almost totally destroyed by the English fleet commanded in person by King Edward III.
1374: A sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance causes the people in the streets of Aachen, Germany to experience hallucinations and dance uncontrollably until they drop.
1441: Eton College is founded. This was James Bond's alma mater and the Duke of Wellington once noted, "The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton."1497: John Cabot lands in Newfoundland. This is the first European exploration of the area since the Vikings.
1509: Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are crowned King and Queen of England.
1533: Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester is born. He was a childhood friend of Queen Elizabeth I and has been romantically linked to her on more than one occasion.1664: The colony of New Jersey is founded.
1692: Kingston, Jamaica is founded.
1794: Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine is founded. It was the alma mater of Civil War hero General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.1812: Naploneon's Grand Armee crosses the Neman River, commencing the invasion of Russia.
1842: Ambrose Bierce is born. He is known these days for writing An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and The Devil's Dictionary.1880: The first performance of O Canada. Here's Olympian Chandra Crawford belting it out at Torino, 2006:

1895: Jack Dempsey, world heavyweight champion from 1919-1926, is born.1901: The first exhibition of Pablo Picasso's work opens.
1916: Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to get a million-dollar contract.1938: A 450 ton meteorite strikes an empty field near Chicora, Pennsylvania.
1944: Jeff Beck, guitarist for The Yardbirds, is born.

1947: Peter Weller is born.
1950: Nancy Allen is born. Hey, she co-starred with Peter Weller in Robocop!

1948: The Soviet Union starts the Berlin Blockade, halting all travel between West Berlin and the West.
1957: The US Supreme Court rules that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment.
1961: Curt Smith, of Tears for Fears, is born.


Today in History elements mostly cribbed from The History Channel, Wikipedia, The New York Times, The Jewish World Review, The Writer's Almanac and anything else I can dig up.