June is known for weddings, but do you know why? In Ancient Rome, the Romans celebrated Juno, the goddess of marriage, around the month of June. In the 15th and 16th centuries, June was the month when people first bathed after the long winter. Both traditions lead to an increase in marriages during the month. Today, over 10 percent of all weddings each year are held during the month of June.
On June 26, 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The seaway is the world‘s longest inland waterway. Ships are able to travel the seaway from Duluth, Minnesota, to the Atlantic Ocean, which is a total distance of more than 2,000 miles. More than 50 million tons of cargo moves along the seaway each year. Ships carry steel, wood, coal and much more.
Every June, the third Sunday of the month is all about fathers. That’s because the third Sunday of June is when many people celebrate Father’s Day. On this day, people often give cards or gifts to their fathers, grandfathers, or other special men in their lives. The first official Father’s Day was held in 1910 after a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd pushed for a day to honor her father who raised six children on his own.
Every June, the best tennis players in the world head to London for the world’s oldest tennis tournament. Wimbledon, as the tournament is known , is played at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. It is one of the few tennis matches to be played on a real grass court, which was how it was played in 1877 during the very first Wimbledon. The first tournament was won by Spencer Gore.
Since 2004, skateboarders around the world have celebrated June 21 as Go Skateboarding Day. On Go Skateboarding Day, skateboarders use the day as an excuse to spend their time focusing on something they love – skateboarding! They skateboard all day long. According to the International Association of Skateboard Companies, the motto of the day is, “have fun, go skateboarding!”
On June 19, 1865, the Union soldiers brought news to Galveston, Texas that the war was over and all slaves were now free. Today, this occasion is celebrated as Juneteenth. It is also sometimes called Black Independence Day or Emancipation Day. Even though Juneteenth is only recognized as a legal holiday in Texas and Oklahoma, it is celebrated across the United States with festivals and speeches.
One of America’s best-known architects is Frank Lloyd Wright. Born on June 8, 1867, Wright went on to design many unique homes and buildings. He loved nature and wanted his designs to fit in with their natural surroundings. His most famous design is called Falling Water. Wright built the home so that a river flowed under it and used rocks from the river to help it blend into the scenery, making it look more like a waterfall than a house.
When she was 19 months old, Helen Keller was stricken with an illness that caused her to lose her hearing and sight. In her younger years, Keller communicated with her family by using hand signals that she invented. Keller started learning Braille and American sign language under the tutelage of Anne Sullivan. The amazing story of her formal education was depicted in the play The Miracle Worker, which was later adapted into a film. In 1904, Keller graduated from Radcliffe College, becoming the first deaf and blind person to receive a Bachelor’s degree. Later in life, Keller helped found the ACLU and became an advocate for a number of social causes, including women’s suffrage and labor rights.
Donald Duck first appeared in a cartoon called “The Wise Little Hen“ on June 9, 1934. He became such a popular character that more cartoons were made with him than were made with Mickey Mouse! Donald‘s original voice was provided by Clarence “Ducky” Nash. Nash played the plucky duck for 50 years. Known for his temper tantrums, Donald became the subject of a daily comic strip in 1938.
The vacation home of Edgar J. Kaufmann is perched above Bear Run, a mountain stream in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. The home, which is called “Fallingwater,” was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright believed that “no house should ever be on any hill.” It should be ofthe hill, or belonging to it, said Wright, who was born on June 8, 1867. Fallingwater, with its ledges and lots of natural stone, is like a part of the forest.