Seventy-three years ago today, a young Princess was crowned Queen in London, England. In London, people filled the streets. Celebrations took place everywhere. Flags were hung; street parties were held. The war was far in the distant past and the second Golden Elizabethan Age was ahead.

In the month of June, Elizabeth II was following in the path of her illustrious ancestors. In 1491, Henry VIII, known primarily for the number of wives he had, was born that month. But June is usually associated with weddings and brides and Henry VIII certainly had his share of both— Catherine of Aragon (divorced), Anne Boleyn (beheaded), Anne of Cleves (annulled) Jane Seymour (died in childbirth) Katherine Howard (beheaded), and Katherine Parr (who outlived him!).

Henry VIII’s ascension to the throne came about as a result of the death of his brother. Elizabeth II’s ascension because of the early death of her beloved father, the man who had become the reluctant King because of the abdication of his brother Edward VIII.

At the young age of 23 Elizabeth was thrust into the role of Queen. She was a young married woman and mother to two children and ruled until her death at the age of 97 in 2023.

Several other interesting events have also happened through the years on June 2^nd, including the beginning of the P.T. Barnum Circus tour through the United States in 1835.  In 1886 President Grover Cleveland was the first president to marry during his presidency when he wed Frances Folsom on June 2^nd that year.

In 1924, U.S. Citizenship was granted to all First Nations people on June 2^nd, and forty years later in 1964 the Rolling Stones made their first United States tour starting in Lynn, Massachusetts. A member of the Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman, was married on this date to Mandy Smith in 1989.  That same day, in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, a hunger strike by students demonstrating for democracy began. When over 100,000 citizens tried to protect the students from the Chinese soldiers marching on the Square, a massacre resulted two days later.

In religious history, James A. Healy was consecrated bishop over the Diocese of Maine, in 1875, which made him the first African American bishop in the history of the American Catholic Church.    

So, on June 2^nd, 1953, when a future Queen was crowned in England, it was also a date when many other important events, births and deaths have occurred throughout history around the world.

Happy June to all my faithful book and blog readers!