June 9th in History

53 - The Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia.

68 - The Roman Emperor Nero commits suicide, after quoting Homer's Iliad, thus ending the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and starting the civil year known as the Year of the Four Emperors.

1650 - The Harvard Corporation, the more powerful of the two administrative boards of Harvard, is established. It is the first legal corporation in the Americas.

1762 - British forces begin the Siege of Havana and capture the city during the Seven Years' War.

1798 - Irish Rebellion of 1798: Battle of Arklow and Battle of Saintfield.

1873 - Alexandra Palace in London burns down after being open for only 16 days.

1923 - Bulgaria's military takes over the government in a coup.

1944 - World War II: the Soviet Union invades East Karelia and the previously Finnish part of Karelia, occupied by Finland since 1941.

1946 - His  Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej ascends to the throne of Thailand. He is currently the world's longest reigning monarch.

1954 - McCarthyism: Joseph Welch, special counsel for the United States Army, lashes out at Senator Joseph McCarthy during hearings on whether Communism has infiltrated the Army giving McCarthy the famous rebuke, "You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"

1967 - Six-Day War: Israel captures the Golan Heights from Syria

1978 - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opens its priesthood to "all worthy men", ending a 148-year-old policy of excluding black men.

1999 - Kosovo War: the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and NATO sign a peace treaty.

2006 - 60th Anniversary Celebrations of Bhumibol Adulyadej's Accession.

Famous Birthdays

1595 - Władysław IV Vasa,  King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania

1640 - Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

1661 - Feodor III of Russia, Tsar of All Russia

1672 - Peter the Great, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias

1885 - Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski, 27th Prime Minister of Poland

1911 - George Webb, actor

1930 - Princess Ragnhild of Norway

1943 - Kenny Barron, pianist

1963 - Johnny Depp, actor, screenwriter, producer, director, and musician

1978 - Matthew Bellamy, singer-songwriter, musician, and producer

1981 - Natalie Portman, actress

1983 - HRH Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark

1986 - Adamo Ruggiero, actor

1989 - Dídac Vilà, footballer