June

1 June 1946 — Television licences were issued in Britain for the first time; they cost £2. Broadcast receiving licenses, introduced by the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1904, became permanent in 1924. The BBC's television services, starting in 1936, were initially covered by these licenses. During WWII, broadcasts were suspended, but upon their return in 1946, separate TV licenses were introduced.

2 June 1949 — The Government of Ireland Act is passed and principally provided for the departure of Ireland from the Commonwealth but it also affirmed Northern Ireland’s status as part of the United Kingdom, subject to any future referendum to the contrary.

3 June 1996 — The High Court awarded compensation to 14 police officers traumatised during the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster.

4 June 1970 — Tonga Act is passed, making the Kingdom of Tonga independent within the British Commonwealth

5 June 2012 — This day was declared a bank Holiday to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee

6 June 1844 — The Factory Act is passed, which is arguably the first health and safety act in Britain.

7 June 1628 — The Petition of Rights was given Royal Assent, setting protections against the state and restricted the king’s non-parliamentary actions. This was a response to the monarch’s abuses.

8 June 1949 — George Orwell’s 1948 is published, giving a warning against totalitarianism and introduced such concepts as Big Brother and the Thought Police.

9 June 1975 — The first live transmission from the HoC was broadcast by BBC Radio.

10 June 1692 — The first ‘witch’, Bridget Bishop, became the first person to be hanged during the Salem with trials.

11 June 1509 — in a private ceremony in Greenwich, 18year old King Henry VIII married his former sister-in-law and first wife, Catherine de Aragon.

12 June 1989 —Members of Parliament voted to allow television cameras to broadcast proceedings in the House of Commons. See 9 June.

13 June 2012 — A man received a warning after calling 999 to complain about a prostitute's appearance. According to a police spokesperson, "The caller alleged that the woman had misrepresented her looks, prompting him to report her for violating the Sale of Goods Act." The Sale of Goods Act 1979 grants consumers legal rights, requiring that sold goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for their intended purpose, and accurately described by the seller.

14 June 2017 — A fire broke out at Grenfell Tower, resulting in 72 deaths. It is alleged that justice was obstructed because the LASPO Act of 2012 excluded legal aid for housing issues.

15 June 1215 — King John agreed to put his Royal Seal on the Magna Carta.

16 June 1963 — Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel in space.

17 June 2013 — R v Hall [2013] EWCA Crim 140 is decided, with James Stuard Hall, aged 83, pleading guilty to 14 counts of indecent assault on children and teenage girls. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

18 June 1965 — The UK Government announced the introduction of a blood alcohol limit for drivers.

19 June 1809 — the Curwen Act was passed, preventing the sale of parliamentary seats, thus decreasing the number of seats which the British governement could manipulate for its regular supporters.

20 June 1214 — The University of Oxford received its charter. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world. Alma Mater Studiorum Bologna, Italy, is the oldest.

21 June 1948 — The first stored programme to run on a computer was executed n the Small Scale Experimental Machine at Manchester University.

22 June 1802 — The Health and Morals of Apprentices Act is passed, limited children to a maximum twelve hour working day; children under nine were prohibited from working in the mills.

23 June 2016 — The EU Referendum took place, resulting in the UK leaving the EU.

24 June 1825 — The birth of W.H. Smith, news agent and bookseller. — The same one you get your sandwiches from.

25 June 1978 — The first version of the rainbow flag, which represents the LGBTQ pride, was flown during a parade in San Francisco.

26 June 2015 — U.S. Supreme Court ruled in bergefell v Hodges that state bans on same sex marriage were unconstitutional.

27 June 1914 — Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, culminating in World War I.

28 June 1491 — The Birth of Henry VIII, King of England. Throughout his reign, he married six times, beheaded two of his wives, and separated from the Catholic Church to establish the Church of England. He executed Catholics who refused to acknowledge the new church and also executed Protestants who insisted he should execute more Catholics.

29 June 1871 — The Trade Union Act was passed, giving trade union legal basis for the first time in history.

30 June 1937 — The World’s First emergency telephone number, 999, was introduced in London.