June 18th Through History

Explanation: The Appeal of June 18 is considered the founding act of Free France. Paradoxically, very few French people heard it live: only a few thousand are estimated to have picked up the broadcast that evening. Its symbolic weight has grown steadily over time, and it is now commemorated each year in France.

Explanation: The Battle of Waterloo brought a definitive end to Napoleon's ambitions. It was fought in present-day Belgium and pitted the French army against a coalition led by the Duke of Wellington and Prussian field marshal Blucher. Napoleon abdicated a few days later and was exiled to Saint Helena, where he died in 1821.

Explanation: The Battle of Patay was one of the most decisive victories of the Hundred Years War. It came shortly after the lifting of the siege of Orleans. The English, whose famous John Talbot was taken prisoner, lost several thousand men. This victory paved the way for the coronation of Charles VII at Reims a few weeks later.

Explanation: The Italian Republic was born of an institutional referendum held on June 2 and 3, 1946, in which Italians chose the republic over the monarchy by 54% of the vote. It was the first time Italian women were able to vote. King Umberto II left the country on June 13, and the Republic was officially proclaimed on June 18.

Explanation: Sally Ride became the third woman to travel into space, after the Soviets Valentina Tereshkova (1963) and Svetlana Savitskaya (1982). She was 32 years old during the STS-7 flight. After her astronaut career, she became a physics professor and an advocate for science education for young girls. She passed away in 2012.

Explanation: The long-playing record (LP), launched by CBS, could hold up to 23 minutes of music per side, compared to about 4 minutes for 78 rpm discs. Spinning at 33 rpm and made of vinyl, it revolutionized the music industry and made it possible to release long works such as entire symphonies on a single medium.

Explanation: Paul McCartney co-founded the Beatles with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The band, from Liverpool, revolutionized pop music in the 1960s. After the Beatles broke up in 1970, McCartney went on to a prolific solo career and is regarded as one of the most influential musicians in the history of popular music.

Explanation: The Monterey Pop Festival (June 16 to 18, 1967) in California is often considered the first major rock festival in history. Alongside Hendrix, it featured Janis Joplin, The Who, and Otis Redding. The event marked the beginning of the Summer of Love and the peak of the hippie counterculture. Hendrix's burning guitar became one of the most iconic images in rock history.

Explanation: Receiving this manuscript pushed Darwin to publish: he had been working on his theory for decades but had hesitated to release it. In 1858, Darwin and Wallace jointly presented their work to the Linnean Society of London. It was not until 1859 that Darwin published On the Origin of Species, one of the most influential scientific works in history.

Explanation: The Battle of Kolin (June 18, 1757) was the first major personal defeat for Frederick II the Great, who had to lift the siege of Prague and pull out of Bohemia. The Seven Years' War (1756 to 1763) is sometimes called the first world war because it spread across several continents, notably involving India and North America.