By TR Robertson
These are some important and significant dates in the month of June, some holidays-some celebrations. Mark these on your calendar.
Friday, June 6 – D-Day Observance – The anniversary of the D-Day landing on June 6, 1944, on the 50 mile stretch of beaches in Normandy, France, where 156,000 American, British and Canadian Allied Forces began a push into France that would lead to the liberation of France, a turning point in WWII and the beginning of the end of the war against Germany. The day is not a federal holiday but is marked by celebrations around the United States and in France is marked with fireworks, parades, international parachuting events and a giant picnic on Omaha Beach. The war in Europe would officially end on May 7, 1945, and end against Japan on September 2, 1945.
Saturday, June 14 – Flag Day – This day commemorates the adoption, in 1777, of the first official American flag, “Stars and Stripes”, by the Continental Congress. The day is to honor the American Flag and its significance as a symbol of the nation’s ideals of freedom and unity. It is not a legal federal holiday except in the state of Pennsylvania.
Sunday, June 15 – Father’s Day – This day honors fathers, fatherhood and the influence of fathers. It is recognized around the world on different days. The celebrations of fathers’ dates back to Catholic Europe in 1508. In the United States, in 1908, Grace Golden Clayton proposed a day to honor the hundreds of men who had died in a mining accident in West Virginia, many of them fathers with large families. The day was proposed but did not catch on except in the community where the mining accident occurred. In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd proposed to the Spokane Ministerial Association a day to celebrate fathers, after attending a church celebration on Mother’s Day. Sonora and her 5 brothers were being raised by her single father, after her mother had passed away. The Association liked the idea and spread the idea to other congregations in cities around the state of Washington and on June 19, 1910, the first Father’s Day celebration began. The day slowly spread to other states but would not be recognized by every state in the United States until 1972. The day is a day of celebration and is not a federal holiday.
Thursday, June 19 – Juneteenth Day – This day commemorates the official emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Texas on June 19, 1865, marking the unofficial end of slavery in the United States. The official end of slavery came with the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution on December 6, 1865. This day is recognized as a federal holiday since 2021 when President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. Banks and most schools that are still open are closed on this day. The day is marked by a variety of celebrations in states across the nation.
Friday, June 20 – Summer Begins – This is the first official day of summer astronomically, known as the Summer Solstice. This day is the longest day of the year according to the Old Farmers Almanac. There are no particular celebrations associated with the day, and it is not a holiday.
However you celebrate any of these days, have fun, be safe and remember the significance of these days.
