Opinion - The Korea Times

MONDAY, June 23, 2025

930-World's oldest parliament, the Icelandic Parliament is established, the Alþingi (anglicized as Althing or Althingi) 1868-Christopher Latham Sholes patents the Sholes and Glidden typewriter, the first commercially successful of its kind 1960-First contraceptive pill is made available for purchase in the United States 1974-First extraterrestrial message sent from Earth into space 1983-Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa meets Pope John Paul II during papal visit to Poland 2016-United Kingdom votes in the Brexit referendum to leave the European Union

Jun 22, 2025

FRIDAY, June 20, 2025

451-Battle of the Catalaunian Plains: Roman and Visigoths forces defeat Attila the Hun in north east France, halting Hun invasion of Roman Gaul (exact date disputed) 1789-French Revolution: The Third Estate of the French Estates-General swears the Tennis Court Oath at the Palace of Versailles, swearing not to disband until a new constitution is formed 1840-American inventor Samuel Morse patents his telegraph 1895-First female PhD from an American University, earned by Caroline Willard Baldwin (in Science) at Cornell University 2020-Highest-ever temperature recorded in the Arctic circle, 38C (100F) in Verkhoyansk, Siberia

Jun 19, 2025

THURSDAY, June 19,2025

1306-The Earl of Pembroke's army defeats Robert the Bruce's Scottish army at the Battle of Methven 1829-Robert Peel introduces the Metropolitan Police Act 1829 into Parliament to establish a unified police force for London, the city's first modern police force 1862-Slavery outlawed in U.S. territories 1865-Union General Gordon Granger declares slaves are free in Texas, now the date the end of slavery is celebrated across the US as Juneteenth 1944-Day one of the two-day Battle of the Philippine Sea, US naval forces defeat the Japanese fleet in World War II 1991-Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar surrenders to police

Jun 18, 2025

WEDNESDAY, June 18, 2025

618-Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries of the Tang Dynasty's rule over China 1812-War of 1812 begins as the US declares war against Britain 1815-Battle of Waterloo; Napoleon Bonaparte and France defeated by British forces under Duke of Wellington and Prussian troops under Field Marshall von Blücher 1928-American aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean (as a passenger), landing at Burry Port, Wales 1940-Winston Churchill gives his "this was their finest hour" speech to the House of Commons urging perseverance in the war after the Dunkirk evacuation and the fall of France 1979-U.S. President Carter and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev sign SALT II treaty limiting nuclear weapons 1986-U.S. House of Representatives approves Bill to impose stricter sanctions on Apartheid South Africa 2015-Pope Francis blames human selfishness for global warming in his encyclical, named "Laudato Si (Be Praised), On the Care of Our Common Home"

Jun 17, 2025

TUESDAY, June 17, 2025

1579-English navigator Francis Drake lands on the coast of California at Drakes Bay, names it "New Albion" 1631-Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spends more than 20 years building her tomb, the Taj Mahal 1789-French Revolution: During the meeting of the Estates-General, the Third Estate proclaims itself the 'National Assembly' 1837-Charles Goodyear obtains his first rubber patent 1856-Republican Party opens its first national convention, party members meet in Philadelphia 1967-China becomes world's 4th thermonuclear power by exploding a hydrogen bomb 2019-Activist Joshua Wong calls on Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to resign after leaving prison amid street protests the day before of over 2 million people.

Jun 16, 2025

MONDAY, June 16, 2025

1215-English King John signs the Magna Carta at Runnymede, near Windsor in Surrey, places limits on royal authority and puts in writing the principle that the king and his government are not above the law 1219-According to legend, Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark and the oldest national flag in the world falls from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse (now Tallinn) in Estonia and turns the Danes' luck 1389-Ottomans defeat Serbian army in the bloody Battle of Kosovo, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest of Southeastern Europe. Large losses on both sides including Sultan Murad and Serbian leader Prince Lazar. (NS date) 1775-George Washington appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, the day after Congress establishes the force 1896-Tsunami strikes Shinto festival on beach at Sanriku, Japan; 27,000 are killed, 9,000 injured and 13,000 houses destroyed 1940-German troops occupy Paris as French resistance to the German invasion crumbles 1991-Climactic eruption of the Mount Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines, the second-largest volcanic eruption on Earth of the 20th century

Jun 15, 2025

FRIDAY, June 13, 2025

1373-Anglo-Portuguese Treaty of Perpetual Alliance (world's oldest still in existence) signed in London between King Edward III of England and King Ferdinand I of Portugal [1] 1866-U.S. House of representatives passes the 14th Amendment (Civil rights) 1878-Congress of Berlin begins, determines the territories of the states in the Balkan peninsula following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 1933-German Secret State Police (Gestapo - Geheime Staats Polizei) established by Hermann Goering 1945-Orokoe peninsula Okinawa captured, with 6,000 dead 1951-U.N. arm forces reach Pyongyang Korea 1956-The last British troops leave the Suez Canal Zone in Egypt 2000-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung meets North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, for the beginning of the first ever inter-Korea summit, in the northern capital of Pyongyang

Jun 12, 2025

ED Inaugural summit calls

Having started work immediately the day after the June 3 snap election, President Lee Jae-myung has already had three major rounds of phone calls with the leaders of the United States, Japan and China, Korea's three most important partner nations. Lee spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping for about 30 minutes Tuesday. During the conversation, Xi expressed China's desire to develop further cooperation within the framework of the bilateral partnership, and Lee responded by delivering that more "bilateral exchanges in the economy, security and culture, grounded in the principles of mutual respect and reciprocity" should take place, according to the presidential office. Lee invited Xi to attend this year's APEC meeting in Gyeongju in late October, as China is set to host next year's summit. If this visit materializes, it will be a first step toward possible goodwill in Northeast Asia. After speaking with U.S. President Donald Trump last week, along with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba Monday, and now also Xi, Lee has pulled up the curtains on Korea's diplomatic stage, which has la

Jun 11, 2025

THURSDAY, June 12, 2025

1830-Beginning of the French colonization of Algeria: 34,000 French soldiers land 27 kilometers west of Algiers, at Sidi Ferruch 1864-Battle of Trevilian Station, the bloodiest and largest all-cavalry battle of the American Civil War, ends with a Confederate tactical victory and Union successful retreat in Louisa County, Virginia 1931-Al Capone is indicted on 5,000 counts of prohibition and perjury 1942-Anne Frank gets her diary as a birthday present in Amsterdam 1964-Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison in South Africa 2018-Singapore Summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump - first time a North Korean leader and an incumbent U.S. President have ever met

Jun 10, 2025

WEDNESDAY, June 11, 2025

1184 B.C. -Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned, according to calculations by Eratosthenes 631-Emperor Taizong of Tang of China, sends envoys to the Xueyantuo bearing gold and silk for the release of Chinese prisoners captured during transition from Sui to Tang from northern frontier; succeeds in freeing 80,000 1776-Continental Congress creates committee to draft a Declaration of Independence with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston as members 1963-U.S. President JFK says segregation is morally wrong and that it is "time to act" 1987-Margaret Thatcher is the first British Prime Minister in 160 years to win a third consecutive term 2009-The World Health Organization declares H1N1 swine flu to be a global pandemic, the first such incident in over forty years 2014-Islamic State of Iraq forces seize control of government offices and other important buildings in the northern city of Mosul