What Happened in June 1958

Historical Events

  • Jun 1 Belgian christian-democrats win parliamentary election

Election of Interest

Jun 1 Charles de Gaulle elected premier of France

  • Jun 1 The Riverside International Raceway in Southern California opens with three 500-mile races in one weekend; Eddie Gray wins the Crown America 500 for NASCAR Grand National cars
  • Jun 2 Alan Freed joins WABC (NYC) radio

Sports History

Jun 2 Brooks Robinson hits into 1st of record 4 triple plays

Baseball Record

Jun 2 Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford fans 6 in a row to tie an AL record

  • Jun 3 Referendum allows city to sell Chavez Ravine to the Dodgers
  • Jun 4 French Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle arrives in Algiers
  • Jun 4 San Francisco Giants Hank Sauer and Bob Schmidt are first in NL history to hit consecutive pinch-hit HRs in 10-9 win over the Milwaukee Braves
  • Jun 6 French Prime Minister Charles de Gaulle says Algeria will always be French
  • Jun 6 Ozzie Virgil is 1st black to play as a Tiger
  • Jun 7 90th Belmont: Pete Anderson aboard Cavan wins in 2:30.2

Music History

Jun 7 American songwriter and impresario Berry Gordy Jr. founds Tamla Records, precursor to Motown Records, in Detroit, Michigan

  • Jun 7 Battles between Turkish & Greeks Cypriots break out

LPGA Championship

Jun 8 LPGA Championship, Churchill Valley CC: Mickey Wright wins first of 13 major titles by 6 strokes from Fay Crocker

Event of Interest

Jun 9 HM Queen Elizabeth II officially opens London Gatwick Airport, (LGW), Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom.

  • Jun 9 Novelty song "The Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley hits #1
  • Jun 11 UN Security council sends observers to Lebanon
  • Jun 12 "Make Me Laugh" TV Game Show last airs on ABC-TV, syndicated 1979

Music History

Jun 13 Frank Zappa graduates from Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, California

  • Jun 14 British parachutists lands on Cyprus

US Golf Open

Jun 14 US Open Men's Golf, Southern Hills CC: Native Oklahoman Tommy Bolt wins his only major championship, 4 strokes ahead of 22-year old South African Gary Player

  • Jun 16 "Flip Top Box" by Dicky Doo & The Don'ts hits #46
  • Jun 16 Government troops land on North-Celebes, Indonesia

Things Fall Apart

Jun 17 "Things Fall Apart" by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe published by Heinemann - considered most widely read book in African literature

Event of Interest

Jun 17 Radio Moscow reports execution of Hungarian ex-premier Imre Nagy

  • Jun 17 The Wooden Roller Coaster at Playland, which is in the Pacific National Exhibition, Vancouver, Canada opened, and is still open to this day
  • Jun 20 New Zealand all out 47 v England in 2nd Test at Lord's; Jim Laker 4-13, Tony Lock 5-17; England wins by an innings & 148 runs
  • Jun 21 French franc devalues
  • Jun 22 Game in KC between A's & Red Sox delayed 29 minutes due to tornado

Sports History

Jun 22 LPGA Western Open Women's Golf, Kahkwa CC: Patty Berg wins back-to-back WO titles; beats runner-up Beverly Hanson by 4 strokes

  • Jun 23 Dutch Reformed Church accepts women ministers
  • Jun 23 Foundation Praemium Erasmianum (Erasmus Prize) established
  • Jun 23 US Federal judge rules race separation must end in 2½ years in Little Rock, Arkansas

Little Girl Blue

Jun 24 Nina Simone releases her debut jazz album "Little Girl Blue"

PM Gaston Eyskens

Jun 26 Leading a minority government, Gaston Eyskens is selected Prime Minister of Belgium for the second time

  • Jun 26 Mackinac Straits Bridge, Michigan dedicated
  • Jun 26 Vanguard SLV-2 launched for Earth orbit (failed)

Berlin Film Festival

Jun 27 8th Berlin International Film Festival: Ingmar Bergman's "Wild Strawberries" wins Golden Bear

  • Jun 27 Billy Pierce's perfect game bid broken with 2 outs in 9th
  • Jun 27 Harry Burrell flies KC-135 record (5:27:42.8) NY to London
  • Jun 28 American swimmer Nancy Ramey sets world record for 100m butterfly in 1:09.6 in Los Angeles, California
  • Jun 28 US Open Women's Golf, Forest Lake CC: Mickey Wright wins 1st of 4 Open titles by 5 from Louise Suggs; 1st player to win Open & LPGA in same year

FIFA World Cup

Jun 29 FIFA World Cup Final, Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden: Vavá & Pelé each score 2 goals as Brazil beats Sweden, 5-2

  • Jun 30 "No Chemise, Please" by Gerry Grenahan peaks at #24
  • Jun 30 Dutch government of Drees ends obligatory dismissal of married teachers
1958 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Jun 1 Ahron Bregman, Israeli journalist
  • Jun 1 Michael Landau, American session musician, engineer, and record producer, born in Los Angeles, California
  • Jun 2 Lex Lugar [Larry Pfohl], wrestler (WWF/WCW/NWA), born in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Jun 3 Ibrahim Hussein, Kenyan marathon runner (Boston Marathon-1988, 91, 92), born in Kapsabet, Kenya
  • Jun 3 Scott Valentine, American actor (Nick-Family Ties, My Demon Lover), born in Saratoga Springs, New York
  • Jun 4 Julie Gholson, American actress (Where the Lilies Bloom), born in Birmingham, Alabama
  • Jun 4 Tony Pigott, English cricketer (England pace bowler in a Test v NZ 1984), born in Fulham, London, England
  • Jun 5 Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi, President of the Comoros, born in Mutsamudu, Comoros
  • Jun 5 Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Thai businessman, sports team owner (Leicester City FC), born in Bangkok, Thailand (d. 2018)
  • Jun 7 Christopher Marcantel, actor (Chip-Nurse, Loving), born in Smithtown, New York
  • Jun 7 Francesca Thyssen, Swiss art collector, born in Lausanne, Switzerland
  • Jun 7 Philippe Boccara, American kayaker (Olympics silver 1996; World C'ship gold 1985, 87, 90-91), born in Le Mans, France

Prince Rogers Nelson (1958-2016)

Jun 7 American funk, rock, R&B singer-songwriter and musician ("1999"; "Purple Rain"), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Jun 7 Surakiart Sathirathai, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand
  • Jun 8 Keenan Ivory Wayans, American comedian (In Living Color), born in New York City
  • Jun 8 Michael "Jakko" Jakszyk [Curran], British rock singer, songwriter and guitarist (Level 42, 1991-94; King Crimson, 2010-present), producer, and actor, born in Archway, London, England
  • Jun 11 Kevin Wilkinson, British drummer (The Waterboys; China Crisis; Squeeze), born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England (d. 1999)
  • Jun 12 Fernando "Frank" Caldeiro, Argentine-American astronaut, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Jun 12 Rebecca Holden, American actress (Knight Rider), and country and Christian music singer, born in Dallas, Texas
  • Jun 14 Brian David Willis, American rock drummer (Quarterflash - "Harden My Heart"), born in Portland, Oregon

Eric Heiden (65 years old)

Jun 14 American speed skater (5 Olympic gold medals 1980), born in Madison, Wisconsin

Wade Boggs (65 years old)

Jun 15 American Baseball HOF 3rd baseman (5 x AL batting champion; 12 x MLB All-Star; Boston Red Sox; New York Yankees; Tampa Bay Devil Rays), born in Omaha, Nebraska

  • Jun 16 Jóhannes Helgason, Icelandic guitarist (Þeyr), born in Reykjavík, Iceland
  • Jun 16 Ulrike Tauber, East German swimmer, born in Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany
  • Jun 17 Bobby Farrelly, American film director (Dumb and Dumber), born in Cumberland, Rhode Island
  • Jun 17 Daniel McVicar, American actor (Clarke-Bold & Beautiful), born in Independence, Missouri
  • Jun 17 Derek Lee Ragin, American countertenor, born in West Point, New York
  • Jun 17 Des Drummond, Jamaican rugby league winner (24 Tests Great Britain, 4 England; Leigh RLFC, Warrington RLFC), born in Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica (d. 2022)
  • Jun 17 Jello Biafra [Eric Reed Boucher], American musician and activist (Dead Kennedys), born in Boulder, Colorado
  • Jun 17 Sam Hamad, Syrian-born Canadian politician, born in Damascus, Syria
  • Jun 20 (Beranadette) "Kelly" Johnson, British heavy metal guitarist (Girlschool - "St. Valentine's Day Massacre"), born in Edmonton, London, England (d. 2007)
  • Jun 20 Chuck Wagner, American actor (Automan), born in Nashville, Tennessee
  • Jun 20 Dickie Thon, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, born in South Bend, Indiana
  • Jun 20 Droupadi Murmu, Indian tribal politician (President of India 2022-), born in Mayurbhanj district, India
  • Jun 20 Mark Milley, American general (Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff 2019-), born in Winchester, Massachusetts
  • Jun 20 Ron Hornaday, American racecar driver
  • Jun 21 Gennadi Ivanovich Padalka, Russian major and cosmonaut (SK: Soyuz TM-28)
  • Jun 22 Bruce Campbell, American actor/producer/director (Army of Darkness, Evil Dead II), born in Birmingham, Michigan
  • Jun 22 Ruby Turner, Jamacaian-British rock singer ("No Where to Run"), born in Montego Bay, Jamaica
  • Jun 24 T. C. Chen, Taiwanese golfer (US Open 1985 runner-up), born in Taipei City, Taiwan
  • Jun 24 Victor M Gerena, American security guard robbed $7 million (FBI wanted), born in New York City
  • Jun 25 Debbie Green-Vargas, American volleyball player (Olympic silver 1984), born in South Korea
  • Jun 26 Glen Stewart Godwin, American murderer (FBI Most Wanted), born in Miami, Florida
  • Jun 27 Jeffrey Lee Pierce, American singer and songwriter (The Gun Club), born in Montebello, California (d. 1996)
  • Jun 27 Lisa Germano, American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (Geek the Girl), born in Mishawaka, Indiana
  • Jun 27 Magnus Lindberg, Finnish composer, born in Helsinki, Finland
  • Jun 27 Robert Newman, American actor (Joshua Lewis-Guiding Light), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Jun 28 Sergei Shakrai, Russian figure skater (Olympic silver 1980), born in Soviet Union
  • Jun 29 Leslie Browne, American ballerina (Turning Point), born in New York City

Rosa Mota (65 years old)

Jun 29 Portuguese long distance runner (Olympic gold marathon 1988; World C'ship gold marathon 1987), born in Porto, Portugal

  • Jun 30 Esa-Pekka Salonen, Finnish orchestral conductor (Giro), born in Helsinki, Finland
Born in 1958

Famous Weddings

B.B. King

Jun 4 American blues musician B.B. King (32) weds his second wife Sue Hall; divorce in 1966

Andrew Grove

Jun 8 Author and a pioneer in the semiconductor industry Andrew Grove (21) weds Eva Kastan

Nelson Mandela & Winnie Mandela

Jun 14 Nelson Mandela weds Winnie Madikizela

Elgin Baylor

Jun 22 NBA forward Elgin Baylor (23) weds Ruby Saunder at Mt Olive Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.


Famous Deaths

  • Jun 4 Mechtilde Lichnowsky, German writer, dies at 79
  • Jun 6 Lily Strickland, American composer and artist, dies at 71
  • Jun 7 Roger Hartigan, cricketer (2 Tests for Aust in 1908), dies

Robert Donat (1905-1958)

Jun 9 English actor (Citadel, Goodbye Mr Chips, 39 Steps), dies at 53

  • Jun 10 Angelina Weld Grimke, American journalist, teacher and playwright (Harlem Renaissance), dies at 78

Clarence DeMar (1888-1958)

Jun 11 American marathon runner and 7-time winner of the Boston Marathon, dies of cancer at 70

  • Jun 12 Marinus van Meel, Dutch aviator and aircraft manufacturer, dies at 77
  • Jun 13 Edwin Keppel Bennett, English writer (Built in Jerusalem’s Wall: A Book in praise of Jerusalem), dies at 70
  • Jun 15 François de Vries, Dutch economist, dies at 74

Imre Nagy (1896-1958)

Jun 16 Hungarian communist and Prime Minister of Hungary (1953-56), hanged at 62

  • Jun 16 José Pablo Moncayo, Mexican composer (Huapango), dies at 45
  • Jun 18 Douglas Jardine, English cricket batsman (22 Tests, 1 x 100, 10 x 50, HS 127; England's Bodyline Series captain; Oxford Uni CC, Surrey CCC, MCC), dies at 57
  • Jun 20 Kurt Alder, German chemist (Nobel 1950), dies at 55
  • Jun 23 Edvard Armas Jarnefeldt, composer, dies at 88
  • Jun 24 Bonifacius Cornelius de Jonge, Dutch politician (Governor General of the Dutch East Indies 1931-6), dies at 83
  • Jun 26 Andrija Štampar, Croatian physician and United Nations diplomat (b. 1888)
  • Jun 26 George Orton, Canadian athlete (b. 1873)
  • Jun 26 Martinus Ballings, Belguan Jesuit author (Vocation), dies at 93
  • Jun 27 Robert Greig, Australian actor (Sullivan's Travels, Horse Feathers), dies at 78
  • Jun 28 Alfred Noyes, British poet and essayist (Robin Hood), dies at 77
  • Jun 29 Charles Spencelayh, English painter (Why War), dies at 92
  • Jun 29 George Gunn, English cricket batsman (15 Tests, 2 x 100, 7 x 50, HS 122no; Nottinghamshire CCC), dies at 79