June 1916

[June 1], 1916 (Thursday)

• Battle of Jutland – The British Royal Navy Grand Fleet overcame massive losses in the opening of the battle to rout the Imperial German Navy High Seas Fleet in the North Sea during the night, forcing them to retreat back to home port. Although the British lost more ships, the Germans lost key ships that compromised their naval advantage. The result was tactically inconclusive but allowed the Royal Navy to retain dominance of the North Sea. British casualties were 6,094 and German casualties were 2,551.
• * German cruiser SMS Wiesbaden, sunk by a British barrage with 589 men lost including German poet Johann Kinau, better known by his pseudonym Gorch Fock.
• * German battleship SMS Pommern was shelled and sunk by British barrage with all 839 crew killed.
• * German cruiser SMS Frauenlob was torpedoed by HMS Southampton and sank, taking 320 men down with her.
• The German Navy scuttled cruisers SMS Lützow, SMS Elbing and SMS Rostock as all three were too badly damaged to bring back to port, adding to the 63,300 tons sunk by the Royal Navy.
• * British cruiser HMS Warrior was so badly damaged, it was scuttled. The Royal Navy also lost destroyers HMS Turbulent, HMS Ardent, HMS Fortune, and HMS Sparrowhawk which added to the total 113,300 tons sunk by the German navy.
• Battle of Verdun – A German force of 10,000 troops began their assault on Fort Vaux in northeastern France.
• The United States Marine Corps took control of key port cities of Puerto Plata and Monti Cristi in the Dominican Republic to enforce a blockade on the country.
• The United States Senate confirmed the nomination of Louis Brandeis as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States by a vote of 47 to 22.
• Born: Rick Fletcher, American comic strip artist, best known for his work on the Dick Tracy comic strip; as Richard Fletcher, in Burlington, Iowa, United States
• Died:
• * Charles J. Knapp, 70, American banker, indicted in the failure of the Binghamton Trust Company in 1909
• * Mason Scott, 50, English rugby player, played half back for the England national rugby union team from 1887 to 1890 and for the Barbarian club
• * John K. Stewart, 45, American inventor, co-founder of Stewart-Warner and other companies

  [June 2], 1916 (Friday)

• Battle of Mont Sorrel – German artillery shelled the defending Canadian Corps at Mont Sorrel east of Ypres, Belgium, inflicting heavy casualties that included the wounding of commanding officers Major-General Malcolm Mercer and Brigadier-General Victor Williams.
• Battle of Verdun – German forces overrun the top of Fort Vaux in northeastern France but French defenders continue to resist from the underground garrisons.
• British sailor Jack Cornwell, 16, died from wounds received while serving on during Battle of Jutland. He was awarded posthumously the Victoria Cross for his actions, the third-youngest British serviceman to receive the honor.
• Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition – News of the sinking of the polar ship in November 1915 and the attempts by expedition leader Ernest Shackleton to reach civilization and arrange rescue reached the United Kingdom, where it briefly dominated headlines normally reserved for World War I.
• Born:
• * Jozef Cleber, Dutch conductor and composer, known for compositions Heel de wereld and the Indonesian national anthem Indonesia Raya; in Maastricht, Netherlands
• * George Houser, American activist, co-founder of the Congress of Racial Equality and co-leader of the Journey of Reconciliation action to promote desegregation laws in Southern United States; in Cleveland, United States

  [June 3], 1916 (Saturday)

• Battle of Mont Sorrel – The Canadian Corps at Mont Sorrel scrambled to organize a counterattack after losing Major-General Malcolm Mercer, who died from wounds he received during the shelling the previous day, and Brigadier-General Victor Williams, who was wounded and taken prisoner. Organization delays forced the assault to occur in broad daylight, earning more heavy casualties with no lost territory recaptured.
• British passenger ship SS Golconda struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with a loss of 19 lives.
• The U.S. government enacted the National Defense Act, an update to the Militia Act. The legislation expanded the U.S. Army into including an air division, expanded the reorganized the Army's Division of Militia Affairs into the Militia Bureau which federalized the United States National Guard, and created a Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
• Born: Jack Manning, American actor, known for his stage performances of Othello, Man and Superman and his one-man performance of Hamlet on the TV program Monodrama Theater; as Jack Wilson Marks, in Cincinnati, United States

  [June 4], 1916 (Sunday)

• Brusilov Offensive – Russia launched a massive offense created by General Aleksei Brusilov to break through Austro-Hungarian lines in Galicia and relieve pressure for the Allies on the Western Front and the Italian Front in northern Italy.
• Battle of Mont Sorrel – British commander Julian Byng called in a British division to support the Canadian Corps while it recovered from Germans attacks. Canadian casualties after two days of fighting.
• Born:
• * Robert F. Furchgott, American chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery that nitric oxide caused cardiovascular activity; in Charleston, South Carolina, United States
• * Gaylord Nelson, American politician, 35th Governor of Wisconsin, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin from 1963 to 1981, founder of Earth Day; in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, United States
• Died: Fernand Dubief, 65, French politician, Interior Minister and Minister of Commerce of France from 1905 and 1906

  [June 5], 1916 (Monday)

• The Arab Revolt began against the Ottoman Empire when Emirs Ali and Faisal, both sons of Sharif Hussein bin Ali, organized an attack on the Ottoman garrison in Medina.
• Royal Navy cruiser struck a mine off Orkney, Scotland and sank, killing 737 crew including Field Marshal Herbert Kitchener, commander of the British Army.
• A series of tornadoes that ravaged the Southern United States over 48 hours started in Arkansas, killing 76 people. The worst incident involved a powerful F4 tornado hitting Heber Springs, Arkansas where 25 people were killed.
• Royal Navy destroyer HMS Patrician was launched by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Southampton, England. It served both the Royal Navy for World War I and the Royal Canadian Navy from 1920 to 1929 when it was scrapped.
• Japanese manufacturer Nippon Kayaku was established to produce explosives before it expanded in chemical manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.
• The School of Oriental Studies of the London Institution received royal charter, eventually becoming The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London when it included African studies in its curriculum.
• Stein's Dixie Jass Band played its first concert under its new name, the Original Dixieland Jass Band.
• Stone County, Mississippi, named after Mississippi Governor John Marshall Stone, was established with its county seat in Wiggins, Mississippi.
• Born:
• * Sid Barnes, Australian cricketer, played 13 Test matches between 1938 and 1948 for the Australia national cricket team; as Sidney George Barnes, in Annandale, New South Wales, Australia
• * Paul Bikle, American aeronautical engineer, director of the Dryden Flight Research Center from 1959 to 1971; in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, United States
• * John Bissell Carroll, American psychologist, developer of the Modern Language Aptitude Test; in Hartford, Connecticut, United States
• * Eddie Joost, baseball player and manager, played shortstop for Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox from 1936 to 1955, last manager for the Philadelphia Athletics; as Edwin David Joost, in San Francisco, United States
• Died:
• * Mildred J. Hill, 56, American songwriter, composed the song "Good Morning to All" with a melody later used for "Happy Birthday to You"
• * James Tyler Kent, 67, American physician, pioneer of homeopathy; died of Bright's disease

  [June 6], 1916 (Tuesday)

• A tornado outbreak spread from Arkansas into the neighboring states of Louisiana, Tennessee, and Mississippi, including an F3 tornado striking the northern suburbs of Jackson, Mississippi and killing 13 people. In total, 112 tornado-related deaths were recorded in the Southern United States.
• The 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion was established as reinforcing infantry unit for the I ANZAC Corps on the Western Front but later specialized in tunnel warfare.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art opened to the public in Wade Park District, Cleveland. Both the museum and the park are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
• The Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Imperial League of Australia, the forerunner to the Returned and Services League was founded.
• Born:
• * Hamani Diori, Nigerian state leader, first President of Niger; in Soudouré, French West Africa
• * Adalberto Almeida y Merino, Mexican Roman Catholic clergy, served as Bishop of Tulancingo, Bishop of Zacatecas, and Archbishop of Chihuahua; in Bachíniva, Chihuahua, Mexico
• * Jack Miller, American politician, U.S. Senator from Iowa from 1961 to 1973, justice for the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals and United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit from 1973 to 1991; in Chicago, United States
• * Tom Bass, Australian sculptor, known for public sculpture works including "The Sisters" and the AMP Sculpture; as Thomas Dwyer Bass, in Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia
• * Bert Head, English association football player and manager, played defender for Torquay United from 1936 to 1952 and coached several teams including Swindon Town from 1956 to 1965; as Bertram James Head, in Midsomer Norton, England
• Died: Yuan Shikai, 56, Chinese military official and state leader, President of the Republic of China from 1912 to 1915 then self-proclaimed Emperor of China from 1915 to 1916; died of uremia