June 19, 1867 – On this day the last emperor of Mexico was executed by a firing squad. His name was Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph and his last words were:
Mexicanos! I die in a just cause… the independence and liberty of Mexico. May my blood be the last to flow for the good of this land. [...]
June 17, 1871 – Clement Vallandigham died on this day in a bizarre freak accident. More on that later.
During the Civil War Vallandigham represented Ohio’s 3rd district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was an outspoken anti-war, pro-Confederate democrat. As the leader of the so-called Copperheads he came up with their snappy slogan, “To [...]
June 11, 1963 – On this morning a procession of Buddhist monks and nuns marched to an intersection near the Cambodian embassy in Saigon. Three monks emerged from a car. One placed a cushion on the road and another carried a 5-gallon tank of gasoline. The third monk was Hòa thượng Thích Quảng Đức, [...]
