June

In the early hours of June 24, 2021, a large section of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida, collapsed without warning. The disaster killed 98 people, making it one of the deadliest building collapses in U.S. history. The tragedy exposed deep issues of building safety, deferred repairs, and regulatory oversight, leading to sweeping changes in inspection practices and ongoing investigations into the causes of the collapse.

The Tiger Fire, igniting on June 30, 2021, in the rugged and wildfire-prone Bradshaw Mountains near Crown King, Arizona, rapidly grew to over 16,000 acres. Despite its vast spread, the fire resulted in no human casualties, thanks to significant firefighting efforts and timely evacuations. This account provides a detailed timeline of the event, the aftermath, and ongoing recovery efforts, highlighting the community’s resilience and the lessons learned for future wildfire management.

In June and July 2018, twelve boys and their soccer coach were trapped by floodwaters deep inside Thailand’s Tham Luang cave, setting off a massive international rescue operation that gripped the world. After 18 days, all were brought out alive in a perilous mission that claimed the life of a Thai Navy SEAL and highlighted the power of global teamwork and human resilience.

On June 14, 2017, a gunman attacked a group of Republican lawmakers and staffers during a morning baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, seriously wounding several—including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise—before being killed by police. The incident, motivated by political animus, sparked urgent questions about security, political violence, and national unity.

On June 12, 2016, a mass shooting at Pulse, a popular LGBTQ+ nightclub in Orlando, Florida, left 49 dead and more than 50 wounded. The tragedy, carried out by Omar Mateen who pledged allegiance to ISIS during the attack, became the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history at the time and profoundly impacted both local and national conversations about gun violence, terrorism, and hate crimes.

On June 26, 2015, three separate Islamist‑motivated attacks struck Kuwait City (Kuwait), Sousse (Tunisia) and Saint‑Quentin‑Fallavier near Lyon (France). A suicide bombing at a Shi’a mosque in Kuwait killed 27; a lone gunman massacred tourists at a Tunisian beach resort, killing 38; and an attacker rammed a vehicle into a French industrial site, killing one employee. The incidents, claimed or linked to ISIS, left about 66 dead and hundreds injured and prompted urgent security responses and long‑term questions about radicalization and cross‑border militant networks.

On June 17, 2015, a racially motivated mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina left nine Black congregants dead. The attack, carried out by self-avowed white supremacist Dylann Roof, shocked the nation and renewed urgent discussions around racial violence, hate crimes, and gun laws in the United States.

On June 27, 2015, a flash fire erupted amid a cloud of colored cornstarch powder during a dance party at Formosa Fun Coast Water Park in New Taipei City, Taiwan. The tragedy claimed 15 lives and left over 500 people burned, many critically. The catastrophe exposed overlooked dangers of airborne combustibles at public events, triggered sweeping changes in safety laws, and left an indelible mark on Taiwan’s collective memory.

The capsizing of the Dongfang zhi Xing on the Yangtze River during a violent storm led to one of modern China's most devastating maritime disasters.

Beginning on or about June 26, 2013, a violent confrontation in Shanshan County (Piqan), Turpan Prefecture, Xinjiang, China, escalated into unrest that was rapidly suppressed by local security forces. Official accounts described a short-lived public disturbance quelled with arrests; exile Uyghur groups and other observers disputed those figures. Independent verification remains limited, and the episode is remembered as one of several local clashes that fed a wider cycle of tightened security in Xinjiang.

On June 13, 2012, a coordinated wave of bombings, roadside explosives and shootings struck multiple cities across Iraq — most heavily in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Mosul, Baqubah, Taji and Iskandariya — killing roughly 90–110 people and wounding several hundred. The attacks came during a fragile post‑2011 security transition and were widely attributed to Sunni extremist networks tied to al‑Qaeda in Iraq.

The Waldo Canyon Fire was a devastating wildfire that swept into western Colorado Springs, Colorado, in June and July 2012, destroying 346 homes, taking two lives, and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. It remains one of the most destructive wildfires in Colorado history.

On June 3, 2012, Dana Air Flight 0992 crashed into a densely populated neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria, after suffering dual engine failure due to poor maintenance and delayed pilot response. All 153 people on board and at least six people on the ground perished, prompting sweeping changes in Nigerian aviation safety and regulatory practices.

On June 20, 2011, RusAir Flight 9605, a Tupolev Tu-134 on a scheduled domestic service from Moscow Domodedovo to Petrozavodsk, struck trees and terrain short of Petrozavodsk Airport in dense fog near the village of Besovets. Of the 52 people on board (43 passengers and 9 crew), 47 died and 5 survived. An Interstate Aviation Committee investigation found the crew continued an instrument approach below published minima in weather requiring diversion, with inadequate crew resource management and organizational shortcomings contributing.

On June 5, 2009, a fire engulfed the ABC Daycare Center in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, claiming the lives of 49 children and injuring dozens more. The tragedy exposed deep failures in safety standards, regulatory oversight, and public accountability, sparking lasting reforms and a national reckoning over child welfare.

On June 30, 2009, Yemenia Flight 626 tragically crashed into the Indian Ocean near the Comoros Islands, resulting in the deaths of 152 out of the 153 people on board. Despite numerous warnings and bans from EU airspace, the airline continued operations, leading to this devastating incident. This article explores the lead-up to the crash, the heart-wrenching aftermath, and the legacy it left on aviation safety.

On June 19, 2007, a suicide truck bomb detonated outside Baghdad’s historic al-Khilani Mosque, killing at least 78 worshippers and injuring over 200, in one of the deadliest attacks on a Shia religious site during the height of Iraq’s sectarian violence.

The Glasgow Airport attack on June 30, 2007, saw a failed vehicle bomb attempt that highlighted persistent extremist threats in the UK. The attack resulted in several injuries and prompted heightened national security measures.

On a fateful morning in July 2003, Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashed shortly after takeoff, resulting in the deaths of 116 out of 117 onboard. The accident, caused by engine failure and exacerbated by poor maintenance, highlighted the dire need for improved safety standards in aviation. This story delves into the event’s timeline, aftermath, and the lasting impact on aviation safety in Sudan.

On June 8, 2001, a mass stabbing at Ikeda Elementary School in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, left eight young children dead and fifteen others wounded. The attack, carried out by Mamoru Takuma, shocked a nation known for school safety and sparked major changes in school security and mental health policy.

On June 3, 1998, Germany's flagship high-speed ICE 884 derailed near Eschede, Lower Saxony, after a catastrophic wheel failure, causing a bridge to collapse onto the train. The disaster killed 101 people and injured 105 more, marking the world's deadliest high-speed rail accident and leading to sweeping changes in rail safety and maintenance worldwide.

On the evening of June 13, 1997, smoke from an electrical fault spread through the Uphaar Cinema in Green Park, New Delhi, as a packed audience watched the film Border. Locked and obstructed exits turned hallways into traps; 59 people died—mostly from smoke inhalation—and scores were injured. The disaster triggered years of litigation, tightened scrutiny of fire-safety enforcement, and a long struggle by victims' families for accountability.

On June 29, 1995, the Sampoong Department Store in Seoul, South Korea, suddenly collapsed, killing 502 people and injuring nearly a thousand more. The disaster exposed deep failures in construction ethics, regulatory oversight, and management responsibility, leading to sweeping reforms and haunting the nation’s memory ever since.

The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines was one of the most powerful volcanic events of the 20th century, causing widespread devastation, global climate effects, and reshaping disaster preparedness worldwide.

On June 21, 1990, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck northern Iran, devastating the towns of Manjil, Rudbar, and surrounding areas. The disaster killed more than 35,000 people, injured tens of thousands, and left hundreds of thousands homeless, exposing critical weaknesses in building standards and emergency response systems.

On June 7, 1989, Surinam Airways Flight 764, a Douglas DC-8-62 traveling from Amsterdam to Paramaribo, crashed in the jungles near Zanderij airport, Suriname. The disaster, caused by pilot error and systemic lapses under dense fog, killed 176 of 187 people on board—including most of the "Colourful 11" Surinamese Dutch football team—and remains the deadliest aviation accident in Suriname’s history.

The Ufa Train Disaster, one of the deadliest rail disasters in Soviet history, was triggered by a massive gas explosion on June 4, 1989, when two trains passed a leaking LPG pipeline near Ufa, Bashkortostan, resulting in significant casualties and highlighting systemic safety failures.

On June 2, 1983, a fire broke out in the rear lavatory of Air Canada Flight 797 while en route from Dallas to Montreal, leading to an emergency landing in Cincinnati. Despite a rapid evacuation, 23 passengers perished due to a sudden flashover that engulfed the cabin in flames, profoundly shaping modern aviation fire safety standards worldwide.

On June 6, 1981, a passenger train in Bihar, India derailed and plunged into the rain-swollen Bagmati River near Badlaghat. Overcrowded and running atop a flood-weakened embankment amid monsoon downpours, the train’s carriages tumbled into the river, leading to one of the deadliest rail disasters in history—with 500 to 800 or more fatalities. Rescue and recovery efforts were hampered by the force of the river and poor records, leaving the true human toll uncertain.

On June 16, 1976, thousands of Black schoolchildren in Soweto, South Africa, marched in peaceful protest against the apartheid government’s language policies—and ignited a nationwide uprising that forever altered the struggle against apartheid.

On June 20, 1973, crowds gathered at Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Ezeiza to greet Juan Domingo Perón’s return from exile. What began as a mass demonstration ended in sudden, concentrated gunfire from elevated positions and vehicles, leaving a contested casualty toll (commonly cited as roughly 11–13 dead and several hundred wounded) and deepening a lethal split inside Peronism that helped set Argentina on a path toward wider political violence.

On the night of June 9–10, 1972, a stationary thunderstorm system unleashed unprecedented rainfall over the Black Hills region of South Dakota, causing Rapid Creek to surge and leading to the catastrophic collapse of the Canyon Lake Dam. The resulting flash flood swept through Rapid City under cover of darkness, killing 238 people, injuring thousands, and destroying much of the city’s infrastructure and homes. The tragedy spurred lasting changes in disaster policy, urban planning, and public memory.

On June 6, 1971, a midair collision between a Hughes Airwest DC-9 and a US Marine Corps F-4B Phantom II over Duarte, California, resulted in the deaths of all 49 aboard the airliner and one of the military jet’s crew. The disaster exposed gaps in airspace management, ultimately leading to major reforms in aviation safety and traffic collision avoidance.

In June 1967, a brief but transformative conflict erupted between Israel and its neighboring Arab states, culminating in dramatic territorial shifts, thousands of casualties, and a legacy that continues to define the Middle East. The Six-Day War began with a lightning Israeli airstrike and ended with Israel tripling its territory, setting the stage for generations of dispute and negotiation.

In June 1964, three civil rights workers—James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner—were murdered near Philadelphia, Mississippi, by Ku Klux Klan members and local law enforcement. Their killings, which occurred during Freedom Summer, galvanized national support for the civil rights movement and highlighted the deadly risks faced by activists advocating for racial justice.

On June 20, 1956, a Lockheed Constellation operating as Línea Aeropostal Venezolana Flight 253 departed Idlewild Airport (now JFK) for Caracas. During the early en route phase near New York airspace the flight encountered a fatal in‑flight emergency and crashed; the airliner was destroyed and all aboard were killed. Investigators from the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board and airline representatives undertook a formal inquiry, though some details about the exact crash location and a definitive public account remain ambiguous in secondary sources.

On June 11, 1955, during the 24 Hours of Le Mans automotive endurance race, a catastrophic crash launched a Mercedes-Benz into the crowd, killing driver Pierre Levegh and at least 83 spectators. The disaster remains the deadliest single incident in motorsport history, catalyzing sweeping reforms to racing safety worldwide.

Beginning on June 13, 1944, Nazi Germany launched the V-1 — a pulsejet‑powered “flying bomb” nicknamed the buzz bomb or doodlebug — in an attempt to terrorize and disrupt Britain and later Allied ports. The campaign forced fast, improvised defenses (Operation Diver), sustained attacks on launch infrastructure (Operation Crossbow), and a brutal learning curve in both technology and civil protection. Roughly 9,000–10,000 V‑1s were produced and launched; British wartime figures record about 6,184 killed and 17,981 injured from attacks on the United Kingdom. The campaign reshaped air‑defence tactics and fed postwar missile research.

On June 10, 1944, in the small French village of Oradour-sur-Glane, Nazi SS troops massacred 642 civilians in a single day, destroying the village as part of a campaign to suppress resistance after the D-Day landings. The village’s ruins remain a stark memorial to the atrocity and its victims.

On June 26, 1941, three unidentified aircraft dropped bombs on the Hungarian-administered city of Kassa (today Košice), striking parts of the central city and injuring and killing civilians. The attack — for which responsibility remains disputed — was used by Hungary’s government as the immediate pretext to declare war on the Soviet Union the next day, binding Hungary formally to the Eastern Front campaign and altering its wartime course.

In the desperate weeks of the German Spring Offensive, American troops—most famously the U.S. Marine regiments of the 2nd Division—were rushed to the Château‑Thierry sector and into the oak groves of Belleau Wood. Between June 1 and June 26, 1918, brutal daylight assaults across wheat fields, close-quarters fighting among shattered trunks, and stubborn clearing operations stopped a German push toward the Marne. The engagement left thousands dead and wounded, reshaped Marine Corps identity, and became a contested emblem of American arrival on the Western Front.

On 13 June 1917 a massive accidental detonation tore through National Filling Factory No. 2 on the outskirts of Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. The blast — one of several wartime filling-factory disasters — killed 43 people, injured about 126 others, destroyed workshop blocks and shattered the quiet of a town whose women had come to fill shells for the Western Front.

On June 25, 1906, renowned architect Stanford White was shot dead in front of a packed audience atop Madison Square Garden by Harry K. Thaw, a wealthy heir obsessed with White’s relationship with Evelyn Nesbit. The murder, rooted in a tangled web of power, obsession, and scandal, shocked the nation and became one of the most infamous crimes of the Gilded Age, shaping American media and legal history.

On June 28, 1904, the Danish passenger liner SS Norge struck a submerged reef off the coast of Scotland and sank within 20 minutes, killing over 635 people—many of them hopeful emigrants bound for America. The disaster remains Denmark’s worst civilian maritime tragedy and a stark episode in the era of European migration.