The summer solstice heralds the beginning of summer. The timing of the solstice depends on when the Sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator. The word solstice is from the Latin solstitium, from sol (sun) and stitium (to stop), reflecting the fact that the Sun appears to stop at this time (and again at the winter solstice). In temperate regions, we notice that the Sun is higher in the sky throughout the day, and its rays strike Earth at a more direct angle, causing the efficient warming we call summer. In the winter, just the opposite occurs: The Sun is at its southernmost point and is low in the sky. Its rays hit the Northern Hemisphere at an oblique angle, creating the feeble winter sunlight.
Daily Calendar for Friday, June 20, 2025
West Virginia Day celebrates the statehood of West Virginia. The 35th state was formed when several northwestern counties of Virginia objected to that state’s decision in 1861 to join the Confederacy during the Civil War. These counties worked for two years to form their own state and join the Union. They succeeded on June 20, 1863. Since 1927, West Virginians have officially celebrated this event on June 20 each year.
Born
- Errol Flynn (actor) –
- Martin Landau (actor) –
- Brian Wilson (singer) –
- Anne Murray (singer) –
- Bob Vila (handyman) –
- Lionel Richie (singer) –
- John Goodman (actor) –
- Nicole Kidman (actress) –
- Josh Lucas (actor) –
- Shefali Chowdhury (actress; plays Parvati Patil in the Harry Potter movies) –
Died
- Bugsy Siegel (gangster) –
- Jack Kilby (the man who pioneered the development of the microchip and helped to create the first hand-held calculator) –
- Donald Sutherland (actor) –
Events
- Congress adopted the Great Seal of the United States–
- Queen Victoria gained the British throne–
- A patent for the telegraph was granted to Samuel Morse–
- West Virginia was admitted to the Union as the 35th state–
- Queen Victoria’s 2-day Golden Jubilee celebration began–
- First “Baby Bonus” checks were sent to Canadian families–
- The microgroove, long-playing, Vinylite record, called the LP, was formally introduced at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City by CBS (Columbia Records)–
- Fred H. Howard received a patent for a hybrid tea rose with clear rose red color which does not fade or turn blue”“–
- The U.S. and the Soviet Union signed an agreement in Geneva to establish a so-called hot line emergency communication system, linking Washington and Moscow–
- New National Library of Canada building officially opened in Ottawa, Ontario–
- The first oil from Alaska’s frozen north slope began flowing into the trans-Alaska pipeline system (TAPS)–
- In Russia, Sir Paul McCartney performed his 3,000th gig–
- A minor earthquake (magnitude 1.0) shook the New Hampshire seacoast–
Weather
- Tornado hit Fargo, North Dakota, destroying 1,364 homes and killing 10–
- Baseball-sized hail was reported in parts of New England–
- Lightning from Friday night storms (June 20) sparked more than 800 fires in northern California. Storms on Friday night produced an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 lightning strikes. Thousands of firefighters, including those from neighboring states, worked to put the fires out from ground and air over the next few days. Tens of thousands of acres were consumed over several days. On Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard helicopters performed an emergency airlift of 8 endangered California condors (7 juveniles, 1 adult) from a wildlife center to the Monterey airport. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared state of emergency for Monterey and Trinity Counties on Monday.–
- Newark, New Jersey, had a record high temperature of 98 degrees Fahrenheit–
- Burlington, Vermont, had a record high temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit–
- New York City had a record high temperature of 98 degrees Fahrenheit–
- Hartford, Connecticut, had a record high temperature of 97 degrees Fahrenheit–
- Danielle formed, setting a record for the earliest fourth tropical storm in the Atlantic basin–
