June 13, 1981 (Saturday)
- At the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London, 17-year-old Marcus Sarjeant fired six shots at Queen Elizabeth, who was riding on horseback. The gun was a cartridge pistol that fired blanks, and the Queen was able to bring her startled horse, "Burmese", under control, but the act demonstrated the vulnerability of Britain's reigning monarch. Serjeant, who testified that he had been unable to obtain a real pistol prior to the event, was convicted under the Treason Act 1842, and spent three years in jail, before quietly being released in October 1984. He subsequently changed his name and began a new life.
- Born Chris Evans, American film actor (Fantastic Four), in Sudbury, MA
- Died: George Walsh, 92, American silent film leading man
Read more about this topic: June 1981
Famous quotes containing the word june:
“I sing of brooks, of blossoms, birds and bowers,
Of April, May, of June and July-flowers;
I sing of May-poles, hock-carts, wassails, wakes,
Of bridegrooms, brides and of their bridal cakes;
I write of youth, of love, and have access
By these to sing of cleanly wantonness;”
—Robert Herrick (1591–1674)