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Hawaii becomes the first U.S. state to raise the smoking age from 18 to 21

Hawaii’s governor signed a bill raising the legal smoking age statewide to 21, the first U.S. state to do so. The law will also ban the sale, purchase or use of electronic cigarettes for those under the age of 21.

Prince Felipe ascends the Spanish throne as King Felipe VI

Felipe ascended the throne at the stroke of midnight on 19 June; his father had given his sanction to the organic law effecting his abdication just hours earlier. The next morning, after receiving the Captain General's sash from his father, he was formally sworn in and proclaimed king in a low-key ceremony held in the Cortes.

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, marries Sophie Rhys-Jones

Prince Edward, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II, married Sophie Rhys-Jones in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The wedding was a family occasion, therefore no politicians or celebrities were invited. The couple wished for a more informal wedding and spent their honeymoon at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Victory for McDonald's - at a cost

The McDonald’s Corporation filed a lawsuit against Helen Steel and David Morris, a pair of environmental activists, over their factsheet critical of the company. Given the nature of the case. which had lasted almost ten years, and the corporation's only partial victory, the litigation came out as an embarrassment for McDonald's.

'God's banker' is found hanged in London

Roberto Calvi was an Italian banker dubbed "God's Banker" by the press for his close association with the Holy See. He was Chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, which collapsed in one of modern Italy's biggest political scandals. He was found dead on the scaffolding beneath Blackfriars Bridge over the River Thames in London, one day prior having been stripped of his position at Banco Ambrosiano. According to an independent investigation, however, he could not have hanged himself and his death was ruled a murder.

The Civil Rights Act is approved in USA

The Civil Rights Act is a landmark civil rights and US labor law that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It prohibits the unequal application of voter registration requirements, racial segregation in schools, employment, and public accommodations.

The FCC is created

The FCC was created as an independent agency of the US government. It’s goal is to regulate interstate communications by radio, TV, wire, satellite and cable. The creation came with the Communications Act of 1934 that replaced the radio regulation functions of the Federal Radio Commission. It is funded entirely by regulatory fees.

Junteenth: Slavery is outlawed in Texas

Juneteenth is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans throughout the former Confederacy of the southern United States. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration.

Anniversaries of the (in)famous

born 1964

Boris Johnson

born 1962

Paula Abdul