1822 – Charles Babbage proposes a difference engine in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society entitled "Note on the application of machinery to the computation of astronomical and mathematical tables".

1789 – Whiskey distilled from maize is first produced by American clergyman the Rev Elijah Craig. It is named Bourbon because Rev Craig lived in Bourbon County, Kentucky.

1983 – Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to leave the central Solar System when it passes beyond the orbit of Neptune (the farthest planet from the Sun at the time).

1970 – "The Long and Winding Road" becomes The Beatles' last U.S. number one song.

June 12, 1970 • 45th Anniversary
 

1933 – The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey, United States.

1892 – The Chicago "L" commuter rail system begins operation

Today in history: Robert F. Kennedy shot June 5th, 1968

1956 – Elvis Presley introduces his new single, "Hound Dog", on The Milton Berle Show, scandalizing the audience with his suggestive hip movements.

26 years ago

1974 – During Ten Cent Beer Night, inebriated Cleveland Indians fans start a riot, causing the game to be forfeited to the Texas Rangers.

1783 – The Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrate their montgolfière (hot air balloon).

1965 – The launch of Gemini 4, the first multi-day space mission by a NASA crew. Ed White, a crew member, performs the first American spacewalk.

2003 – Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.

1692 – Bridget Bishop is the first person to go to trial in the Salem witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Found guilty, she is hanged on June 10.

 Red_Dragon wrote: 
And kicked off The Summer of Love.

I think that 1967 had more important and awesome new music than any year prior or since.  Prolly the best summer (year) of my life.  Everything was dialed in and I was in the perfect place.

 1967 in music

Two years ago today. We realized that Nigel might do just fine living in our house.    

1967 – Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles is released.

1495 – Friar John Cor records the first known batch of Scotch whisky.

2002 – The Mars Odyssey finds signs of large ice deposits on the planet Mars.