A closer look at key historic events that took place on June 16:

In 2010, the world’s first country-wide total tobacco ban goes into effect

Bhutan prohibited the sale and cultivation of tobacco and tobacco products, with stringent penalties for violators. This initiative was part of Bhutan’s efforts to prioritize public health and well-being by reducing tobacco consumption and its associated health risks. It is still legal to smoke in a private setting, but obtaining products legally is nearly impossible.

Bhutan Flag

In 1976, South African police shoot at protesting schoolchildren

During the Soweto Uprising in South Africa, police opened fire on protesting schoolchildren who were demonstrating against the apartheid government’s policy of enforcing education in Afrikaans. The event marked a turning point in the anti-apartheid struggle, drawing international attention to the injustices faced by black South Africans under apartheid rule.

This photo by Sam Nzima is displayed on Hector’s memorial outside the Hector Pieterson Museum in Orlando West, Soweto. Mbuyisa Makhubo is carrying the dying Hector and Hector’s sister, Antoinette, is running beside him. Flickr

In 1963, the first woman goes to space 
Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel into space aboard Vostok 6, a Soviet spacecraft. Her mission made history as she orbited the Earth 48 times over three days, demonstrating the Soviet Union’s pioneering efforts in space exploration and breaking barriers for women in astronautics.

Stamp of Romania; 1964; airmail stamp of the issue “Cosmonauts and Astronauts”, drawing of the Soviet (female) cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova before flag of the Soviet Union; imperforate stamp in quadratic format; stamp postmarked. Flickr

In 1933, the Hundred Days period of Franklin D. Roosevelt ends

The day marked the conclusion of an intense legislative session aimed at combating the Great Depression. During this period, Roosevelt’s administration introduced a flurry of programs and reforms to stabilize the economy, including the passage of numerous bills and the establishment of agencies such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Tennessee Valley Authority. These initiatives laid the groundwork for Roosevelt’s New Deal policies.

Portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt taken on June 20, 1936. Flickr

In 1903, Ford Motor Company is founded

Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford and a group of investors on June 16. The company’s impact on industrialization and mass production techniques would have profound effects on manufacturing worldwide.

Ford Assembly Line Picryl

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