Today in History, June 10th
On June 10, 1940, Mussolini took Italy into World War II. Plus Franklin's kite, the founding of AA and the last episode of The Sopranos.
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June 10 is best known for 1940, when Benito Mussolini took Italy into World War II by declaring war on France and Great Britain. The date is also tied to Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite experiment in 1752 and the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935.
The big story: Italy declares war on France and Britain (1940)
When World War II began in September 1939, Italy sat on the sidelines. Germany wanted Mussolini in the fight, but his country was short on raw materials, and Britain and France had even dangled territory in Africa to keep him neutral. Then Germany rolled through France, and the Italian dictator decided he could not let Hitler carve up Europe alone. On June 10, 1940, Mussolini declared war on France and Great Britain. The timing struck many as opportunistic, since France was already reeling. The fighting itself went badly for Italy. Its troops didn’t move against France until June 20, and French defenders held them off with little trouble. Britain responded by interning many Italians living there. Across the Atlantic, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pledged to send the material resources of the United States to help the countries fighting Hitler and Mussolini.
More events on June 10
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1692 | The Salem witch trials in Massachusetts carried out their first hanging. |
| 1752 | Benjamin Franklin flew a kite in a thunderstorm to show that lightning is electricity, according to the traditional date for the experiment. |
| 1772 | Rhode Island colonists burned the British customs ship HMS Gaspee, a bold early act of defiance against the Crown. |
| 1775 | John Adams proposed that the militia besieging Boston become a Continental Army. |
| 1935 | Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron, Ohio. |
| 1940 | Norway surrendered to Germany after two months of resistance. |
| 1942 | In revenge for the assassination of SS leader Reinhard Heydrich, Nazi forces killed the 172 men of the Czech village of Lidice and destroyed the town. |
| 1967 | The Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors ended with a UN-brokered cease-fire. |
| 1980 | The African National Congress published a statement Nelson Mandela had written in prison. |
| 2007 | HBO aired the final episode of “The Sopranos.” |
| 2015 | Juan Felipe Herrera was named the first Latino poet laureate of the United States. |
Born on June 10
- 1922: Judy Garland, born Frances Gumm in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the singer and actress who became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
- 1928: Maurice Sendak, author and illustrator of “Where the Wild Things Are.”
- 1982: Tara Lipinski, figure skater who won Olympic gold at the 1998 Nagano Games, the youngest woman in her sport to do so.
Sources
- Italy declares war on France and Great Britain, History.com
- This Day in History: June 10, History.com
- Lidice, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Judy Garland, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Maurice Sendak, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Tara Lipinski, Encyclopaedia Britannica
