Atlantic Ave June 2023

June 15th, 1215
• The Magna Carta, often heralded as the foundation of many of
the basic rights and liberties we enjoy in democracies today, was
signed into law by King John of England. English nobles, frustrated
by the king’s power, forced him to sign the document and set the
foundation for modern democracy.
June 17th, 1972
• Five men were arrested at
the National Democratic Headquarters,
located in the Watergate
Complex in Washington
D.C. Their arrest would set off
a domino effect of investigations
that would culminate
with the resignation of sitting
president Richard Nixon two
months later.
June 18th, 1815
• In Belgium, on the field of Waterloo, the French army of
Napoleon suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of
British, Dutch, Belgian, and Prussian troops.
Napoleon’s defeat ended 23 years of war
in Europe. He was subsequently sent in
exile to St. Helena, a small island over a
thousand miles off the coast of Africa.
June 19th, 1812
• U.S. President James Madison
proclaims the United States to be
in a state of war with the British
Empire. The War of 1812 would last
over two years and see the White
House burnt down by British troops.
The war was ended in 1814 with the
signing of the Treaty of Ghent.
70 | June june 2023 | www.AtlanticAveMagazine.com
June 23rd, 1865
• The last formal surrender of Confederate troops to Union
soldiers takes place in the Oklahoma territory, as Confederate
Brigadier General Watie surrendered his battalion.
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June 24th, 1948
• The Soviet Union began a blockade of
West Berlin in order to force concessions from
the western powers. Instead, an emergency
airlift was undertaken by the Allies in order
to provide food, coal, and medical supplies to
the inhabitants of the city. British and American
planes flew about 278,000 flights, until May 12,
1949, when the Soviets lifted the blockade.