Climate Update: Europe Braces For First Major Heatwave For the Summer of 2025

   

The old button from the Environmental Club days which I just happened to find on Earth Day! It is a little beat up (particularly the ends of the ribbon), but no worse for the wear, I think. And it is one of the few items that I have left from those days, so it carries a lot of great memories for me! Nothing Changes Until You Do!

It's strange, because I have reported here (from major news sources, I should point out) about some heat waves in recent weeks in Europe.

Yet, there is a massive heatwave about to hit Europe, and many of these same news sources (like the Guardian) are suggesting that this is the first major heatwave for Europe this year.

So be it. My guess is that this is clearly the most severe heatwave that Europe will experience to this point in 2025. In some parts of southern Spain, temperatures might climb up to 42C (107.6F), That is staggeringly hot.

Regions which are affected by this extreme heat are taking precautions. Two-thirds of Portugal is under extreme heat warning, and forest fires are a major concern. In Marseilles, the second largest city in France, swimming pools are going to be free, so that everyone can have a chance to cool down. In parts of Italy, there is a ban on outdoor work in place during peak temperatures during the heatwave days. 

There are also concerns and warnings about other heat-related risks, such as the spread of wildfires.

The heatwave follows a series of broken extreme-heat records, including Europe’s hottest March ever, according to the EU’s Copernicus climate monitor. As a result of the planet’s warming, extreme weather events, including hurricanes, droughts, floods and heatwaves, have become more frequent and intense, scientists warn.

Last year was the hottest in recorded history so far and led to worldwide disasters, costing more than $300bn (£219bn). A Lancet Public Health study published last year found that heat deaths in Europe could triple by the end of the century, with the numbers rising disproportionately in southern countries such as Italy, Greece and Spain.

In another article published by Euronews (see link below), one meteorologists specifically warned that these kinds of sweltering conditions are, for all intents and purposes, the new normal:

One French meteorologist, Jérôme Cerisier, says they are expecting 10 to 15 degrees above the seasonal average.          

"A new anticyclone is settling over France, and we’ll once again have what we call a ‘heat dome’, with temperatures rising by 1 to 2°C day after day. The warm air is self-sustaining, the skies are clear, so we’ll once again see exceptional values, often 10 to 15°C above seasonal averages, and for the long term," said Cerisier.

Again, I wonder if people feel that maybe it's time to have a serious discussion about the impact of climate change, instead of making excuses for how all of this really is that out of the ordinary, and there is no real proof yet - spend a few hours outside during the peak temperatures in regions experiencing heat waves like this if you still need proof - and all of the other doubts which skeptics fixate on.

But this sure looks real to me. It sure felt real to me last week, when we here in the northeastern United States were experiencing the hottest, most uncomfortable heatwave in well over a century, dating back to 1888. Record heatwaves in North America, in Europe. This year, we saw the hottest March on record in Europe and Asia. Last year was the hottest year on record in European history, and it seems like this year might contend for that title as well.

It's time to acknowledge that all of this is not normal. That global warming/climate change is real, and that we really need to do something.

Yet here in the United States, we keep empowering idiots with obviously vested interests in denying climate change, which also obviously means denying any kind of action on climate change. For God's sake, we have a sitting president who infamously claimed that climate change is nothing more than a Chinese hoax. 

But if this is a Chinese hoax, I have to say that the Chinese are light years ahead of us in terms of their capabilities. Because this sure looks and feels real as hell to me.

You know, when I first heard about climate change as a kid back in the eighties, I remember thinking that it was hard to imagine. At the time, officials (particularly high-ranking officials here in the United States, like President Reagan) clearly did not take the threat of climate change seriously. In fact, I remember many people literally laughed at the idea.

I wonder if those people are still laughing?

If so, we cannot help but wonder just what in the hell is wrong with them? 

It's time to end the debate on whether climate change is real or not. Clearly, there are simply too many such unusual headlines to dismiss all of them, or claim that there is "nothing" to this whole global warming thing. We need to recognize that apparently there will always be some people who remain skeptics, and it's time to leave them behind, frankly. They have been expressing the same cynicism for many decades now, and otherwise have contributed absolutely nothing to the discussion. Quite the opposite, they often prevent a serious discussion. 

However, we need to understand that we will never get everyone to admit that climate change is not a merely some elaborate hoax. Sure, some people are comforted by the idea that this is fake, even when there is overwhelming and frankly undeniable evidence to the contrary. This should not prevent the rest of us from acknowledging what is plainly and obviously right in front of our eyes, because this is indeed climate change. 

And yes, this is all too real.

Below are the links to the stories on this latest European massive heatwave, from which I obtained most of the information and all of the quotes used above:

Europe on alert as first major heatwave of 2025 pushes temperatures to 42C by Sam Jones in Venice Sat 28 Jun 2025.

Authorities in Spain, Portugal, Greece and France issue extreme heat, wildfire and health warnings  

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/28/europe-on-alert-as-first-major-heatwave-of-2025-pushes-temperatures-to-42c

Extreme heatwave hits Europe with temperatures expected up to 44°C by Euronews with EBU Published on 27/06/2025:

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/06/27/extreme-heat-wave-hits-europe-with-temperatures-expected-up-to-44c

Southern Europe roasts as first heatwave of the summer scorches continent Southern Europe struggles with soaring heat as temperatures hit 40C, sparking fears of wildfires and health risks.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/28/southern-europe-roasts-as-first-heatwave-of-the-summer-scorches-continent

RIP, Bill Moyers

Sad news to report. Earlier today, I learned tat Bill Moyers, one of the last truly trustworthy news reporters, died at the age of 91.

Moyers continued working right up to the end. On June 26, 2025 - the same day that his death was announced - the last documentary that he worked on won an Emmy Award.

Obviously, he was dedicated to his work.

Moyers was a rarity these days. A famed reporter with actual credibility. One who did not want to promote his opinion over the facts, or who was in your face all of the time with what seems like an agenda. Nor did he try to impose his personality onto everyone, which is another thing which I personally find exhausting in media types these days. He had integrity, and he asked powerful questions which were designed to be thought-provoking not just to the interviewee, but also to the audience.

My personal favorite work of Moyers actually came out when I was still a kid. It was "The Power of Myth," which he did with Joseph Campbell. Decades after the fact, I read the book and watched those documentaries, and feel that Moyers was perfect in his role in that program. It was an engaging discussion, allowing Campbell's ideas and visions to come out clearly, beautifully.

I also really enjoyed the discussion which he had with George Lucas in the program which has come to be known as "The Mythology of Star Wars." It showed an entirely different element of the well-known Star Wars universe that you don't really hear all that much. Obviously, as the title suggests, it focused especially on the mythology angle.

Not sure that there were or are many reporters out there who would have managed to help those programs become as strong as they ultimately proved to be.

We sure could use more journalists with intelligence, insights, and integrity the way Bill Moyers always conducted himself.

Rest in Peace, Bill Moyers. You will be missed. 

Legendary Journalist Bill Moyers, Correspondent on FRONTLINE Documentaries Including ‘Two American Families,’ Dies at 91 by Patrice Taddonio, June 26, 2025:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/bill-moyers-legendary-journalist-dies-two-american-families/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_14034253&utm_Newsletter=FRONTLINE_Digest

June 28th: This Day in History

 

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history 

June 28, 1914: Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated

In an event that is widely acknowledged to have sparked the outbreak of World War I, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, nephew of Emperor Franz Josef and heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is shot to death along with his wife by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on this day in 1914.

The great Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck, the man most responsible for the unification of Germany in 1871, was quoted as saying at the end of his life that "One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans." It went as he predicted.

The archduke traveled to Sarajevo in June 1914 to inspect the imperial armed forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, former Ottoman territories in the turbulent Balkan region that were annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908 to the indignation of Serbian nationalists, who believed they should become part of the newly independent and ambitious Serbian nation. The date scheduled for his visit, June 28, coincided with the anniversary of the First Battle of Kosovo in 1389, in which medieval Serbia was defeated by the Turks. Despite the fact that Serbia did not truly lose its independence until the Second Battle of Kosovo in 1448, June 28 was a day of great significance to Serbian nationalists, and one on which they could be expected to take exception to a demonstration of Austrian imperial strength in Bosnia.

June 28 was also Franz Ferdinand's wedding anniversary. His beloved wife, Sophie, a former lady-in-waiting, was denied royal status in Austria due to her birth as a poor Czech aristocrat, as were the couple's children. In Bosnia, however, due to its limbo status as an annexed territory, Sophie could appear beside him at official proceedings. On June 28, 1914, then, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie were touring Sarajevo in an open car, with surprisingly little security, when Serbian nationalist Nedjelko Cabrinovic threw a bomb at their car; it rolled off the back of the vehicle and wounded an officer and some bystanders. Later that day, on the way to visit the injured officer, the archduke's procession took a wrong turn at the junction of Appel quay and Franzjosefstrasse, where one of Cabrinovic's cohorts, 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, happened to be loitering.

Seeing his opportunity, Princip fired into the car, shooting Franz Ferdinand and Sophie at point-blank range. Princip then turned the gun on himself, but was prevented from shooting it by a bystander who threw himself upon the young assassin. A mob of angry onlookers attacked Princip, who fought back and was subsequently wrestled away by the police. Meanwhile, Franz Ferdinand and Sophie lay fatally wounded in their limousine as it rushed to seek help; they both died within the hour.

The assassination of Franz-Ferdinand and Sophie set off a rapid chain of events: Austria-Hungary, like many in countries around the world, blamed the Serbian government for the attack and hoped to use the incident as justification for settling the question of Slav nationalism once and for all. As Russia supported Serbia, an Austro-Hungarian declaration of war was delayed until its leaders received assurances from German leader Kaiser Wilhelm that Germany would support their cause in the event of a Russian intervention–which would likely involve Russia's ally, France, and possibly Britain as well. On July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the tenuous peace between Europe's great powers collapsed. Within a week, Russia, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Serbia had lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and World War I had begun.




































Jun 28, 1836: Former President James Madison dies

On this day in 1836, James Madison, drafter of the Constitution, recorder of the Constitutional Convention, author of the "Federalist Papers" and fourth president of the United States, dies on his tobacco plantation in Virginia.

Madison first distinguished himself as a student at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), where he successfully completed a four-year course of study in two years and, in 1769, helped found the American Whig Society, the second literary and debate society at Princeton (and the world), to rival the previously established Cliosophic Society.

Madison returned to Virginia with intellectual accolades but poor health in 1771. By 1776, he was sufficiently recovered to serve for three years in the legislature of the new state of Virginia, where he came to know and admire Thomas Jefferson. In this capacity, he assisted with the drafting of the Virginia Declaration of Religious Freedom and the critical decision for Virginia to cede its western claims to the Continental Congress.

Madison is best remembered for his critical role in the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where he presented the Virginia Plan to the assembled delegates in Philadelphia and oversaw the difficult process of negotiation and compromise that led to the drafting of the final Constitution. Madison's published "Notes on the Convention" are considered the most detailed and accurate account of what occurred in the closed-session debates. (Madison forbade the publishing of his notes until all the participants were deceased.) After the Constitution was submitted to the people for ratification, Madison collaborated with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton on "The Federalist Papers," a series of pamphlets that argued for the acceptance of the new government. Madison penned the most famous of the pamphlets, "Federalist No. 10," which made an incisive argument for the ability of a large federation to preserve individual rights.

In 1794, Madison married a young widow, Dolley Payne Todd, who would prove to be Washington, D.C.'s finest hostess during Madison's years as secretary of state to the widowed Thomas Jefferson and then as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Dolley Madison earned a special place in the nation's memory for saving a portrait of George Washington before fleeing the burning White House during the War of 1812.

The War of 1812 tested Madison's presidency. The Federalists staunchly opposed Madison's declaration of war against the British and threatened to secede from the Union during the Harford Convention. When the new nation managed to muster a tenuous victory, the Federalist Party was destroyed as America's status as a nation apart from Britain was secured.

After retiring from official political positions, Madison served Thomas Jefferson's beloved University of Virginia first as a member of the board of visitors and then as rector. In 1938, the State Teachers College at Harrisonburg, Virginia, was renamed in Madison's honor as Madison College; in 1976, it became James Madison University.
















June 28, 1953: Workers assemble first Corvette in Flint, Michigan

On this day in 1953, workers at a Chevrolet plant in Flint, Michigan, assemble the first Corvette, a two-seater sports car that would become an American icon. The first completed production car rolled off the assembly line two days later, one of just 300 Corvettes made that year.

The idea for the Corvette originated with General Motors' pioneering designer Harley J. Earl, who in 1951 began developing plans for a low-cost American sports car that could compete with Europe's MGs, Jaguars and Ferraris. The project was eventually code-named "Opel." In January 1953, GM debuted the Corvette concept car at its Motorama auto show at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. It featured a fiberglass body and a six-cylinder engine and according to GM, was named for the "trim, fleet naval vessel that performed heroic escort and patrol duties during World War II." The Corvette was a big hit with the public at Motorama and GM soon put the roadster into production.

On June 30, 1953, the first Corvette came off the production line in Flint. It was hand-assembled and featured a Polo White exterior and red interior, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, a wraparound windshield, whitewall tires and detachable plastic curtains instead of side windows. The earliest Corvettes were designed to be opened from the inside and lacked exterior door handles. Other components included a clock, cigarette lighter and red warning light that activated when the parking brake was applied--a new feature at the time. The car carried an initial price tag of $3,490 and could go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 11 or 12 seconds, then considered a fairly average speed.

In 1954, the Corvette went into mass production at a Chevy plant in St. Louis, Missouri. Sales were lackluster in the beginning and GM considered discontinuing the line. However, rival company Ford had introduced the two-seater Thunderbird around the same time and GM did not want to be seen bowing to the competition. Another critical development in the Corvette's survival came in 1955, when it was equipped with the more powerful V-8 engine. Its performance and appeal steadily improved after that and it went on to earn the nickname "America's sports car" and become ingrained in pop culture through multiple references in movies, television and music.

Today was an important date during the Crusades. Also, it was on this date that France established the colony of Guadeloupe. Catherine II took over in Russia, and the Quakers built a school for blacks in Philadelphia. A couple of important dates during the Revolutionary War, as an attack by the British Navy was repulsed at Charleston, South Carolina This is the anniversary of an important date in New Jersey history - the Battle at Monmouth, in which Washington defeated Clinton. Later on in American history, during another war, this date marked the fourth and middle day of a seven day battle in Virginia. At the end of that war (the Civil War) the Army of the Potomac was disbanded on this day in 1865. In between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, tomatoes were proven to be not poisonous, and the first ever dog show was held. El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras joined to form the Central American Republic (it did not last). The first French air show was held on this date in 1909. The biggest single event in history to have transpired on this day surely must have been the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand by young Serbian Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, an event which precipitated "The Great War" (World War I), which was easily the most brutal and horrific war up to that point (it would be overtaken by World War II). That war was made possible by the unfair terms of the Treaty of Versailles that set the peace terms following World War I, and this was signed on this date in history. Before that other world war, the man who would essentially bring that war to European soil, and who strongly rejected the terms and the spirit of the Treaty of Versailles, Adolf Hitler, flew to Essen during the "Night of Long Knives" in 1934. It was on this date a year later that Franklin D. Roosevelt would order the construction of a federal gold vault at Fort Knox in Kentucky to hold much of the nation's gold wealth. It was on this date in 1963 that Khrushchev visited East Berlin during the Cold War. This is an important date for wars, evidently, as a couple of years after that, President Lyndon B. Johnson authorized the first ground forces in Vietnam. It would not take long for them to see action. OPEC raised oil prices by 24%.

In 1902 on this day, the United States purchased a concession to build Panama canal from French for $40 million, and the  U.S. Congress passed the Spooner bill, which authorized a canal to be built across the isthmus of Panama. On this day in 1914, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Duchess Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo by young Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip at 10.45, the casus belli of World War I. Shortly after that, the so-called "Great War" would commence. The Treaty of Versailles was signed on this day in 1919, officially ending World War I exactly five years after it began. The treaty also established the League of Nations. However, the League of Nations was almost destined for failure, as the man who initially envisioned it, American President Woodrow Wilson, foresaw. He felt that the victorious nations of World War I, particularly France and Great Britain, were overly harsh towards Germany, which would lead to yet another massive world war. History proved this prediction correct. On this day in 1940 during World War II, Great Britain formally recognized General Charles De Gaulle as the leader of the Free French during the German Occupation.

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:


• 767 - St Paul I ends his reign as Catholic Pope

• 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul.

• 1119 - Battle of Sarmada - Emir Ilghazi defeat French Crusaders

• 1245 - First Council of Lyons (13th ecumenical council) opens

1389 - Ottomans defeat Serbian army in the bloody Battle of Kosovo, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest of Southeastern Europe (see Vidovdan).

1461 - Edward IV crowned king of England

• 1485 - Gent/Brugge/Ieper recognize Maximilian of Austria as regent of Neth

1519 - King Carlos I elected Roman Catholic German emperor Charles V

1524 - Duke van Bourbon occupies Province

1575 - Spanish troops conquer Buren

1583 - Duke French van Valois returns to France

1593 - Earl Mauritius conquerors Geertruidenberg

• 1629 - Peace of Ales: Rights of French huguenots limited

• 1635 - French colony of Guadeloupe established in Caribbean

• 1651 - Battle of Beresteczko between Poles and Ukrainians starts.

• 1675 - Battle at Fehrbellin: Frederick William of Brandenburg crushed the Swedes.

• 1709 - The Russians defeated the Swedes and Cossacks at the Battle of Poltava.

1748 - Riot after public execution in Amsterdam, 200+ killed

1762 - First reported counterfeiting attempt (Boston)

• 1762 - Russian Tsarina Catharina II grabs power

• 1770 - Quakers open a school for blacks in Philadelphia



• 1776 - American Colonists repulsed a British sea attack on Charleston, SC.

Equestrian statue of George Washington near his headquarters at Morristown, New Jersey.

• 1778 - Mary "Molly Pitcher" Hays McCauley, wife of an American artilleryman, carried water to the soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth and, supposedly, took her husband's place at his gun after he was overcome with heat. Overall, Gen Washington defeated Clinton.

1807 - British troops landed at Ensenada, Argentina

• 1820 - Tomato is proven non-poisonous

1832 - Gerrit Moll measures noise of guns

Bust of James Madison

• 1836 - The fourth president of the United States, James Madison, died at Montpelier, his Virginia estate.

1838 - Coronation of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey, London

1841 - The Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique in Paris premieres the ballet Giselle

1846 - Saxophone is patented by Antoine Joseph Sax

1855 - The Sigma Chi Fraternity was founded at Miami University

1859 - 1st dog show held (Newcastle-on-Tyne, England)

1861 - Leipzig Observatory discovers short-period (6.2 yrs) Comet d'Arrest

1862 - Day 4 of 7 Days-Battle of Savage's Station/Garnett's Farm, VA

• 1865 - The Army of the Potomac is disbanded

1869 - Amsterdam typographer strike

1869 - R. W. Wood was appointed as the first Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy.

1874 - Freedmen's Bank closes

1880 - Ned Kelly the Australian bushranger captured at Glenrowan.



1894 - The U.S. Congress made Labor Day a U.S. national holiday.

1895 - El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua form Central American Union

1897 - Marquis C de Bonchamps' expedition reaches Gore Ethiopia

1902 - Congress authorizes Louisiana Purchase Expo $1 gold coin

• In 1902 on this day, the United States purchased a concession to build Panama canal from French for $40 million, and the  U.S. Congress passed the Spooner bill, which authorized a canal to be built across the isthmus of Panama.

1904 - International Anti-Military Cooperation (IAMV) forms in Amsterdam

1904 - The SS Norge Runs aground and sinks

1907 - Nationals steal a record 13 bases off catcher Branch Rickey

1909 - First French air show, Concours d'Avation opens

1911 - Joseph Caillaux forms government in France

1911 - Samuel J. Battle became the first African-American policeman in New York City.

1914 - Austria invades Siberia (WW I)

• On this day in 1914, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Duchess Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo by young Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip at 10.45, the casus belli of World War I. Shortly after that, the so-called "Great War" would commence.

1917 - Potato entrepreneurs begins in Amsterdam

1917 - Raggedy Ann doll invented

1918 - 1st flight between Hawaiian Islands

1919 - Carl Mazes pitches a complete doubleheader against NY Yankees

• The Treaty of Versailles was signed on this day in 1919, officially ending World War I exactly five years after it began. The treaty also established the League of Nations. However, the League of Nations was almost destined for failure, as the man who initially envisioned it, American President Woodrow Wilson, foresaw. He felt that the victorious nations of World War I, particularly France and Great Britain, were overly harsh towards Germany, which would lead to yet another massive world war. History proved this prediction correct. 

1921 - A coal strike in Great Britain was settled after three months.

1923 - Dodgers lost 7-0 lead, as Phillies score 8 in bottom of 9th

1923 - Queen Wilhelmina & Prince Henry for state visit to London

1924 - Test cricket umpire debut for Frank Chester, v South Africa at Lord's

1924 - Tornado strikes Sandusky Ohio & Lorain Ohio, killing 93

1928 - Alfred E Smith (NY-Gov) nominated for president at Dem Convention

• 1928 - Friedrich Schmiedl attempted rocket mail in Austria (unsuccessful)

1930 - First night game in Detroit at newly built Hamtramck Stadium as Negro League Detroit Stars take on KC Monarchs

1930 - More than 1,000 communists were routed during an assault on the British consulate in London.

• 1934 - Hitler flies to Essen (Night of Long Knifes)

1935 - Earl Averill's consecutive-game streak ends at 673

Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C.

• 1935 - FDR orders a federal gold vault to be built at Fort Knox Kentucky

• 1936 - The Japanese puppet state of Mengjiang is formed in northern China.

1938 - Bradman scores 102* in drawn 2nd Test cricket at Lord's

1938 - The U.S. Congress created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to insure construction loans.

1939 - Pan American Airways began the first transatlantic passenger service.

1939 - Joe Louis TKOs Tony Galent in 4 for heavyweight boxing title

1939 - Pan Am opens southern route transatlantic air service (Dixie Clipper)

1939 - Yanks hit 13 HRs, sweep A's 23-2 & 10-0

1940 - The "Quiz Kids" was heard on NBC radio for the first time.

• 1940 - Romania cedes Bessarabia to Soviet Union

French President Charles De Gaulle

• On this day in 1940 during World War II, Great Britain formally recognized General Charles De Gaulle as the leader of the Free French during the German Occupation.

June 28, 1940: Britain recognizes General Charles de Gaulle as the leader of the Free French

On this day in 1940, General Charles de Gaulle, having set up headquarters in England upon the establishment of a puppet government in his native France, is recognized as the leader of the Free French Forces, dedicated to the defeat of Germany and the liberation of all France.

For Charles de Gaulle, fighting Germans was an old story. He sustained multiple injuries fighting at Verdun in World War I. He escaped German POW camps five times, only to be recaptured each time. (At 6 feet 4 inches in height, it was hard for de Gaulle to remain inconspicuous.)

At the beginning of World War II, de Gaulle was commander of a tank brigade. He was admired as a courageous leader and made a brigadier general in May 1940. After the German invasion of France, he became undersecretary of state for defense and war in the Reynaud government, but when Reynaud resigned, and Field Marshal Philippe Petain stepped in, a virtual puppet of the German occupiers, he left for England. On June 18, de Gaulle took to the radio airwaves to make an appeal to his fellow French not to accept the armistice being sought by Petain, but to continue fighting under his command. Ten days later, Britain formally acknowledged de Gaulle as the leader of the "Free French Forces," which was at first little more than those French troops stationed in England, volunteers from Frenchmen already living in England, and units of the French navy

On August 2, a French military court sentenced de Gaulle to death in absentia for his actions. (No doubt at the instigation of the German occupiers.)

De Gaulle would prove an adept wartime politician, finally winning recognition and respect from the Allies and his fellow countrymen. He returned to Paris from Algiers, where he had moved the headquarters of the Free French Forces and formed a "shadow government," in September 1943. He went on to head two provisional governments before resigning.

Britain recognizes General Charles de Gaulle as leader of the Free French HISTORY.com Editors  Published: November 05, 2009  Last Updated: May 27, 2025

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/june-28/britain-recognizes-general-charles-de-gaulle-as-the-leader-of-the-free-french

• 1941 - German & Romanian soldiers kill 11,000 Jews in Kishinev

1941 - German troops occupy Galicia Poland

1942 - Col-gen Von Hoth' 6th Pantser enters Voronezj

1942 - Dumont TV network begins (WABD NY)

• 1942 - German troops launched an offensive to seize Soviet oil fields in the Caucasus and the city of Stalingrad.

1943 - "The Dreft Star Playhouse" debuted on NBC radio.

1944 - "The Alan Young Show" debuted on NBC radio.

• 1945 - U.S. General Douglas MacArthur announced the end of Japanese resistance in the Philippines.

• 1945 - Polish Provisional government of National Unity set up by Soviets

1946 - Enrico de Nicola becomes 1st pres of Italy

1946 - Permanent radio play-by-play of Cleve Indians games begins

1947 - "Temptation (Tim-Tayshun) by Red Ingle with Jo Stafford hits #1

1948 - US/British airlift to West-Berlin begins

1949 - The last U.S. combat troops were called home from Korea, leaving only 500 advisers.

1950 - "Michael Todd's Peep Show" opens at Winter Garden NYC for 278 perfs

1950 - North Korean forces capture Seoul, South Korea in opening phase of the Korean War

1951 - "Amos 'n' Andy" moved from radio to television, premiered on CBS TV

1953 - 8th US Women's Open Golf Championship won by Betsy Rawls

1954 - 111°F (44°C) at Camden, South Carolina (state record)

• 1954 - French troops began to pull out of Vietnam’s Tonkin Province.

1956 - First atomic reactor built for private research operates Chicago Ill

1956 - Riots break out in Poznan Poland, 38 die

1957 - Reds' fans stuff ballot box, electing 8 Reds as All Star starters

1957 - Frick overrules & names Stan Musial, Willie Mays, & Hank Aaron to team




• 1958 - Brazil becomes world soccer champ in Sweden

1958 - Nancy Ramey swims world record 100m (1:09.6)

1959 - Phils Wally Post is only outfielder to throw out 2 runners in an inning twice (Losing to Giants 6-0)

• 1960 - In Cuba, Fidel Castro confiscated American-owned oil refineries without compensation.

1960 - 10.40" (26.42 cm) of rainfall, Dunmor, Kentucky (state 24-hour record)

1961 - Phils & SF set then record longest night game (5h11m) 7-7 15 inn tie

1962 - Thalidomide drug banned in Netherlands

1963 - Belaunde Terry inaugurated as pres of Peru

• 1963 - Khrushchev visits East-Berlin

• 1964 - Malcolm X founded the Organization for Afro American Unity to seek independence for blacks in the Western Hemisphere.

1965 - The first commercial satellite began communications service. It was Early Bird (Intelsat II).

Bust of American President Lyndon B. Johnson

• 1965 - First US ground combat forces in Vietnam authorized by Pres Johnson

1965 - Princess Beatrice & Claus von Amsberg announce engagement

1966 - Ernie Terrel beats Doug Jones in 15 wba for heavyweight boxing title

1967 - George Harrison is fined £6 for speeding

• 1967 - Israel annexes East Jerusalem  Israel formally declared Jerusalem reunified under its sovereignty following its capture of the Arab sector in the June 1967 war.

• 1968 - Daniel Ellsberg indicted for leaking Pentagon Papers

1969 - John Hampshire scores 107 on Test cricket debut v WI at Lord's

1969 - Stonewall riots begin in New York City.

1970 - Mary Mills wins LPGA Len Immke Buick Golf Open

1971 - Fillmore East closes

1971 - Phillies' Rick Wise hits 2 HRs & no-hits Reds

1971 - The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the draft evasion conviction of Muhammad Ali, 8-0.

• 1972 - U.S. President Nixon announced that no new draftees would be sent to Vietnam.

1973 - Lawsuit in Detroit challenges Little League's "no girls" rule

1973 - Black Sports Hall of Fame forms: Paul Robeson, Elgin Baylor, Jesse Owens, Jim Brown, Wilma Rudolph, Joe Louis & Althea Gibson elected

1974 - Fall of earth & rocks kill 200 (Quebrada Blanca Canyon, Colombia)

1974 - Wings release "Band on the Run" & "Zoo Gang" in UK

• 1975 - David Bowie releases "Fame"

1975 - Golfer Lee Trevino is struck by lightning at Western Open (Ill)

1976 - First woman was admitted to Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs Colo

1976 - Hijacked French Airbus lands in Entebbe, Uganda

1976 - The first women entered the U.S. Air Force Academy.

1977 - Billy Hunter becomes Rangers' 4th manager in 6 days

1977 - Supreme Court allows Federal control of Nixon tapes papers

1978 - UNICEF chooses rock group Kansas as ambassadors of goodwill

1978 - The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the medical school at the University of California at Davis to admit Allan Bakke. Bakke, a white man, argued he had been a victim of reverse racial discrimination.

1979 - OPEC raises oil prices 24%

1980 - NYC transit fare rises from 50 cents to 60 cents

1981 - "Piaf" closes at Plymouth Theater NYC after 165 performances

1981 - 74 government officials die in attack in Iran

1982 - Prince Charles & Lady Diana name their baby "William"

1983 - Bridge section along I-95 in Greenwich, Ct collapsed kills 3

1983 - NASA launches Galaxy-A

1985 - Discovery ferried back to Kennedy Space Center via Bergstrom AFB, Tx

1986 - Irish population condemns divorce

1986 - Kenneth & Nellie Pike challenge Ala Dem runoff win by AG C Graddick

1987 - "Dreamgirls" opens at Ambassador Theater NYC for 177 performances

1987 - Deb Richard wins LPGA Rochester Golf International

1987 - Don Baylor sets career hit-by-pitch mark at 244 (Pitcher Rick Rhoden)

1988 - Mike Tyson sues to break contract with manager Bill Cayton

1990 - 17th annual Daytime Emmy Awards

1990 - Emmy 17th Daytime Award presentation - Susan Lucci loses for 11th time

1992 - "Chinese Coffee" opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC for 18 performances

1992 - 2 earthquakes, including 3rd strongest in US (7.4) rock Calif

1992 - Burharnuddin Rabbani becomes president of Afghanistan

1992 - Italian government of Amato forms

1992 - LA Police commisioner Daryl Gates steps down

1992 - US Dream Team beats Cuba in 1st exhibition basketball game, 133-57

• 1992 - The Constitution of Estonia is signed into law.

1993 - Doctors recommend ligament transplant to Jose Canseco's arm

1993 - Jacques Lemaire is named NJ Devils 8th Head Coach

1993 - NCRV shows last "Cheers" in Neth

1993 - Carlton Fisk, 45, released by White Sox, as all time leader of most games caught & most HRs by a catcher

1994 - NY Met Pitcher Dwight Gooden suspended for 60 days due to drug charges

1995 - NJ Devils Stanley Cup Victory Party, admidst rumours they were moving to Nashville, goalie Chris Terreri holds up "Nashville? NO WAY!" sign  

1996 - "Nutty Professor," starring Eddie Murphy opens in theaters in the USA



• 1996 - The Constitution of Ukraine is signed into law.

1996 - The Citadel voted to admit women, ending a 153-year-old men-only policy at the South Carolina military school.

1996 - Charles M. Schulz got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1997 - Mike Tyson was disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield's ear after three rounds of their WBA heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas, NV, earning a 16-month suspension. 2000 Elian Gonzalez was returned to his father in Cuba.

1997 - "Master Class," closes at Golden Theater NYC after 601 performances

1997 - "Steel Peer," closes at Richard Rodgers Theater NYC after 76 perfs

1997 - TV evangelist Robert Schuller attacks a flight attendant

• 1998 - Poland, due to shortage of funds, is allowed to lease, U.S. aircraft to bring military force up to NATO standards.

1998 - The Cincinnati Enquirer apologized to Chiquita banana company and retracted their stories that questioned company's business practices. They also agreed to pay more than $10 million to settle legal claims.

2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court declared that a Nebraska law that outlawed "partial birth abortions" was unconstitutional. About 30 U.S. states had similar laws at the time of the ruling.

2000 - Darva Conger announced that she had done a layout for Playboy magazine. Conger had married Rick Rockwell on Fox-TV's "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire."

2000 - The European Commission announced that they had blocked the planned merger between the U.S. companies WorldCom Inc. and Sprint due to competition concerns.

• 2000 - Six-year-old Elián González returned to Cuba from the U.S. with his father on the order of the US Supreme Court. The child had been the center of an international custody dispute.

2001 - Serbia handed over Slobodan Milosevic, who was taken into custody and was handed over to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. The indictment charged Milosevic and four other senior officials, with crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war in Kosovo.

2001 - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit set aside an order that would break up Microsoft for antitrust violations. However, the judges did agree that the company was in violation of antitrust laws.

• 2004 - Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism

2004 - The U.S. turned over official sovereignty to Iraq's interim leadership. The event took place two days earlier than previously announced to thwart insurgents' attempts at undermining the transfer.

2004 - The U.S. resumed diplomatic ties with Libya after a 24-year break.

2004 - The 17th NATO Summit starts in Istanbul.

2004 - Sovereign power is handed to the interim government of Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority, ending the U.S.-led rule of that nation.

2005 - A final design for Manhattan's Freedom Tower is formally unveiled.

• 2006 - The Republic of Montenegro was admitted as the 192nd Member of the United Nations by General Assembly resolution 60/264.

2007 - Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros becomes the 27th member of the 3000 hit club, going 5 for 5 against the Colorado Rockies.

• 2007 - The American bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list.

2012 - A series of car bombs in Iraq kills 14 and injures 50 people







The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/jun22.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

Climate Update: June Was a Record Setting Month For Heat Across Much of the United States

   

The old button from the Environmental Club days which I just happened to find on Earth Day! It is a little beat up (particularly the ends of the ribbon), but no worse for the wear, I think. And it is one of the few items that I have left from those days, so it carries a lot of great memories for me! Nothing Changes Until You Do!

So the weather conditions have been, frankly, almost delightful since the heatwave broke a few days ago. Temperatures are very comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold. In fact, if anything, the weather felt like it was probably a bit cooler than average.

Still, June was punishing, in terms of heat. According to a video attached to the link from Weather.com below, dozens of cities saw new heat records established during this latest heat wave.

That is why I am not complaining if now, it feels a little bit cooler than average. I'll take that any time  over the ridiculously hot, even oppressive heatwaves that so much of the country experienced in this apparently record setting month of June. 

Here in New Jersey, we also set records, not the least of which was three consecutive days of reaching triple digits (Fahrenheit). From Monday to Wednesday of this past week, the peak temperatures hit the 100 degree mark. They came close to reaching that on Thursday, as well, before the heat wave finally broke. 

Now, heat waves have always occurred, of course. However, what is unusual is both the frequency and severity of heat waves and record hot temperatures being set in recent years. And it is happening all over, which is why I am trying to document it in recent weeks. 

Below are the links to the articles which  used in writing this blog, and from which I obtained the specific information mentioned:

Why this week’s NJ heat wave was so brutal and unusual, by the numbers Dan Zarrow Dan Zarrow Published: June 27, 2025:

Three days of 100s: Why this week's NJ heat wave was so rare | 

https://nj1015.com/heat-wave-recap-june-2025/

These States Set All-Time June Heat Records  June 26, 2025  

Desperate times called for desperate measures as one guy in New York City tried to make the best of it during a stifling heat wave. See how he cooled off and find out which seven states hit an all-time heat record on the same day. It was all part of an extreme heat dome that settled in over tens of millions during one of the hottest periods of the year.

https://weather.com/news/weather/video/heat-wave-record-june-seven-states

Some Pictures of My High School's Project Graduation T-Shirt & Others

Recently, one of my old high school classmates posted some pictures on Facebook pertaining to our high school graduating class of 1992 (yes, I'm old).

The pictures were, specifically, for the graduating class of 1992. I believe that these were given out on the field trip that we took the day after graduation, which of course was called "Project Graduation." They gave us a bus ride and complimentary tickets to Great Adventure, which I remember having a lot of fun at. I even had a flirting session with a pretty hot girl, which was really important to me at the time, and is one of my main memories from that day. 

Also, most importantly, it was the last time that my high school class would be all together. In fact, I remember it getting dark and gloomy on the bus drive back from Great Adventure. Some kind of argument, or perhaps even a fight, had broken out between two idiots. No idea who, much less what it was about.

Anyway, there was a kid who shouted over the din, reminding us all that this was our last time together, and maybe we should act better than this. That pretty much silenced us all. It seemed like the entire bus full of kids quieted down for a long time (although my memory might be faulty, it may have been for just a minute or so). But that was perhaps the first time that many of us truly grasped that it was over. That our school days were done and behind us. A new chapter in life awaited us, which came to be known as "adulthood."

No returns. 

That also is a memory which resonates with me. The kid himself was an unlikely candidate (at least in my opinion) to wake us up to such a revelation. I remember him getting in trouble often and being a sort of clownish figure, more often than not. Yet, that one moment - my last real memory of him - also serves as my last real memory of my high school class being together, really in any form. I heard that they tried to organize high school reunions for the 10th anniversary, possibly the 15th, and surely the 20th and 30th anniversaries. But as I understand it, most people really did not respond. Myself included, admittedly. Just not really interested in reliving those particular times, for a variety of reasons, even though I do sometimes like to reflect, as I am doing now. That might sound like a paradox. If so, then so be it. 

In any case, one of my high school classmates posted pictures of some of the t-shirts which she apparently still has. I think that I had two of these shirts. The one from Project Graduation, which I still had at least several years after the fact. Also, I believe that I had the Macopin Class of 1988 Graduation t-shirt, although whatever happened to that one, I have no idea. In fact, I have no idea whatever happened to the Project Graduation t-shirt.

As for the Paradise Knolls t-shirt, I never attended that school. So of course I never owned a shirt from that, although I do not remember getting a shirt from my own elementary school, which was also in West Milford.

No big loss.

Still, it was cool to see these t-shirts, or at least the images. Brought back some memories. 

It also seemed appropriate to post some pictures from my high school graduation, which took place more or less during this time of the year (well, a few days earlier than this, but still late June) all the way back in 1992. 

Below are some pictures, including the ones which my high school classmate posted on Facebook (including the link), as well as family pictures of the graduation. I even added some of my own pictures of the high school yearbook, a hall pass, and a ticket for the indoor graduation ceremonies, even though those became irrelevant once the weather held, and the ceremonies were held outside instead.

Enjoy.

Kimberly Petersen 16 June, 2025:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10229356448356575&set=pcb.10016227978424040

Pictures My High School Graduation - West Milford Township High School Class of 1992

My senior year picture from the yearbook.

West Milford Township High School Graduation Day, June 27, 1992. 

High school graduation. I believe that this is mine, from back in 1992, although it may have been my brother's back in 1990. Cannot say for sure, honestly. 

Me on Graduation Day from West Milford Township High School, June 1992

So, yes, lately, I have been doing some serious spring cleaning. I mean, going through tons of boxes in closets that I largely ignored for years. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Well, there has been a greater emphasis on being clean, orderly and organized lately, the past few years, and this has been particularly enhanced because my girlfriend is extremely clean and keeps a very well organized life. That is something that I admire her for, and have learned a great deal from. I certainly can use lessons in that, having been rather disorganize and chaotic for far too long to justify.

In any case, there were some amazing finds. Some old writings of mine, for example (mostly, my fiction works). Some old magazines, newspapers, and articles of interest and such that I had kept, including a couple of issues of a newspaper that I contributed to around 11 years ago during a brief stint as a freelance writer. Some DVD's and music cd's. Some books that I had long ago lost track of.

And then, there was this! My old high school yearbook annex from my senior year! Why I did not simply keep it with the yearbook, I do not know. But, somehow or other, I failed to do that, and it went missing a long time ago....until yesterday.

There were some surprises inside, too. Mostly, I had wanted it again specifically for a poem, which is pictured below, and with the story behind it.

Just thought it was worth sharing!

 

Much to my surprise, I not only found my high school yearbook annex from my senior year, but found a picture of me that must have slipped my personal radar back when I got it. It is from my graduation, way back in the summer of 1992! A very different time!

 

 

Here's a close-up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is a beautiful poem that was read to our graduating class from the mother of one of the students that would have graduated that day. But he killed himself in February of 1992, something that completely shook me up at the time. I had been looking for this poem for quite some time, and kicked myself for having lost it. As soon as I found it, I wanted to make sure to take steps never to lose it again. This poem moved me to tears at times (but not on graduation day itself, in front of so many people). I could write a hell of a lot about this, because I actually knew the kid, and was going through my own issues related to depression and, yes, being suicidal at the time. But this hardly seems like the time. It is something that I  might return to someday here (in fact, I started working on it some time ago, but just never completed it). In the meantime, this poem is beautiful, and what staggered me about it is imagining the pain of the mother as she wrote this, in memory and honor of her son, and with the hope that no other mother would have to experience what she was going through. Even thinking about it now, I find myself almost tearing up. In fact, my high school class had it's share of tragedies. This kid became the first real victim when he took his own life. Another kid (a friend of his) had a suicide attempt shortly thereafter. Yet another kid was killed in a car accident when he tried to break or establish a speeding record of around 93 mph (if memory serves correctly) with about seven people in the car. He, the driver, was killed, and one of the kids was hurt seriously enough that he had to go through severe physical rehabilitation afterwards, and he made his first public appearance for our class's graduation. That kid is now a man with a family of his own, and he is the one that I went to the Pearl jam concert with in Philadelphia on October 22nd of last year (you can read the review of that show, which was posted on October 23rd, and includes some pictures). Finally, that summer, another kid was killed while sitting on the bed of a moving pickup truck. When that truck hit a bump, or a rock, or something, he was thrown off, hit his head, and never fully recovered, dying later that night. All of those incidents within a few months of one another. Yes, my class knew tragedy. And unfortunately, late last year (just a few months ago, actually), we lost another member of the class, this time a woman. She was a mother of two, and she died suddenly and unexpectedly. It might have been from a stroke, although I cannot remember exactly the reasons for it. But it saddens me deeply to think that those children of hers will grow up without their mother.

 

In some ways, that last one was the saddest, because she died of natural circumstances (the first high school classmate of mine that I know of where that can be said), and she left behind young and beautiful children that will never have the opportunity to know their mother better. She will be missed, too.

Here are some physical reminders of my high school class in West Milford, from all the way back in 1992.

My yearbook, the high school graduation commencement, and my senior year hall pass.

This is a picture of what would have been a ticket for the Commencement ceremonies for the graduation in 1992, had it been held indoors. As it turned out, however, it was a beautiful afternoon and evening, and so we had it on the high school football team field.