On this day: a Peace Treaty is Signed

The Treaty of Versailles, the most important of the peace treaties to end the First World War, was signed in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles on the 28th of June, 1919.

The war also began on the 28th of June, when Serbian assassin Gavrilo Princip murdered Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie five years before.

The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors, Versailles, 28th June 1919.

Painted by Irish artist William Orpen

On this day: the coronation of a King and Queen

The coronations of George V, King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, and his wife, Mary of Teck, took place at Westminster Abbey in London on the 22nd of June, 1911. The ceremony was held more than a year after the death of George’s predecessor and father, Edward VII.

The Coronation Annexe was built in front of Westminster Abbey, designed to blend in with the Abbey’s Gothic features.

The Coronation Ceremony of His Most Gracious Majesty King George V in Westminster Abbey. 22nd June 1911 by John Henry Frederick Bacon.

Following the coronation, the King and Queen went on a tour that included Ireland and India.

King George ruled until his death in January of 1936.

 

On this day: the death of a war hero

Only hours after being awarded the French Légion d’honneur, British Lieutenant Reginald Warneford was killed in an aeroplane crash on the 17th of June, 1915.

A 1919 painting depicting the moment the Zeppelin was brought down.

Only twenty-three at the time of his accident, Warneford, a member of the Royal Naval Air Service had been hailed a hero ten days earlier when he’d brought down a German Zeppelin in the First World War.

After the presentation ceremony and reception Warneford was transporting American journalist Henry Beach Newman from an aerodrome at Buc when the plane crashed, killing both passengers. Newman died instantly, while Warneford died of his injuries shortly afterwards.

The funeral took place in July. X

In addition to his French award, he was also given the Victoria Cross.

On this day: Madras in 1865

The Barque “Wallaroo” Arriving at Madras 6th June, 1865. The painting is by British artist Frederick Tudgay.

Madras, in India, is now known as Chennai.

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On this day: the Battle of Morales

The Battle of Morales, part of the Peninsula War over the Iberian Peninsula, was fought on the 2nd of June, 1813.

Considered a victory for the British and a defeat for the French, the battle took place in the region of Toro, Zamora, Spain.

The Peninsula War was part of the larger Napoleonic Wars, and lasted a few days short of six years.

On this day: the first wounded in the Battle of Jutland

HMS Castor. Wounded Received After the Battle of Jutland, 31st May 1916. X

Fought in between the British Royal Navy‘s Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy‘s High Seas Fleet, the Battle of Jutland took place from the 31st of May to the 1st of June, 1916.

Part of the First World War, it was one of the last battles fought solely between ships in the history of the world.

The HMS Castor – the British ship in the painting – can be seen above.

On this day: the Khodynka Tragedy

The Khodynka Tragedy was a deadly stampede that happened during coronation celebrations for Russia’s last emperor, Nicholas II, in 1896.

Falling on the 18^th of May on the old calendar (which equates to the 30^th of May on the new calendar), 1389 people were trampled or suffocated to death when panic broke out in a crowd of many thousands.

People crowd around one of the victims.

Evidence of the tragedy was cleared away before many at the event in Moscow became aware of it, and Nicholas and his wife Alexandra continued with their schedule, including attending a ball with French diplomats that evening. It was decided it was more important to have good relations with the French than to appease the people of the Russian Empire.

The minor imperial response to the disaster did no favours for the family’s public image.