What Happened in June 2004

Historical Events

Film & TV History

Jun 2 Ken Jennings begins his 74-game winning streak on the syndicated television game show "Jeopardy!"

  • Jun 5 136th Belmont: Edgar Prado aboard Birdstone wins in 2:27.50
  • Jun 5 French Open Women's Tennis: In an all-Russian final Anastasia Myskina wins her lone major title; beats Elena Dementieva 6-1, 6-2
  • Jun 6 58th Tony Awards: "Avenue Q" (musical) & "I Am My Own Wife" (play) win
  • Jun 6 French Open Men's Tennis: Gastón Gaudio of Argentina beats countryman Guillermo Coria 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6 for his lone major title
  • Jun 6 Tamil is established as a Classical language by the President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in a joint sitting of the two houses of the Indian Parliament.

Live Like You Were Dying

Jun 7 "Live Like You Were Dying" single released by Tim McGraw (Grammy Award Best Country Song, 2004; Billboard Song of the Year, 2004)

  • Jun 7 Stanley Cup Final, Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL: Tampa Bay Lightning beat Calgary Flames, 2-1 for 4-3 series win; Tampa Bay's 1st-ever appearance in final
  • Jun 8 Transit of Venus (between Earth & Sun) occurs
  • Jun 11 Cassini-Huygens makes its closest flyby of Phoebe

Event of Interest

Jun 11 Ronald Reagan's funeral is held at Washington National Cathedral.

  • Jun 12 A 1.3 kilogram chondrite type meteorite strikes a house in Ellerslie, New Zealand causing serious damage but no injuries
  • Jun 12 WLAF World Bowl 12, Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen: Berlin Thunder beats Frankfurt Galaxy, 30-24

LPGA Championship

Jun 13 50th LPGA Championship Women's Golf, DuPont CC: Sweden's Annika Sörenstam goes back-to-back by 3 strokes ahead of runner-up Shi Hyun Ahn

  • Jun 15 NBA Finals: Detroit Pistons beat Los Angeles Lakers, 100-87 in Game 5 to complete one of the greatest upsets in NBA history; MVP: Chauncey Billups

US Golf Open

Jun 20 US Open Men's Golf, Shinnecock Hills GC: Retief Goosen of South Africa wins his second Open title, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up and reigning Masters champion Phil Mickelson

  • Jun 21 SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight

Music History

Jun 23 Bob Dylan accepts honorary doctorate of music degree from the University of St Andrews, Scotland's oldest university

  • Jun 24 Capital punishment is declared unconstitutional in New York

Music History

Jun 24 Christie’s Auction House in New York City conducts sale of 80 of Eric Clapton and friends' guitars to benefit Crossroads Centre at Antigua, a drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation facility he co-founded in 1997, raising over $5M; "Blackie", a 1956-57 composite Fender Stratocaster used as his primary instrument form the mid 70s until 1985 sells for a then record $959,500

  • Jun 24 NBA Draft: Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy power forward Dwight Howard first pick by Orlando Magic

Glastonbury Festival

Jun 25 Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: Oasis, Paul McCartney, and Muse headline; other performers include Wilco, The Black-Eyed Peas, James Brown, Damien Rice, Toots & The Maytals, and The Rutles

  • Jun 28 Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism
  • Jun 28 Sovereign power is handed to the interim government of Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority, ending the U.S.-led rule of that nation
  • Jun 28 The 17th NATO Summit starts in Istanbul.

Dreams

Jun 29 Diana DeGarmo releases her single, "Dreams"

Spider-Man 2

Jun 30 "Spider-Man 2" directed by Sam Raimi and starring Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst is released

  • Jun 30 British rock guitarist Dave Davies (The Kinks) suffers a debilitating stroke, at 57; he recovers in 2006 to resume his music career
2004 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Jun 8 EmiSunshine [Emilie Sunshine Hamilton], American country-folk singer-songwriter, guitarist and ukulele player, born in Madisonville, Tennessee
  • Jun 10 Gayle [Taylor Gayle Rutherfurd], American singer-songwriter (ABCDEFU), born in Plano, Texas
Born in 2004

Famous Weddings

Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony

Jun 5 American singer and actress Jennifer Lopez (34) weds American salsa artist Marc Anthony (35) in Beverly Hills, California; divorce in 2014

Ilie Năstase

Jun 5 Romanian tennis player Ilie Năstase (57) weds (for 3rd time) Romanian fashion model Amalia Teodosescu (28); divorce in 2010

  • Jun 6 "Trick Pony" lead singer Heidi Newfield (33) weds NFL agent Bill Johnson in Destin, Florida
  • Jun 20 American former NFL running back Eddie George (30) weds American R&B "SWV" singer Tamara Johnson (33) at the Rockleigh Country Club in Rockleigh, New Jersey

Famous Divorces

  • Jun 8 "TLC" singer Tionne Watkins (34) divorces rapper Mack 10 (32) due to adultery after nearly 4 years of marriage

Ali Landry & Mario Lopez

Jun 10 Model-actress Ali Landry (30) divorces "Saved by the Bell" actor Mario Lopez (30) due to irreconcilable differences, after 2 weeks of marriage


Famous Deaths

  • Jun 1 William Manchester, American historian (Death of a President), dies at 82
  • Jun 2 Loyd Sigmon, American radio broadcaster, sound engineer, and inventor ("Sig Alert" for traffic and emergency notices), dies from complications of Parkinson's disease at 95
  • Jun 2 Nicolai Ghiaurov, Bulgarian operatic basso singer, dies of a heart attack at 74
  • Jun 3 Frances Shand Kydd, English aristocrat, mother of Diana, Princess of Wales, dies at 68
  • Jun 3 Jonathan D. Kramer, American composer (Notta Sonata), dies of leukemia at 61
  • Jun 3 Quorthon [Thomas Forsberg], Swedish heavy and Viking metal musician, and record producer (Bathory), dies of a congenital heart issue at 38
  • Jun 3 Victor Reuther, American labor leader (United Automobile Workers union), dies at 92 [1]
  • Jun 4 Lodewijk Boer, Dutch violist, librettist, actor, stage director, and playwright (The Bald Head Listens; The Family), dies at 67
  • Jun 4 Saturnino "Nino" Manfredi, Italian actor (Between Miracles), dies at 83
  • Jun 4 Steve Lacy [Lackritz], American jazz soprano saxophonist (Thelonious Monk), dies of liver cancer at 69
  • Jun 5 Iona Brown, British violinist and conductor, dies of cancer at 63

Ronald Reagan (1911-2004)

Jun 5 40th US President (Republican: 1981-89) and actor (Bedtime for Bonzo), dies at 93

  • Jun 6 Judy Campbell [Judith Mary Gamble], British actress (Convoy, Bonnie Prince Charlie), dies at 88
  • Jun 6 Kate Worley, American comic book writer (Omaha the Cat Dancer), dies of cancer at 46
  • Jun 7 William Cramond, Scottish psychiatrist and vice-chancellor (Stirling University), dies at 83
  • Jun 9 "Rosey" Roosevelt Brown, American football player, dies at 71
  • Jun 9 Brian Williamson, Jamaican Gay Activist (b. 1945)
  • Jun 10 Graeme Kelling, British pop guitarist (Deacon Blue), dies at 47

Ray Charles (1930-2004)

Jun 10 American singer and pianist who pioneered soul music ("Georgia On My Mind"; "Mess Around"; "Hit The Road, Jack"), dies at 73

  • Jun 11 Egon von Fürstenberg, Swiss fashion designer, dies at 57
  • Jun 11 Xenophon Zolotas, Greek politician (b. 1904)
  • Jun 13 Dick Durrance, American skier, dies at 89
  • Jun 13 Ralph Wiley, American sports journalist and writer (Sports Illustrated and ESPN's Page 2), dies from a heart attack at 52
  • Jun 14 Eamonn McGirr, Irish-born singer and entertainer
  • Jun 14 Ulrich Inderbinen, Swiss mountain guide, dies at 103
  • Jun 16 Thanom Kittikachorn, Thai politician and general (1971 coup Prime Minister of Thailand 1958-73), dies at 92
  • Jun 17 Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player, dies at 78
  • Jun 17 Jackie Paris, American jazz singer and guitarist ("Skylark"), dies at 79
  • Jun 17 Sara Lidman, Swedish author (Jag Och Min Son, Samtal in Hanoi), dies at 80
  • Jun 21 Leonel Brizola, Brazilian politician (b. 1922)
  • Jun 22 Bob Bemer, American computer scientist (b. 1920)
  • Jun 22 Kim Sun-il, South Korean translator (b. 1970)
  • Jun 22 Mattie Stepanek, American poet (b. 1990)
  • Jun 22 Thomas Gold, Austrian astrophysicist (proposed steady-state theory of universe), dies from complications due to heart disease at 84
  • Jun 24 Ifigeneia Giannopoulou, Greek lyricist, journalist, and children's book author, dies of an allergic reaction at 39 or 40 [birth year uncertain]
  • Jun 24 Jimmy Rowser, American jazz double-bassist (Dinah Washington; Ray Bryant; Les McCann), and teacher, dies at 78
  • Jun 26 Eskil Hemberg, Swedish composer, conductor (Stockholm University Chorus, 1959-84), and artistic director (Royal Swedish Opera, 1987-96), dies at 66
  • Jun 26 Naomi Shemer, Israeli singer-songwriter (b. 1930)
  • Jun 26 Yash Johar, Indian film producer (b. 1929)
  • Jun 27 Darrell Russell, American race car driver (b. 1968)
  • Jun 27 George Patton IV, American general in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, dies of Parkinson's disease at 80
  • Jun 28 Anthony Buckeridge, English author (Jennings), dies at 92
  • Jun 29 Bernard Babior, American physician and biochemist, dies at 68
  • Jun 30 Jamal Abro, Sindhi writer, dies at 80