The following events occurred in June 1977:
June 1, 1977 (Wednesday) The Arabic language daily newspaper "Al-Arab", published in London, was introduced by entrepreneur Ahmed el-Houni, who had formerly been the minister of information for Libya.Mahmud El-Shafey, "Al-Arab newspaper celebrates 10,000th issue", The Arab Weekly, August 21, 2015 The Japanese playing card company Nintendo put its first home video game on the market, branded as "Color TV-Game" Nintendo, founded in 1889 as a manufacturer of playing cards and which introduced a line of electronic toys in 1969, debuted its first home video game console, the Color TV-Game (カラー テレビゲーム or Karā Terebi-Gēmu).Rusel DeMaria and Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games (McGraw-Hill, 2003) pp. 363 On June 8, a week after Color TV-Game 6 was released, Nintendo released Color TV-Game 15."Nintendo Color TV-Game 6 (カラー テレビゲーム 6, 1977)", BeforeMario.com blog, April 9, 2011 Queen Juliana of the Netherlands asked Prime Minister Joop den Uyl to form a new coalition government with his Labor Party joining with the Christian Democrat leader, Andreas van Agt."The World", Los Angeles Times, June 2, 1977, p. I-2 Born: Sarah Wayne Callies, American TV actress known for The Walking Dead; in La Grange, Illinois Died: John Morris, 64, British historian
June 2, 1977 (Thursday) The U.S. state of New Jersey became only the second in the United States (after Nevada) to legalize casino gambling, as Governor Brendan Byrne signed the Casino Control Act into law.Waggoner, "Casino Unit's Power Is Termed Absolute," The New York Times, June 4, 1977 The first casino, in Atlantic City's Resorts Casino Hotel, would open on May 26, 1978. Operation Aztec, Rhodesia's five-day invasion of neighboring Mozambique to stop attacks from the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and the Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (FRELIMO), ended with the destruction of the section of the Limpopo railway that had carried guerrillas in Mozambique to the Rhodesian border, and the deaths of at least 60 ZANLA and FRELIMO combatants. In the Philippines, Allied Banking Corporation, which would become one of the largest banks in the nation, opened its first branch. Belgium's prime minister Leo Tindemans announced that he had formed a new government. He resigned three hours later after a dispute between French speaking and Flemish speaking members of his party. Born: Zachary Quinto, American TV and film actor known for portraying Sylar on the series Heroes and for Spock in the rebooted 2009 Star Trek film and its sequels; in Pittsburgh Died: Stephen Boyd (stage name for William Millar), 45, Northern Irish film actor, Golden Globe winner for best supporting actor for his role in Ben Hur, died of a heart attack in the U.S. while playing golf in Northridge, California."Actor Stephen Boyd Dies of Apparent Heart Attack", Los Angeles Times, June 3, 1977, p. I- Fred Young (stage name for Njo Tiong Gie), 76, Indonesian film director
June 3, 1977 (Friday) Elections were held in Morocco for 176 of the 264 seats of the Majlis, the lower house of Moroccan Parliament. The other 88 were indirectly elected, with 48 by local government councils, and 40 others from professional colleges. A total of 1,022 candidates ran for office; independent candidates won 81 seats (as well as 60 picked indirectly), while the Istiqlal Party won 46 and the Constitutional and Democratic Popular Movement (CDPM) won 29.Dolf Sternberger, et al., Die Wahl der Parlamente, Band II: Afrika ("The Choice of Parliaments, Volume II: Africa") (Nomos, 1978), p1345"Morocco King's Backers Win at Polls", Los Angeles Times, June 5, 1977, p. I-23 The United States and Cuba announced that they would begin diplomatic relations for the first time since 1961, with the exchange of diplomats. The Cuban government followed by releasing 10 Americans who had been incarcerated in Cuban jails."U.S. Will Exchange Diplomats With Cuba— Havana Frees 10 Americans as a Gesture", by Oswald Johnston, Los Angeles Times, June 4, 1977, p. I-1 Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, former Indian Minister of Home Affairs for Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was elected as the new president of the Indian National Congress, in the wake of the political party's defeat in the March 20 elections. The United Kingdom deported former American CIA official Philip Agee, who had revealed the names of CIA agents, barring him from re-entry to the country after he had traveled to the Netherlands.Christopher M. Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, The Sword and the Shield: The Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB (Basic Books, 2000) p. 232-233 Died: Archibald Hill, 90, English biochemist and 1922 Nobel Prize laureate, known for the Hill equation Roberto Rossellini, 71, Italian film director "Italian Director Rossellini, Pioneer of Neorealism, Dies", Los Angeles Times, June 4, 1977, p. I-1
June 4, 1977 (Saturday)
Vincent van Gogh's painting Poppy Flowers (Stilleven met viscaria), worth an estimated U.S.$55,000,000, was stolen from Cairo's Khalil Museum in Egypt. Recovered 10 years later, the painting would be stolen again in 2010 and has not been seen since then. A court in Cyprus dismissed murder charges against the two members of the terrorist group, EOKA-B, Ioannis Ktimatias and Nepotolemos Leftis. The two had been indicted for the 1974 assassination of U.S. Ambassador Rodger Davies and a Greek Cypriot secretary to the ambassador, Antoinette Varnavas."The World", Los Angeles Times, June 5, 1977, p. I-2 Ktimatias and Leftis were found guilty of the lesser offense of illegal use of firearms and rioting, with Ktimatias getting a seven-year sentence and Leftis five years."The World", Los Angeles Times, June 22, 1977, p. I-2 Marvin Mandel, Governor of the U.S. state of Maryland, stepped aside and appointed Lieutenant Governor Blair Lee III as ""Acting Chief Executive", after Mandel was indicted along with five co-defendants of the crimes of mail fraud and racketeering."Mandel Temporarily Quits Governorship", Los Angeles Times, June 5, 1977, p. I-2 After being convicted, Mandel would be sentenced to the federal prison at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Mandel would rescind Lee's powers on January 15, 1979, after his conviction was overturned on appeal, and serve the remaining two days of his elected term."Mandel, His Conviction Voided, Back as Governor — for 2 Days", by Ben A. Franklin, The New York Times, January 16, 1979, p. A12 Died: František Michl, 75, Czech artist who had been incarcerated by the Nazi German government for being anti-fascist, and by the Czechoslovak government for being anti-Communist.
June 5, 1977 (Sunday)
A bloodless coup overthrew the government of President James Mancham while he was out of the country, and installed France-Albert René as President of the Seychelles. Mancham was in the UK at the time, attending the British Commonwealth meeting."Leader Ousted in Tiny Africa Nation— Seychelles Appeared a Model of Stability", by David Lamb, Los Angeles Times, June 6, 1977, p. I-1 Elections were held in Turkey for all 450 seats of the unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey, referred to in Turkey as the Meclis."Turk Opposition Party Celebrates Victory; Premier Warns of New Era of Instability", by Joe Alex Morris Jr.", Los Angeles Times, June 6, 1977, p. I-1 With 226 seats needed for a majority, the Republican People's Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi or CHP) of former Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit increased its strength from 185 to 213 seats, while the right-wing "Nationalist Front" coalition of Premier Süleyman Demirel was forced out of office. The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 109 to 107, to win the championship of the National Basketball Association, taking Game 6 of the best-4-of-7 series in Portland. With four seconds to play, George McGinnis of the 76ers missed a jump shot that would have sent the game into overtime."Blazers Rip Sixers In Final, 109-107", Indianapolis Star, June 6, 1977, p.2
June 6, 1977 (Monday) A week of celebrations of the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II began with the Queen lighting the fuse to a high bonfire in a ceremony before a crowd of 300,000 at Windsor Great Park. The lighting began the first of a network of 103 bonfires, lit consecutively across the island."Queen Ignites Silver Jubilee Bonfire", Los Angeles Times, June 7, 1977, p. I-5 Singer Elvis Presley released his last recording, "Way Down", which would reach number one on the Billboard Country Music chart on the week before he died, and #31 on the Billboard Hot 100 ten days before his August 16 death. The U.S. and the Republic of Congo agreed to resume diplomatic relations, 12 years after they had closed their embassies. the announcement came from Congo's Foreign Minister, Theophile Obenga, and U.S. Undersecretary of State William E. Schaufele Jr."The World", Los Angeles Times, June 7, 1977, p. I-2 Born: Inam Karimov, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan since 2023; in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union Julius Amedume, Ghana-born British film director and producer; in Volta Region, Ghana Died: George Landen Dann, 76, Australian playwright
June 7, 1977 (Tuesday) After a campaign by singer Anita Bryant, voters in a referendum in Miami-Dade County, Florida repealed ordinance 77-4 of the Dade County Commission that had outlawed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment, housing and public services."Miami Repeals Gay Rights by Overwhelming Margin— Crusade Headed by Anita Bryant Scores a Resounding Victory", by Jeff Prugh, Los Angeles Times, June 8, 1977, p. I-1 The ordinance had been passed on January 18."Bias Against Homosexuals is Outlawed in Miami", The New York Times, January 19, 1977, p. 14 Bryant was able to persuade almost 70% of voters that protection of gay rights would be a threat to the community as part of her "Save the Children campaign, with 202,319 for repeal and 89,562 against it. In a special election to fill the unexpired term for Mayor of Chicago, interim Mayor Michael A. Bilandic defeated Republican challenger Dennis H. Block."Chicago Machine Delivers Bilandic", by Bryce Nelson, Los Angeles Times, June 8, 1977, p. I-14 Daley, elected to a sixth term in 1975, to expire on April 16, 1979, won 77.3 percent of the vote. He did not seek re-election. Elections were held for one-third of the members of the Turkish Senate, with 50 of the 150 seats to be filled.Dieter Nohlen, et al., Elections in Asia: A Data Handbook, Volume I (Nomos 2001) pp. 269–273 Convicted kidnapper Ted Bundy, on trial in Colorado for the 1975 murder of Caryn Campbell, escaped from the Pitkin County Courthouse in Aspen, Colorado.Ann Rule, The Stranger Beside Me (Pocket Books, 2009) p.285 He would be recaptured three days later, but would escape from another Colorado jail on December 30."All-American Boy on Trial", The New York Times, December 10, 1978, p. SM‐24 Born: Donovan Ricketts, Jamaican footballer with 100 appearances as goalkeeper for the Jamaica national team; in Montego Bay
June 8, 1977 (Wednesday) Plans for a conversion of U.S. roadway signs to the metric system were canceled. Director William M. Cox of the Federal Highway Administration informed Iowa Congressman Charles E. Grassley that regulations published on April 27 for public notice and comment had received enough negative comment and protest to merit withdrawing the proposal."Plans for Metric System Road Signs Called Dead", Los Angeles Times, June 9, 1977, p. I-24 Cox explained later that "More than 5,000 comments were received, and about 98% of them were negative.""Signposts Still to Be Milestones— Metric Plan Dead", Los Angeles Times, June 25, 1977, p.I-1 The Sri Venkateswara Temple, the first Hindu temple to be built in the United States, was inaugurated in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh."The Temple Builders", The Pluralism Project, Harvard University