This Day in History Quiz: June 2

Question: On June 2, 1946, in the aftermath of World War II and the death of Benito Mussolini, the people of Italy passed a referendum to replace the monarchy with which form of government?

Answer: After passage of a referendum on June 2, 1946, that expressed Italians’ popular choice, Italy was officially proclaimed a republic on June 18, 1946, ending the country’s roughly 85-year-old monarchy.

Question: On June 2, 1941, this American baseball player, nicknamed “the Iron Horse” for his record-setting number of consecutive games played, died of ALS.

Answer: Hall of Famer and 17-season New York Yankee Lou Gehrig played 2,130 consecutive games, a record that stood for 56 years—until broken by Cal Ripken, Jr., in 1995. Gehrig died on June 2, 1941, of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig disease.

Question: On June 2, 1953, 27-year-old Elizabeth II was crowned queen of the United Kingdom. Which monarch did she succeed?

Answer: Elizabeth II succeeded her father, George VI, as the British monarch upon his death in 1952. She was formally crowned queen on June 2, 1953.

Question: On June 2, 1886, Frances Folsom married a U.S. president, thereby becoming the youngest first lady in American history. Who was her husband?

Answer: When she married U.S. President Grover Cleveland on June 2, 1886, and became first lady, Frances Folsom was only 21 years old. The next youngest first lady was Julia Tyler (née Julia Gardiner), who married President John Tyler when she was 24.

Question: U.S. spacecraft Surveyor 1 made a soft landing on the Moon on June 2, 1966. True or false: Surveyor was the first spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on the Moon.

Answer: While Surveyor 1 was the first American spacecraft to make a soft landing on the Moon, Luna 9, a Soviet spacecraft, was the first to achieve this feat. It did so a few months before Surveyor 1’s landing, which happened on June 2, 1966.

Question: Which American musician who figured importantly in the emergence of rock and roll as a distinct style died on June 2, 2008?

Answer: Originally named Ellas Bates, Bo Diddley, who died on June 2, 2008, was one of the most influential performers of early rock and roll and an important connection to the blues tradition. The name Diddley was most likely derived from the diddley bow, a one-stringed African guitar popular in the Mississippi Delta region.