June 2nd, 1953: Queen Elizabeth takes coronation oath

Queen Elizabeth II has been crowned at a coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey in London. In front of more than 8,000 guests, including prime ministers and heads of state from around the Commonwealth, she took the Coronation Oath and is now bound to serve her people and to maintain the laws of God.

After being handed the four symbols of authority - the orb, the sceptre, the rod of mercy and the royal ring of sapphire and rubies - the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Geoffrey Fisher, placed St Edward's Crown on her head to complete the ceremony.

A shout of "God Save the Queen" was heard and gun salutes were fired as crowds cheered. The Archbishop and fellow bishops then paid homage to Queen Elizabeth II.

In a radio broadcast the Queen said: "Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust".

An estimated three million people lined the streets of London to catch a glimpse of the new monarch as she made her way to and from Buckingham Palace in the golden state coach. The ceremony was watched by millions more around the world as the BBC set up their biggest ever outside broadcast to provide live coverage of the event on radio and television. Street parties were held throughout the UK as people crowded round television sets to watch the ceremony.

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Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was officially released in both mono and stereo on June 1, 1967, although it was rush released in the UK on May 26. It was actually played on the radio in Britain on the BBC show Where It's At, the week before on May 20, except for A Day In The Life, which had been banned by the BBC the day earlier, on the grounds that it could encourage a permissive attitude towards drugs.

Labels: beatles, celebrity, music, uk

Sport is able to conjure magic. In the capital of South Korea, on Friday 1st June 2002, Senegal, at its first World Cup, beat France, the champion of the world and Senegal's former colonial master, 1-0. The solitary goal, scored by a big midfielder, Pape Bouba Diop., is featured as one of the best 10 of the tournament!

Labels: france, japan, senegal, soccer, south korea, sport

Perhaps the icon of macho movie stars, and a living legend, Clint Eastwood has become a standard in international cinema. Born on this day in 1930 in San Francisco, the son of a steel worker, Eastwood was a college dropout from Los Angeles College, prior to getting his start in acting.

Like most superstars, Clint Eastwood's success can be attributed to equal parts good fortune, tenacity, and talent. Eastwood may have been too young to fight in World War II, but he managed to miss out on action in Korea too. On leave as a G.I., his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean and steely-eyed Clint swam three miles to shore. He later was made boot camp swimming instructor and missed out on action in Korea (confined to base). Encouraged to try acting by two of his Army buddies, David Janssen and Martin Milner, he landed a contract at Universal Studios in 1954, earning 75 USD a week playing bit parts in B-grade movies like Revenge of the Creature (1955) and Tarantula (1955). He was dropped when some studio execs decided his Adam's apple was too big. The determined Eastwood swallowed his pride and, over the next few years, he dug swimming pools between playing bit parts in movies and on TV. While visiting a friend at CBS, Eastwood was spotted by a network exec who cast him as cattle driver Rowdy Yates in the long-running western series "Rawhide" (1959). That, in turn, led to spaghetti stardom in a string of Sergio Leone westerns, beginning with Per un pugno di dollari (1964) ("A Fistful of Dollars").

Labels: celebrity, clint eastwood, san francisco, usa

On May 30th 1911, Indianapolis saw its first long-distance auto race; Ray Harroun, driving a Marmon was the winner.

Labels: events, motor racing, usa

Walter Cronkite interviewed President Kennedy at Hyannisport on Labor Day Weekend, 1963.

These comments could easilly be being made by JFK today, about the situation in Iraq.

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The fifth of seven sons, he was born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, England on May 29, 1903. His English father, William Henry Hope, was a stonemason -- his Welsh mother, Avis Townes Hope, an aspiring concert singer.

In 1907, Leslie's father brought the family to Cleveland, Ohio. In 1920, by virtue of his father's naturalization, 'Bob' -- the name by which the world would later know him -- and his brothers became US citizens. (Bob Jokes, "I left England at the age of four when I found out I couldn't be king.")

Don't miss the punch line to this clip by Hope!

Labels: celebrity, entertainment

On the 28th of May 1957, the National League gave permission for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team to move to Los Angeles.

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On May 27, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County, Calif., opened to pedestrian traffic (vehicular traffic began crossing the bridge the next day).

Labels: architecture, san francisco, usa