What Happened on June 23?

June 23 is National Pink Day — and the date President Nixon signed Title IX in 1972, the International Olympic Committee formed in 1894, Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016, and Christopher Latham Sholes patented the typewriter in 1868.

• 1683 — William Penn signs a treaty with the Lenni Lenape

  In June 1683, Quaker leader William Penn reportedly signed a friendship treaty with the Lenni Lenape beneath a great elm tree — a symbol of fair dealing in Pennsylvania's founding. Read the full story →

• 1868 — Christopher Latham Sholes receives a typewriter patent

  On June 23, 1868, inventor Christopher Latham Sholes patented an early typewriter — ancestor of the QWERTY keyboard still used on computers today. Read the full story →

• 1894 — The International Olympic Committee is founded in Paris

  On June 23, 1894, Baron Pierre de Coubertin convened the Sorbonne Congress in Paris, creating the IOC and reviving the modern Olympic Games. Read the full story →

• 1960 — The FDA approves the first oral contraceptive pill

  On June 23, 1960, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Enovid — the first birth control pill — transforming reproductive health and women's autonomy. Read the full story →

• 1972 — President Nixon signs Title IX into law

  On June 23, 1972, Title IX became law — banning sex discrimination in federally funded education programs and transforming women's sports in America. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Alan Turing (1912–1954) · Zinedine Zidane (1972) · Joss Whedon (1964) · Selma Blair (1972)

Days & observances

National Pink Day · National Hydration Day · International Women in Engineering Day · National Pecan Sandies Day