June 9

68 – Roman Emperor Nero commits suicide, imploring his secretary Epaphroditos to slit his throat to evade a Senate-imposed death by flogging.
1310 – Duccio’s Maestà Altarpiece, a seminal artwork of the early Italian Renaissance, is unveiled and installed in the Siena Cathedral in Siena, Italy.
An altarpiece composed of many individual paintings commissioned by the city of Siena in 1308 from the artist Duccio di Buoninsegna. The base of the panel has an inscription that reads: “Holy Mother of God, be thou the cause of peace for Siena and life to Duccio because he painted thee thus.”
The painting was installed in the cathedral of Siena on June 9, 1311. One person who witnessed this event wrote:
“And on that day when it was brought into the cathedral, all workshops remained closed, and the bishop commanded a great host of devoted priests and monks to file past in solemn procession. This was accompanied by all the high officers of the Commune and by all the people; all honorable citizens of Siena surrounded said panel with candles held in their hands, and women and children followed humbly behind. They accompanied the panel amidst the glorious pealing of bells after a solemn procession on the Piazza del Campo into the very cathedral; and all this out of reverence for the costly panel. The poor received many alms, and we prayed to the Holy Mother of God, our patron saint, that she might in her infinite mercy preserve this our city of Siena from every misfortune, traitor or enemy.”
1456 – 23rd recorded perihelion passage of Halley’s Comet
1772 – First naval attack of Revolutionary War takes place in Providence, RI
1802 – US Academy at West Point founded
1822 – Charles Graham patents false teeth
1891 – Painter Gauguin arrives in Papeete, Tahiti

1909 – On June 9, 1909, Alice Huyler Ramsey, a 22-year-old housewifeand mother from Hackensack, New Jersey, began a 3,800-mile journey from Hell’s Gate in New York, to San Francisco in a green Maxwell 30.  Accompanied by two older sisters-in-law and another female friend, none of whom could drive a car, they arrived 59 days later amid great fanfare in San Francisco on August 7.
Only 152 of the 3,600 miles of roads were paved.
Over the course of the drive, Ramsey changed 11 tires, cleaned the spark plugs, repaired a broken brake pedal and had to sleep in the car when it was stuck in mud.
The women mostly navigated by using telephone poles, following the poles with more wires in hopes that they would lead to a town.
She died on September 10, 1983, in Covina, California. Quoted in Ms.magazine in 19765 she said, “Good driving has nothing to do with sex. It’s all above the collar”
1910 – Passenger on SS Arawatta throws bottle with note overboard that was found June 6, 1983 in Queensland
1930 – Chicago Tribune reporter Jake Lingle is killed during rush hour at the Illinois Central train station by the Leo Vincent Brothers, allegedly over
a $100,000 gambling debt owed to Al Capone.
1954 – Joseph Welch asks US Senator Joseph McCarthy “Have you no sense of decency, sir?” during Senate-Army hearings
1955 – 100°F – Hottest day in Seattle, Washington
1989 – Rare tornado in Philadelphia kills one person

1672 – Peter the Great, tsar of Russia (1682-1725)
1891 – Cole Porter, Indiana, composer/lyricist
1915 – Les Paul (Lester William Polsfuss) American musician and inventor
1916 – Robert S McNamara, US Sec of Defense (1961-68)
1934 – Donald Duck, famous fowl
1944 – 23 puppies, (record litter) born to Lena, a foxhound

62 – Claudia Octavia, wife of Nero (b. 40)
68 – Claudius Nero, Roman emperor (54-68), commits suicide at 31
1870 – Charles Dickens, English writer (David Copperfield), dies at 58