On this day in history - June 2

What Happened On This Day – June 2

• 1979 Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit a communist country

  Millions of spectators lined the streets of Warsaw as the Pope began his nine-day tour of his native Poland.

• 1967 Benno Ohnesorg is killed

  A police officer shot the unarmed German student at a demonstration against the state visit of the controversial Shah of Iran. It later ruled that the shooting was not an act of self-defense. The event was pivotal for the foundation of the terrorist organization “Movement 2 June”.

• 1953 Queen Elizabeth II is crowned

  The coronation in London's Westminster Abbey was the first televised major international event in history. Elizabeth's accession to the throne followed the death of her father, King George VI, 16 months previously.

• 1946 Italy becomes a parliamentary republic

  The transition from a monarchy to today's Italian Republic was effected by the favorable outcome of a referendum, in which 89 percent of Italians, also including women for the first time, took part.

• 1847 Felix Mendelssohn's Wedding March is used at a wedding for the first time

  Dorothy Carew and Tom Daniel were the first to use the iconic piece for their wedding ceremony. The event that made the work world famous was the wedding of Victoria, Princess Royal and Prince Frederick William of Prussia in 1858.