June 1981

Friday 05:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that five homosexual men in Los Angeles, California, have a rare form of pneumonia seen only in patients with weakened immune systems (these were the first recognized cases of AIDS).

Saturday 06:

A passenger train travelling between Mansi and Saharsa, India, jumps the tracks at a bridge crossing the Bagmati river. The government places the official death toll at 268 plus another 300 missing; however, it is generally believed that the actual figure is closer to 1,000 killed.

Sunday 07:

The Israeli Air Force destroys Iraq's Osiraq nuclear reactor.

Friday 12:

Major League Baseball players begin a 49 day strike over the issue of free-agent compensation.

Saturday 13:

At the Trooping the Colour ceremony in London, a teenager fires six blank shots at Queen Elizabeth II.

Tuesday 16:

Ken Taylor honoured for helping six Americans escape from Iran during hostage crisis

Wednesday 24:

For what would be the world's longest single-span suspension bridge for 17 years, the Humber Bridge, connecting Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, opens.