June 26 Birthday
On June 26, 1945, representatives of fifty nations signed the United Nations Charter in the auditorium of the San Francisco Veterans War Memorial. The UN replaced the failed League of Nations. The charter established the General Assembly, the Security Council, the International Court of Justice, and the Secretariat. The five permanent members of the Security Council — the US, UK, USSR, France, and China — each had veto power. The UN has 193 member states today. It has been criticized for bureaucracy and impotence, but it has also mediated conflicts, fed millions, and eradicated diseases. In 1963, Kennedy visited West Berlin and declared, "Ich bin ein Berliner." The phrase is commonly said to have meant "I am a jelly doughnut" — a Berliner is a type of pastry — but this is a myth. In context, the phrase was understood exactly as Kennedy intended: solidarity with the people of Berlin. The speech was delivered to 120,000 people in front of the Rudolph Wilde Platz. Kennedy died five months later. People born on June 26 fall under the zodiac sign of Cancer. The birthstone is Pearl and the birth flower is Rose. Historical events on June 26 include 1945: UN Charter signed by 50 nations in San Francisco, 1963: JFK delivers "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech at Berlin Wall, 2015: Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage nationwide (Obergefell v. Hodges). Famous people born on June 26 include Pearl S. Buck (1892), Chris O'Donnell (1970), Ariana Grande (1993).