I still have a hard time believing the Hot Bike June 90 cover is almost 30 years old. But it is. Why is that hard to believe? Because that means I’m getting old, which ain’t cool. It does, however, beat the tar out of the alternative. Here are some highlights from back then.

June

Joanne Rowling gets the idea for Harry Potter while on a train from Manchester to London Euston railway station. She begins writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone which will be completed in 1995 and published in 1997.

June 1

Cold War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to end chemical weapon production and begin destroying their respective stocks.

June 2

The Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak spawns 88 confirmed tornadoes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, killing 12; 37 tornadoes occur in Indiana, eclipsing the previous record of 21 during the Super Outbreak of April 1974.

June 7

Universal Studios Orlando opens

June 8

The 1990 FIFA World Cup begins in Italy. This was the first broadcast of digital HDTV in history; Europe would not begin HDTV broadcasting en masse until 2004.

June 11

Sri Lankan Civil War: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam massacre over 600 unarmed police officers in the Eastern Province.

June 12

Cold War: The Congress of People’s Deputies of the Russian Federation formally declares its sovereignty.

June 13

Cold War – The destruction of the Berlin Wall by East Germany officially starts, 7 months after it was opened the previous November.

June 17–30

Nelson Mandela tours North America, visiting 3 Canadian and 8 U.S. cities.

June 21

The 7.4 Mw Manjil–Rudbar earthquake affects northern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing 35,000–50,000, and injuring 60,000–105,000.

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