Gregory Galloway

The Harder They Come was released in Jamaica on 5 June 1972.

Loosely based on the life of the 1940s criminal Ivanhoe Martin, Perry Henzell (who also directed) and Trevor Rhone updated the story to the 1970s and cast Jimmy Cliff (whose only acting experience was in school plays), who wrote the title song and 2 others for the soundtrack.

The film was a huge hit in Jamaica, but failed to find an audience when Roger Corman released it in the US in Feb. 1973. It wasn’t until a year later - due to midnight showings - that the film began to attract viewers.

Astronaut Gene Cernan goes on a spacewalk during the Gemini 9 mission, June 5, 1966.

On 5 June 1966, James Meredith began a 220-mile march from Memphis, TN to Jackson, MS.

The 32-year-old Meredith, who had integrated the University of Mississippi four years earlier, organized the one-man march to encourage African Americans in Mississippi to register to vote and overcome a fear of violence.

When he crossed into Mississippi on the morning of 6 June, Meredith was shot 3 times by a sniper, and hit in his head, neck, back and legs . His assailant, an unemployed member of the Ku Klux Klan from Jackson, MS, was quickly apprehended by police. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison (he served 18 months).

As Meredith recuperated from his wounds, people gathered in his hospital room in Hernando, MS to resume what was now called the “Meredith March.” Led by Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael and Floyd McKissick, the marchers walked for nearly three weeks, helping to register thousands of African-American voters along the way.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was released on 4 June 1982.

After the first Star Trek film failed to meet studio expectations, Gene Roddenberry was forced out (but given the title of “executive consultant”) and replaced by newly-hired producer Harve Bennett, who was inspired by the “Space Seed” episode of the original series after watching all the original episodes to prepare for the movie. Bennett wrote the outline of the story, which Jack B. Sowards developed into a script. Director Nicholas Meyer then re-wrote the screenplay (but did not receive credit) and persuaded Leonard Nimoy to return for the movie under the condition that Spock would be killed.

After a draft of the screenplay was leaked, fans became aware that Spock would die and began writing letters in protest. Changes were made over Meyer’s objections, and the studio assured fans that Spock “would live again.” Nimoy believed that The Wrath of Khan would fail to find an large audience and be the last Star Trek movie.

A Passage to India was first published on 4 June 1924.

Inspired by E.M. Forster's trip to India a decade earlier, and reviews at the time of its release criticized its favorable, optimistic depiction of the country and the friendship between the British Fielding and the Indian Dr. Aziz.

Sheila E.'s debut album was released on 4 June 1984.

Sheila Escovedo was already an established musician by the time she met Prince in 1977, having recorded with George Duke, Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock, and others. She would also appear on Prince's Purple Rain (1984) before he produced her debut and co-wrote many of the songs - "The Belle of St. Mark" and "Noon Rendevous" and writing the hit title track (Prince's name did not appear at all on the initial releases).

Everything But the Girl's debut album was released in the UK on 4 June 1984.

Recorded for a UK television special on 24 February 1969, the album version (a shortened version of the concert, with songs presented in different order) At San Quentin, was released on 4 June 1969.

It was Johnny Cash’s first recording without guitarist Luther Perkins (who Cash had played with since 1953), who had died almost a year earlier (the 40-year-old Perkins fell asleep with a lit cigarette).

The album also was the first performance of “San Quentin” and “A Boy Named Sue” (neither the TV crew nor his band knew he was going to play the Shel Silverstein song). “A Boy Named Sue” was released as a single in July 1969 and became Cash’s biggest single, peaking at #2 (where it stayed for 3 weeks) and was Cash’s only Top Ten single.

30-year-old Johnny Cash’s 12th studio album was released on 4 June 1962.

"Heart Full of Soul" was released in the UK on 4 June 1965 (and a month later in the US).

Written by Graham Gouldman, it was the first single after 20-year-old Jeff Beck replaced 20-year-old Eric Clapton. "Heart Full of Soul" features one of the earliest uses of a fuzz box, and the "Indian" nature of the song (a sitar had originally been recorded, but unhappy with the results, Beck imitated the sound with his guitar), it is credited with popularizing "raga rock" and would have a significant influence on "psychedelic rock."

The Very Hungry Caterpillar was first published on 3 June 1969.

The 40-year-old Eric Carle had originally conceived of a bookworm working its way through the pages, but his editor, Ann Beneduce, suggested a caterpillar.

The book has been translated into more than 60 languages and sold nearly 50 million copies (averaging 1.8 copies sold every minute since it was published).