Today in History:
June 20, 1975
Steven Spielberg’s Jaws hit theaters across the United States, and with it came a tidal wave of excitement, fear, and a brand-new era in Hollywood filmmaking. The film not only terrified audiences with its suspenseful storytelling and iconic score but also redefined how movies were marketed and released—ushering in what we now know as the summer blockbuster.
Based on Peter Benchley’s novel, Jaws tells the story of a seaside town terrorized by a great white shark. With a modest budget and a then-unknown director at the helm, expectations were modest. But the film’s gripping tension, unforgettable characters, and John Williams’ haunting two-note theme turned it into a cultural phenomenon.
Within weeks, Jaws became the highest-grossing film of all time (until Star Wars took the crown two years later), raking in over $470 million worldwide. It was the first film to earn over $100 million at the box office, setting a new standard for commercial success.
What made Jaws revolutionary wasn’t just its content—it was its release strategy. Universal Pictures launched the film with a massive national advertising campaign and a wide release across hundreds of theaters, a rarity at the time. The result? Packed cinemas, long lines, and a new model for how studios would release their biggest films.
This approach laid the groundwork for future summer hits like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and The Avengers. Today, the summer movie season is a global event, and it all started with a mechanical shark and a young director’s vision.
Fifty years later, Jaws remains a masterclass in suspense and storytelling. It earned three Academy Awards, inspired countless filmmakers, and even changed beach tourism patterns. Spielberg’s career skyrocketed, and the film’s influence can still be felt in every high-stakes, high-budget summer release.
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Also of interest on June 20th
1782 – The U.S. Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States.
1787 – Oliver Ellsworth moves at the Federal Convention to call the government the ‘United States’.
1819 – The U.S. vessel SS Savannah arrives at Liverpool, United Kingdom. It is the first steam-propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic, although most of the journey is made under sail.
1840 – Samuel Morse receives the patent for the telegraph.
1877 – Alexander Graham Bell installs the world’s first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
1893 – Lizzie Borden is acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother.
1944 – The experimental MW 18014 V-2 rocket reaches an altitude of 176 km, becoming the first man-made object to reach outer space.
1945 – The United States Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to the U.S. under Operation Paperclip.
1963 – Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet Union and the United States sign an agreement to establish the so-called “red telephone” link between Washington, D.C., and Moscow.
1972 – Watergate scandal: An 18+1⁄2-minute gap appears in the tape recording of the conversations between U.S. President Richard Nixon and his advisers regarding the recent arrests of his operatives while breaking into the Watergate complex.
1990 – Asteroid Eureka is discovered.
1996 – Space Shuttle Columbia launches on STS-78 to conduct life science and microgravity research aboard the Spacelab module.
2003 – The Wikimedia Foundation is founded in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Births on This Day
1909 – Errol Flynn, Australian-American actor (died 1959)
1924 – Fritz Koenig, German sculptor and academic, designed The Sphere (died 2017)
1928 – Martin Landau, American actor and producer (died 2017)
1931 – Olympia Dukakis, American actress (died 2021)
1933 – Danny Aiello, American actor (died 2019)
1941 – Ulf Merbold, German physicist and astronaut
1942 – Brian Wilson, American singer, songwriter and producer (died 2025)
1946 – Bob Vila, American television host
1949 – Lionel Richie, American singer, songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor
1952 – John Goodman, American actor
1954 – Michael Anthony, American musician
1954 – Ilan Ramon, Israeli colonel, pilot, and astronaut (died 2003)
1960 – John Taylor, English bass player and actor
1967 – Nicole Kidman, American-Australian actress
1968 – Robert Rodriguez, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1989 – Christopher Mintz-Plasse, American actor
Deaths on This Day
1906 – John Clayton Adams, English painter (born 1840)
1947 – Bugsy Siegel, American mobster (born 1906)
2011 – Ryan Dunn, American television personality (born 1977)
2024 – Donald Sutherland, Canadian actor and producer (born 1935)
Holidays Today
June 20 | Holidays, Birthdays, Events
The Funnies:
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Gemini
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Wrong Hands | Cartoons by John Atkinson. ©John Atkinson, Wrong Hands
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