26 June, 1906 – The first Grand Prix car race is held

The competition was held on a circuit around Le Mans, France and organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF). Renault's Ferenc Szisz won the competition.

27 June, 1954 – The world's first nuclear power plant is activated

The reactor at Obninsk in present-day Russia remained in operation for 48 years. Today, there are some 400 atomic power plants worldwide. The technology remains controversial, due to the unsolved long-term storage of the highly dangerous nuclear waste.

28 June, 1939 – The world's first scheduled transatlantic flight takes off

The Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat was operated by Pan Am. It took about 24 hours to reach Marseille, France. The scheduled service was soon discontinued again because of the outbreak of World War II.

29 June, 1986 – Richard Branson breaks the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing by boat

The British businessman took about three days to cross the ocean in his speedboat “Virgin Atlantic Challenger II”. He was denied the prestigious Blue Riband for the fastest crossing because he refueled on the way.

30 June, 1936 – The novel Gone with the Wind is published

Margaret Mitchell's story set in the American South during the American Civil War became one of the United States' biggest best-sellers. The 1939 movie version starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable was similarly successful.

01 July, 1979 – The Walkman makes its appearance in stores for the first time

The portable audio cassette player was made by Sony and went on sale in Japan.

02 July, 2002 – Steve Fossett completes the first solo around-the-world Balloon Flight

This was Fossett's sixth attempt to circumnavigate the world. It took him 13 days in a balloon called Spirit of Freedom to cover 20,000 miles.