Julian Assange

Historical eventJune 262024

Julian Assange

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, returns to Australia after pleading guilty to one charge of espionage in a Saipan court and subsequently being released by the United States Department of Justice.

Everything on June 26Original source
Photo: andymcgee · CC BY 2.0

In context

When
Wednesday, June 26 20242 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
21st century · 2020s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 2024.

What came beforeAI-assisted

Julian Assange was born in 1971 in Australia and became a computer programmer and hacker in the 1980s–90s. He co-founded the Cypherpunk mailing list in 1992 and developed an early interest in cryptography, privacy, and exposing government secrecy.

Catalyst / how it startedAI-assisted

Assange founded WikiLeaks in 2006 as a platform for anonymous whistleblowers to publish classified documents. The organization gained prominence in 2010 when Chelsea Manning, a U.S. Army intelligence analyst, leaked hundreds of thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks, including the "Collateral Murder" video of a 2007 Baghdad airstrike.

Who was involvedAI-assisted

Julian Assange founded and led WikiLeaks. Chelsea Manning provided the major 2010 leaks while serving as a U.S. Army intelligence analyst. The U.S. government, Swedish authorities, and the UK government became central figures in subsequent legal proceedings against Assange.

TimelineAI-assisted

WikiLeaks was founded in 2006. In 2010, Manning's leaks were published, including the Baghdad airstrike video and diplomatic cables. Assange faced Swedish sexual assault allegations (2010–2017) and was arrested in London in 2019 on a U.S. extradition warrant. On June 26, 2024, Assange pleaded guilty to espionage charges and was released, returning to Australia.

What happened

Julian Paul Assange is an Australian editor, programmer, and publisher who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. He came to international attention in 2010 after WikiLeaks published a series of leaks from Chelsea Manning, a United States Army intelligence analyst: footage of a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad showing war crimes committed by the U.S. Army, U.S. military logs from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and U.S. diplomatic cables. Assange has won over two dozen awards for publishing and journalism.

June 26 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 2003Supreme Court of the United States
  2. 2006Mari Alkatiri
  3. 2007Pope Benedict XVI
  4. 20082008 Karmah bombing
  5. 20102010 G20 Toronto summit
  6. 2012Waldo Canyon Fire
  7. 2013Supreme Court of the United States
  8. 2013June 2013 Shanshan riots
  9. 2015Supreme Court of the United States
  10. 201526 June 2015 Islamist attacks
  11. 2024Julian Assange

Also in 2024

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  • September 11Soyuz MS-26Soyuz MS-26 is launched to the International Space Station, setting a record of 19 people in orbit at the same time.
  • October 20Prabowo SubiantoPrabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka were sworn in as president and vice president of Indonesia, becoming the oldest and the young…
  • July 13President of the United StatesFormer president of the United States Donald Trump is injured in an assassination attempt while speaking at an election campaign rally ne…
  • August 10Israel Defense ForcesIsrael strikes Al-Tabaeen school in eastern Gaza City, killing at least 80 Palestinians.
  • January 32024 Kerman bombingsAt least 91 people are killed in bombings in Kerman, Iran, during a ceremony commemorating the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Sol…

Everything we record for 2024 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Julian Assange”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/julian-assange-2024-june-26, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Julian Assange happen?

June 26 2024 — 2 years ago, on a Wednesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints. Panels marked AI-assisted were filled where the sources left a heading empty.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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