Historical eventJune 11974

Henry Heimlich

In an informal article in a medical journal, Henry Heimlich introduced the concept of abdominal thrusts, commonly known as the Heimlich maneuver, to treat victims of choking.

In context

When
Saturday, June 1 197452 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1970s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1974.

What happened

Henry Judah Heimlich was an American thoracic surgeon and medical researcher. He is widely credited for the discovery of the Heimlich maneuver, a technique of abdominal thrusts to stop choking, first described in 1974. He also invented the Micro Trach portable oxygen system for ambulatory patients and the Heimlich Chest Drain Valve, or "flutter valve", which drains blood and air out of the chest cavity.

June 1 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1974Henry Heimlich
  2. 2001Nepalese royal massacre
  3. 2004Oklahoma City bombing
  4. 2007Cyclone Gonu
  5. 20082008 Universal Studios fire
  6. 2009General Motors
  7. 2009Air France Flight 447
  8. 2011Space Shuttle Endeavour
  9. 20112011 Springfield tornado
  10. 2015Sinking of Dongfang zhi Xing
  11. 2018Congress of Deputies

Also in 1974

  • September 15Air Vietnam Flight 706Air Vietnam Flight 706 is hijacked, then crashes while attempting to land with 75 on board.
  • September 17BangladeshBangladesh, Grenada and Guinea-Bissau join the United Nations.
  • August 14Turkish invasion of CyprusTurkey launches the second phase of the invasion of Cyprus, which eventually resulted in the Turkish occupation of 37% of Cyprus.
  • June 26Universal Product CodeThe Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
  • May 4ManasluAn all-female Japanese team reached the summit of Manaslu in the Himalayas, becoming the first women to climb a peak higher than 8,000 me…
  • November 21Birmingham pub bombingsBombs exploded in two pubs in central Birmingham, England, killing 21 people and leading to the imprisonment of six people who were later…
  • November 16Arecibo messageThe Arecibo message is broadcast from Puerto Rico.
  • May 18Smiling BuddhaIndia conducted its first nuclear test explosion at Pokhran, the first confirmed nuclear test by a nation outside the five permanent memb…

Everything we record for 1974 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Henry Heimlich”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/henry-heimlich-1974-june-1, accessed October 26, 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 Henry Heimlich happen?

June 1 1974 — 52 years ago, on a Saturday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

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.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.