This year's summer solstice the earliest since 1796

This year’s summer solstice is the earliest in 228 years.

The summer solstice marks the day of the year with the most hours of daylight and the beginning of summer — it’s set to get earlier and earlier each year until the end of the millennium. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice is marked by the time when the sun rises and sets at its most northeasterly and northwesterly points during the year.