The Miracle of Dunkirk
On June 4, 1940, over 338,000 Allied troops were evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk after being cut off and surrounded there for weeks.
World War II
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Aleutian Islands Campaign
On June 3, 1942, Japanese forces kicked of the 14-month Aleutian Islands Campaign. The campaign’s two Japanese invasions were the only ones on US soil during the war.
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Kentucky Becomes 15th State
On June 1, 1792, Kentucky became America’s 15th state and the first state west of the Appalachian Mountains. Its admission marked a new stage in the nation’s growth, as settlers pushed through mountain passes into a region long valued for its rivers, forests, wildlife, and rich farmland.
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Birth of Al Jolson
Asa “Al” Jolson said he did not know his true birthday, but he later chose May 26, 1886, as the date he would use. From a poor immigrant childhood, he rose to become one of America’s biggest entertainers and the star of the film that helped bring sound to the movies.
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Victory in Europe Day
On May 8, 1945, Americans celebrated Germany’s defeat with the first Victory in Europe Day.
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Battle of the Coral Sea Begins
On May 4, 1942, the World War II Battle of the Coral Sea began. It became the first naval battle fought mainly by aircraft carriers, with opposing fleets striking each other by air while their ships never came into direct sight.
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First US Aerogram
On April 29, 1947, the United States issued its first aerogram, then called an air letter sheet. It was a simple folded sheet of paper, but it offered Americans a cheaper and faster way to send personal messages overseas in the growing age of air travel.
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Inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI
On April 24, 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was inaugurated as Pope Benedict XVI, becoming the 265th Pope of the Catholic Church before a crowd of more than 300,000 in St. Peter’s Square. The 78-year-old German theologian — once nicknamed “God’s Rottweiler” for his doctrinal rigor — surprised the world eight years later by becoming the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years.
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Holocaust Memorial Museum Dedicated
On April 22, 1993, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum opened in Washington, DC — a building so deliberately unsettling in its design that its…
