This Day In History

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.

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.

On June 2, 1886, President Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom in the White House, making him the only US president to be married in the executive mansion.

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.

On April 9, 1921, Postmaster General Will H. Hays took an extraordinary step: he ordered the arming of postal workers who handled the nation’s most valuable mail. The order came after a sharp rise in armed robberies, when trains, mail cars, and postal employees had become targets for thieves looking for cash, securities, and registered mail.

On December 25, 1830, the Best Friend of Charleston completed its first run. It was the first American-built steam locomotive to haul a train of passenger cars on a public railroad.

On September 15, 1831, the John Bull steam locomotive made its inaugural trip on New Jersey’s first railroad. It became a symbol of early railroad innovation and the beginning of a new era of transportation, marking a turning point that demonstrated the promise of steam power to move goods and passengers faster than ever before.

On August 28, 1830, the Tom Thumb steam locomotive raced against a horse-drawn car near Baltimore, Maryland. Though the contest ended unexpectedly, it proved to railroad executives and the public that steam power would revolutionize transportation.

Robert F. (Bobby) Kennedy was shot by an assassin on June 5, 1968, hours after delivering his victory speech in the California primary. He died from his wounds early the next day.

On June 5, 1910, American author O. Henry died in New York City. A prolific writer of short stories, he’s best known for his work, “The Gift of the Magi.”

Anthropologist Ruth Fulton Benedict was born on June 5, 1887, in New York City, New York. Benedict developed her own theories on culture and conducted special research for the US government during World War II.

On June 5, 1978, Lowell National Historical Park was founded in Massachusetts. Lowell has been called the “Cradle of the American Industrial Revolution,” for the important role it played in the rise of America’s textile industry.