All Events

Historical Events on June 4

  • Louisiana

    1812

    Following Louisiana's admittance as a U.S. state, the Louisiana Territory is renamed the Missouri Territory.

  • American Civil War

    1862

    American Civil War: Confederate troops evacuate Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River, leaving the way clear for Union troops to take Memphis, Tennessee.

  • Massachusetts

    1912

    Massachusetts becomes the first state of the United States to set a minimum wage.

  • World War I

    1916

    World War I: Russia opens the Brusilov Offensive with an artillery barrage of Austro-Hungarian lines in Galicia.

  • The Holocaust

    1939

    The Holocaust: The MS St. Louis, a ship carrying 963 Jewish refugees, is denied permission to land in Florida, in the United States, after already being turned away from Cuba. Forced to return to Europe, more than 200 of its passengers later die in Nazi concentration camps.

  • World War II

    1940

    World War II: The Dunkirk evacuation ends: British forces complete evacuation of 338,000 troops from Dunkirk in France. To rally the morale of the country, Winston Churchill delivers, only to the House of Commons, his famous "We shall fight on the beaches" speech.

  • England

    1967

    England: 72 people are killed when a Canadair C-4 Argonaut crashes at Stockport.

  • Ali Khamenei

    1989

    Ali Khamenei is elected as the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Assembly of Experts after the death and funeral of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

  • Tiananmen Square protests of 1989

    1989

    The Tiananmen Square protests are violently ended in Beijing by the People's Liberation Army, with at least 241 dead.