Today in History, June 4th
On June 4, 1942, the Battle of Midway began, turning the Pacific war. Plus the 19th Amendment passes Congress and Tiananmen Square.
Published · Last updated
June 4 is best known for 1942, when the Battle of Midway began, the U.S. Navy’s turning-point victory over Japan in the Pacific. The date also saw Congress pass the 19th Amendment in 1919 and Chinese troops crush the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
The big story: The Battle of Midway begins (1942)
Six months after Pearl Harbor, Japan’s Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto drew up a plan to finish off the U.S. Pacific Fleet. A feint toward Alaska would come first. Then Japanese forces would invade Midway, and when the American carriers rushed to its defense, a stronger Japanese fleet waiting to the west would destroy them. The flaw was that the Americans were reading the mail. U.S. codebreakers had cracked the Japanese naval code, so the U.S. Navy knew the attack was coming. When the battle opened on June 4, 1942, American planes caught three Japanese heavy carriers in a surprise strike, and dive-bombers later wrecked a fourth, the Hiryu. The U.S. lost the carrier Yorktown. Over four days, Japan lost 292 aircraft and about 2,500 men; the U.S. lost 145 planes and about 300 men. Japan’s naval edge was gone. Two months later, the Americans went on the offensive at Guadalcanal.
More events on June 4
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1783 | The Montgolfier brothers gave the first public demonstration of their hot-air balloon in the marketplace at Annonay, France. It rose about 3,000 feet and stayed up around 10 minutes. |
| 1876 | The Transcontinental Express made a New York to San Francisco run in 83 hours. Third-class riders on freight-linked cars often needed 10 days or more. |
| 1896 | Henry Ford test-drove his first car, the Quadricycle, in Detroit. It was too wide for his shed door, so he knocked out part of the brick wall. |
| 1919 | Congress passed the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, and sent it to the states. It was ratified in 1920. |
| 1940 | Operation Dynamo ended after nine days. More than 338,000 Allied soldiers had been rescued from Dunkirk, many ferried by civilian boats. |
| 1944 | The U.S. Navy captured the German submarine U-505 off West Africa, its first capture of an enemy warship on the high seas since the War of 1812. Its code books helped Allied codebreakers. |
| 1989 | Chinese troops fired on pro-democracy protesters around Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Reporters and diplomats estimated at least 300 dead, and perhaps thousands. |
| 2003 | A federal grand jury indicted Martha Stewart over her sale of ImClone stock. She was convicted in 2004 of obstruction and lying to investigators and served five months in prison. |
Born on June 4
- 1738: George III, king of Great Britain during the American Revolution, born in London (May 24, Old Style).
- 1907: Rosalind Russell, star of His Girl Friday and Auntie Mame, born in Waterbury, Connecticut.
- 1975: Angelina Jolie, Academy Award–winning actress, director and humanitarian, born in Los Angeles.
Sources
- Battle of Midway begins, History.com
- This Day in History: June 4, History.com
- Montgolfier brothers, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Henry Ford test-drives his Quadricycle, History.com
- Congress passes the 19th Amendment, History.com
- U-505 submarine captured, History.com
- Tiananmen Square massacre takes place, History.com
- George III, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Rosalind Russell, Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Angelina Jolie, Encyclopaedia Britannica
