This Day in History - June 4

1754: Lieutenant Colonel George Washington builds Fort Necessity

On this day in 1754, during the Seven Years' War, a 22-year-old lieutenant colonel in the Virginia militia named George Washington begins construction of a makeshift "Fort Necessity." The fort was built to defend his forces from French soldiers enraged by the murder of Ensign Joseph Coulon de Jumonville while in Washington's custody. One month later, the French, led by Jumonville's half-brother, won Washington's surrender and forced confession to Jumonville's murder.

1862: Confederates evacuate Fort Pillow

Confederate forces slip out of Fort Pillow, a key stronghold on the Mississippi River, clearing the way for the Union capture of Memphis.

1863: Lee sends Ewell's corps out of Fredericksburg

Confederate General Robert E. Lee continues to mobilize his army for an invasion of Pennsylvania by sending Richard Ewell's corps toward the Shenandoah Valley.

1876: Express train crosses the nation in 83 hours

A mere 83 hours after leaving New York City, the Transcontinental Express train arrives in San Francisco. The same trip today takes 89 hours, or more, on Amtrak.

1896: Ford test-drives the Quadricycle

At approximately 1:30 a.m., Henry Ford test-drove his Quadricycle, the first automobile he ever designed or drove. Ford was working at the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit at the time that he began building the Quadricycle.

1910: Robert Anderson is born

This day in 1910 marks the birth of Robert Anderson, the lawyer turned legislator who helped shaped the conservative economic policies of President Dwight Eisenhower's second administration.

1916: Brusilov Offensive begins

On this day in 1916, the Battle of Lutsk marks the beginning of the Brusilov Offensive, the largest and most successful Allied offensive of World War I.

1917: Boy Scouts as Bond Salesman

June 4, 1917, across the street from Voss & Stern in New York

1919: Congress passes the 19th Amendment

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote, is passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification.

1934: FDR asks for drought-relief funds

On this day in 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt asks Congress to appropriate $52.5 million to battle economic and social disaster in the American Midwest caused in part by a series of droughts in the Great Plains region.

1936: Bruce Dern born

On this day in 1936, actor Bruce Dern is born in Winnetka, Illinois. Dern, the son of a prominent midwestern family, dropped out of the University of Pennsylvania to become an actor. His movies include They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), Silent Running (1972), and The Great Gatsby (1974). He married actress Diane Ladd, and their daughter, Laura Dern, also became an actress.

1940: Dunkirk evacuation ends

On June 4, 1940, the evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk on the Belgian coast ends as German forces capture the beach port. The nine-day evacuation, the largest of its kind in history and an unexpected success, saved 338,000 Allied troops from capture by the Nazis.

1940: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers is published

On this day, 22-year-old Carson McCullers' first novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, is published. The novel, about misfits in a Georgia mill town, is an instant success

1942: The Battle of Midway begins

On this day in 1942, Japanese Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, commander of the fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor, launches a raid on Midway Island with almost the entirety of the Japanese navy. 1947: Miracle on 34th Street premieres

Miracle on 34th Street Opens

Starring Maureen O'Hara and eight-year-old Natalie Wood, opens on this day in 1947. Wood had already appeared in several successful movies. She continued to play starring roles into adulthood, including Splendor in the Grass (1961) and West Side Story (1961). She died in 1981.

1961: Kennedy and Khrushchev agree on neutrality for Laos

President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev of the Soviet Union, meeting in Vienna, strike a bargain to support a neutral and independent Laos.

1967: Bill Cosby wins Emmy

On this day in 1967, Bill Cosby wins the Emmy for Best Actor, for his series I Spy. Cosby, the first black actor to star in a regular dramatic series, also won an Emmy for the show in 1966.

1972: Angela Davis acquitted

Angela Yvonne Davis, a black militant, former philosophy professor at the University of California, and self-proclaimed communist, is acquitted on charges of conspiracy, murder, and kidnapping by an all-white jury in San Jose, California.

1972: Trains collide in Bangladesh

The collision of two trains in Jessore, Bangladesh, kills 76 people on this day in 1972. This disaster resulted from one simple error by a train-station operator.

1976: Celtics battle Suns through three overtimes in NBA Finals

On June 4, 1976, in Game Five of the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics defeat the Phoenix Suns 128-126 in three overtimes. The game is considered by many to be the greatest in the history of the NBA Finals.

1986: Pollard admits to selling top-secret information to Israel

Jonathan Pollard pleads guilty to espionage for selling top-secret U.S. military intelligence information to Israel. The former Navy intelligence analyst sold enough classified documents to fill a medium-sized room.

1989: Tiananmen Square massacre takes place

Chinese troops storm through Tiananmen Square in the center of Beijing, killing and arresting thousands of pro-democracy protesters. The brutal Chinese government assault on the protesters shocked the West and brought denunciations and sanctions from the United States.