This day in history

Also on this day, the last Allied troops in Europe evacuate Dunkirk as the Germans arrive.

After the capitulation of Belgium's King Leopold II and the fall of the Netherlands, the Allied defence of Western Europe became untenable. Hundreds of thousands of British and French troops raced to Dunkirk on the French coast, where a massive naval evacuation was promptly improvised. All available boats, including small fishing vessels, were pressed into service.

The 10-day evacuation, the largest of its kind in history, saved 338,000 Allied troops from capture by the Nazis. On 4 June, 1940, the Germans closed in on Dunkirk, capturing 40,000 Allied troops who had arrived too late to reach the safety of Britain.
 

Tonga gains independence from Britain.

Allied troops liberate the Italian capital of Rome from Nazi occupation.
 

Leon Blum becomes Prime Minister of France for the first time.
 

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, which it receives 8 days later.