Dunkirk Evacuation; Churchill’s ‘We shall fight on the beaches’ speech
Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk results in success as close to 340,000 soldiers leave Northern France with German forces closing in. With the evacuation of troops from continental Europe, an invasion of Great Britain by Nazi Germany became increasingly likely. As such, the British Prime Minister delivered a speech to the House of Commons to raise the morale of British leadership and the public.
“Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.”
The speech is regarded as one of the finest and most consequential of speeches delivered in the 20th century and represented the oratory skills of Winston Churchill.
Vienna summit
US President John F Kennedy and leader of the USSR Nikita Khruschev meet during the Vienna summit on June 4, 1961.
The two leaders discussed a host of issues including the crisis in Berlin, but failed to reach any substantial agreements.
“If the US wants to start a war over Germany let it be so,” Khruschev reportedly told Kennedy. However, despite the apparent failure of the summit, the following events – raising of the Berlin Wall or the Cuban Missile crisis the following year, raised the spectacle of a catastrophic nuclear war between the two sides but military engagement during both incidents was ultimately averted due to minor confidence-building at the Vienna summit.
Ali Khamenei becomes the Supreme Leader of Iran
Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei becomes the Supreme Leader of Iran on June 4, 1989. He has been in office ever since, being one of the longest reigning leaders in the Middle East.
Zaheer Abbas scores 274 against England
Young Pakistani batsman Zaheer Abbas scores 274 off 467 balls during the second test against England at the Edgebaston Cricket Ground on June 4, 1971, one of the earliest signs of all he would achieve during the course of his career for the Pakistan Cricket Team.
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