British and French forces began evacuating 338,000 troops from Dunkirk's beaches as German panzers closed in, using a makeshift fleet of destroyers, ferries, and pleasure boats.

King Leopold III ordered Belgian forces to surrender unconditionally to invading German troops after eighteen days of fighting, exposing the Allied flank in France.

The nine-day evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk's beaches wound down, having rescued over 338,000 soldiers by boat, ferry, and fishing trawler.

Benito Mussolini announced Italy's entry into World War II on the side of Nazi Germany, declaring war on France and Britain as France teetered on collapse.

German troops marched into Paris unopposed after the French government fled, beginning four years of occupation.

A Soviet-backed government took power in Lithuania days after the USSR's ultimatum and invasion, ending the country's interwar independence.

Richard Starkey, later known as Ringo Starr, was born in Liverpool, England, and would go on to become drummer for the Beatles, the era's most influential band.

The Luftwaffe launched sustained air attacks on British shipping and coastal targets, opening a four-month aerial campaign to break the RAF before invasion.

The French National Assembly voted to grant Marshal Philippe Pétain full powers, formally dissolving the Third Republic and creating the collaborationist Vichy regime.

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened to traffic, its deck swaying so dramatically that drivers nicknamed it 'Galloping Gertie' before it collapsed four months later.

A Soviet agent drove an ice axe into Leon Trotsky's skull at his fortified villa in Mexico City; he died the next day.

RAF and Luftwaffe fighters clashed in intense dogfights over Kent and London's approaches, part of the pivotal air campaign that determined the fate of a planned German invasion.

A dog named Robot led four teenage boys to a hidden hole near Montignac, France, revealing 17,000-year-old painted caves.

RAF fighters repelled the largest Luftwaffe daylight raid on London, a turning point so costly for Germany it abandoned invasion plans for Britain.

Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact in Berlin, formally establishing the Axis alliance and dividing the world into spheres of influence.

John Lennon was born in Liverpool during a German air raid, growing up to co-found the Beatles and become one of the most influential songwriters in popular music.

Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Wendell Willkie to win an unprecedented third presidential term, as war raged in Europe and Americans debated intervention.

French prehistorian Henri Breuil began his first detailed scientific survey of the Lascaux cave paintings, months after four teenagers stumbled upon the 17,000-year-old Paleolithic gallery.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, later known as Pelé, was born in Três Corações, Brazil, destined to become football's most transcendent star.