History Today: When the evacuation at Dunkirk during World War II came to an end

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04-06-2025

More than 338,000 soldiers of the Allied Forces were evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk in France on June 4, 1940, making this one of the biggest evacuation missions during the war. The soldiers had been cornered on the beaches of Dunkirk in France after the German forces rapidly advanced. On this day in 1917, the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded in the categories of journalism, letters and drama read more
Troops of the British Expeditionary Force landed from a destroyer at a British Port on June 1, 1940 after being evacuated following heroic fighting from Flanders. File image/AP
One of the biggest evacuation missions during World War II, the Evacuation at Dunkirk, came to an end on June 4, 1940. More than 338,000 Allied soldiers were rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk in France, while under heavy German bombardment during World War II.
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On this day in 1917, the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded, marking a transformative moment in the history of American journalism, literature and public service.
Here is all that happened on this day.
The evacuation at Dunkirk came to an end
One of the momentous events took place on June 4, 1940, with the conclusion of the evacuation at Dunkirk during World War II . More than 338,000 British, French and Belgian troops were rescued from the advancing German forces who had rapidly pushed them to the French coast.
The German forces were closing in on the Allied soldiers in France, forcing the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and its counterparts towards the English Channel. Dunkirk was the last viable port for evacuation and the situation appeared dire.
Facing the prospect of destruction, the British military launched a desperate Operation Dynamo on May 26, 1940, using Royal Navy vessels and a flotilla of over 800 civilian boats, ranging from fishing trawlers to pleasure yachts, collectively known as the 'Little Ships of Dunkirk.'
Destroyers filled with evacuated British troops berthing at Dover on May 31, 1940. Wikimedia Commons
Despite intense aerial bombardment from the Luftwaffe and constant threat from German artillery, the evacuation continued day and night. The weather, with low cloud cover and smoke from the burning town providing some concealment, also aided the operation. By June 4, the last of the rear-guard British and French troops were evacuated.
Although around 40,000 Allied troops were left behind and captured, the success of Operation Dynamo allowed Britain to retain a significant portion of its army, bolstering national morale at a crucial moment. Prime Minister Winston Churchil l famously tempered the celebration with caution, reminding the nation, 'Wars are not won by evacuations,' while still hailing the event as a 'miracle of deliverance.'
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First Pulitzer Prizes were awarded
June 4, 1917, is one of the turning points in American journalism as the first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded . The awards were organised through the will of a Hungarian-born newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, in a bid to elevate the standards of journalism and literature.
Pulitzer, known for his innovative approaches at the New York World and St. Louis Post-Dispatch, had long advocated for higher education in journalism. His will, which set aside funds for a school of journalism at Columbia University and for the prizes, specified categories for journalism, letters and drama.
The initial awards in 1917 recognized works published in 1916. While there were ambitious plans for several categories, some prizes, such as for a novel and drama, were not awarded that first year due to insufficient entries or a lack of works deemed worthy by the juries.
A sign for the Pulitzer prize is shown at the Columbia University in New York in 2019. File image/AP
The very first Public Service Prize in journalism went to the New York Times for its comprehensive and courageous coverage of World War I. In the Letters and Drama division, the first Pulitzer for History was awarded to Jean Jules Jusserand, the French ambassador to the US, for his book 'With Americans of Past and Present Days'. Interestingly, the award for the Novel category was not presented in 1917, as no submission was deemed worthy that year.
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Joseph Pulitzer had envisioned the awards as a way to uplift the standards of journalism and to promote public accountability.
This Day, That Year
On this day in 1970, the Kingdom of Tonga achieved independence within the British Commonwealth.
The world's first shopping carts were introduced at Humpty Dumpty grocery stores in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1937.
On this day in 1783, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier launched an uncrewed hot-air balloon, the first public demonstration of the discovery that hot air in a large lightweight bag rises.
With inputs from agencies