On this day in 1863, the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg,
Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s last attempt at breaking
the Union line ends in disastrous failure, bringing the most
decisive battle of the American Civil War to an end.
TIM MAGUIRE
On June 4, 1942, the Battle of Midway—one of the most decisive
U.S. victories against Japan during World War II—began.
During the four-day sea-and-air battle, the outnumbered U.S.
Pacific Fleet succeeded in destroying four Japanese aircraft
carriers while losing only one of its own, the Yorktown, to the
previously invincible Japanese navy.
CAMILLE BOHANNON
The Golden Gate Bridge, which spans the San Francisco
Bay and connects the city to its northern suburbs, is one
of the world’s most famous structures. Its construction
78 years ago over a deep, treacherous channel was a
marvel of modern engineering.
In this photo, pedestrians walk across the bridge on May
27, 1937 — one day before it opened to vehicular traffic.
Bismarck firing at HMS Prince of Wales.
On May 24, 1941, Germany’s largest and most modern of Germany’s
battleships battleship, the Bismarck, sank the pride of the British
fleet, HMS Hood.
Less than 10 minutes after the British opened fire, a shell from
Bismarck struck Hood near her aft ammunition magazines.
Soon afterwards, Hood exploded and sank within three minutes,
with the loss of all but three of her crew. Prince of Wales
continued to exchange fire with Bismarck but suffered serious malfunctions in her main armament.
