#Middlebury
On May 30, 1593, playwright Christopher Marlowe, 29, is killed in a brawl. He was nearly denied his master’s degree in 1587, until advisers to Queen Elizabeth intervened, referring to his services for the state. Historians later documented Marlowe’s activities as a spy for the queen.- On June 2, 1865, Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi, signs surrender terms offered by Union negotiators. The event is regarded as marking the end of the Civil War.
- On June 4, 1896, Henry Ford unveils the “Quadricycle.” The 500-pound vehicle had two driving speeds, no reverse, no brakes, rudimentary steering ability and a doorbell button as a horn. It could reach about 20 mph.
- On May 31, 1929, Ford Motor Company signs an agreement to produce cars in the Soviet Union. In return, the USSR agreed to buy 72,000 unassembled Ford cars and trucks and all spare parts required over the following nine years.
- On June 5, 1933, the United States goes off the gold standard, in which currency is backed by gold. All gold coins, gold bullion and gold certificates were to be turned over to the Federal Reserve for the set price of $20.67 per ounce.
- On June 1, 1942, a Polish underground newspaper makes public the news of the gassing of tens of thousands of Jews at Chelmno, a Nazi-operated death camp, as told by a young Jew, Emanuel Ringelblum, who escaped after being forced to bury bodies at the camp.
- On June 3, 1956, in Santa Cruz, California, city authorities announced a total ban on rock and roll at public gatherings, calling the music “detrimental to both the health and morals of our youth and community.” Similar bans were enacted in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and in San Antonio, Texas, where the city council was fearful of “undesirable elements.”
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