History for June 5

History for June 5 - On-This-Day.com

Adam Smith 1723 - Author

• 1752 - Benjamin Franklin flew a kite for the first time to demonstrate that lightning was a form of electricity.
• 1794 - The U.S. Congress prohibited citizens from serving in any foreign armed forces.
• 1851 - Harriet Beecher Stow published the first installment of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in "The National Era."
• 1884 - U.S. Civil War General William T. Sherman refused the Republican presidential nomination, saying, "I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected."
• 1933 - President Roosevelt signed the bill that took the U.S. off of the gold standard.
• 1940 - During World War II, the Battle of France began when Germany began an offensive in Southern France.
• 1947 - U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall gave a speech at Harvard University in which he outlined the Marshall Plan.