29 May, 1942 – Bing Crosby records White Christmas

Crosby's rendition of Irving Berlin's song became the most successful of his career and the best-selling Christmas single in history.

30 May, 1962 – Benjamin Britten's War Requiem is premiered

The work was performed for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, which had been destroyed in World War II. It juxtaposes war poems by Wilfred Owen.

31 May, 1961 – South Africa becomes an independent republic

Following international criticism of the country's Apartheid regime, it had to leave the Commonwealth of Nations. The system of racial segregation was gradually abolished in the early 1990s.

01 June, 1974 – The Heimlich Maneuver is published

Henry Heimlich is credited with developing the technique using abdominal thrusts to stop choking.

02 June, 1953 – Queen Elizabeth II is crowned

The coronation in London's Westminster Abbey was the first televised major international event in history. Elizabeth's accession to the throne followed the death of her father, King George VI.

03 June, 1492 – Martin Behaim presents the world's first globe

The German geographer called his terrestrial globe Erdapfel, or Earth Apple. It is kept in a darkened room at the Germanisches National Museum in Nuremberg, Germany.

04 June, 1783 – The Montgolfier brothers demonstrate the first hot air balloon

The flight of the Montgolfière lasted only about 10 minutes, but it secured the French inventors a place in the history books.