May 6,1778: At Valley Forge, the New Jersey Brigade gathered with the rest of the army for a formal announcement of the French alliance which was followed by salutes of cannon fire and a musketry feu de joie.
May 6, 1935: President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a coordinated federal, state and local enterprise intended to both provide jobs for those unemployed by the Depression and perform vital community services, from infrastructure construction to cultural affairs. Large numbers of New Jerseyans gained employment through the WPA, and much of its work still stands. New Jersey ranked among the top ten states in numbers of WPA jobs.
May 6, 1937: The German airship Hindenburg exploded at Lakehurst. Thirty-six of the ninety-seven passengers on board died.
