Britain departs

May 31: British forces, the chief military partner of the United States in Iraq since 2003, will be reduced to a few hundred by the United Kingdom's scheduled pull-out date. Those left behind will mainly consist of specialists helping to train the Iraqi navy. At one time in 2003, the U.K. had committed about 46,000 troops to the Iraq effort.

Windows 7 opening

June 3: Microsoft plans to deploy its newest operating system, Windows 7, on this day. Execs with the Washington-based software giant are hoping the new operating system goes out smoother than the rocky roll-out of Vista.

Blue jeans turn 500

June 4: It's celebrate blue jeans time in Genoa, Italy, the city that claims it gave birth to the popular pants half a millennia ago. Levi Strauss may have added the ­copper riveting, but Genoans claim they were making denim pants known as "Bleu de Genes" early in the 16th century. Celebrations in Genoa will last three days.

Tankman's stand

June 5: Two decades ago today, an unidentified man stepped in front of a column of Soviet-made tanks in Beijing's Tiananmen Square and became a mysterious emblem for the people's resistance in the People's Republic. Though video and images of "Tankman" spread quickly across the globe, few young people in China today are even aware of the tempestuous riots that spread through the square in the days leading up to Tankman's stand (see cover story, p. 32).

Belmont Stakes

June 6: There's no Triple Crown on the line, but the boys have something to prove. After Rachel Alexandra became the first filly in 85 years to win a Triple Crown event at the Preakness Stakes, the colts and geldings can plot their revenge in New York for the Belmont Stakes.

Chrysler scales back

June 9: To cut costs, Chrysler will shutter 789 dealers by June 9. The distressed automaker announced the deadline to trim 25 percent of its dealerships in mid-May as the 84-year-old company struggled to reach its 85th birthday. The cuts mean about 38,000 dealership employees will be out of a job.

TV deadline

June 12: After pushing back a February deadline, all analog television signals will cease on June 12, leaving those without cable or a digital converter box seeing only static. The FCC agreed to delay an earlier Feb. 17 deadline when television stations across the nation convinced policy makers many viewers unready to make the switch would be shut out of important emergency announcements.