In the week ending June 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance was 218,000, unchanged from the previous week’s revised level, the Labor Department reported. The four-week moving average was 215,000, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week’s revised average of 217,500.

Thursday, the Dow gained 181.09 points (0.71%) to finish at 25,720.66, the NASDAQ increased 40.08 points (0.53%) to 7,615.55, and the S&P 500 closed 17.34 points (0.61%) higher at 2,843.49. The Russell 2000 dipped 3.25 points (0.22%) to 1,503.54, and the Wilshire 5000 was up 148.63 points (0.51%) at 29,249.82.

ON THIS DATE: In 1775, the United Colonies changed their name to the United States. In 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed to the Continental Congress a resolution calling for a Declaration of Independence. In 1903, Professor Pierre Curie revealed the discovery of Polonium. In 1929, the sovereign state of Vatican City came into existence as copies of the Lateran Treaty were exchanged in Rome. In 1932, more than 7,000 war veterans marched on Washington, D.C., demanding their bonuses. In 1965, the U.S. Gemini 4 mission was completed. The mission featured the first spacewalk by an American. In 1968, Legoland Billund opend in Billund, Denmark. It was the original Legoland park.