On May 15, 1918, America’s airmail service began when two Curtiss Jennys departed New York and Washington, DC. In the months that followed, pioneering aviators expanded airmail service over the treacherous Allegheny Mountains to Chicago and eventually the west coast.
On May 6, 1863, the Battle of Chancellorsville ended in a Confederate victory. The Battle of Chancellorsville is known as Lee’s “perfect battle” and for the death of Stonewall Jackson.
On April 21, 1836, Texan soldiers led a swift attack on an unsuspecting Mexican force at the Battle of San Jacinto. It was the final, decisive battle of the Texas Revolution.
On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War. The respect both men showed toward each other led the surrender to be called “The Gentlemen’s Agreement.”
On April 8, 1918, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks held a war bond drive on Wall Street to bolster support for the war effort.
On April 4, 1925, the US Post Office issued the first three stamps in a multi-year series honoring important events and people from the American Revolution. The stamps were issued for the sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of the Revolution.
Naval officer John Barry was born on March 25, 1745, in Tacumshane, Ireland. A hero of the Revolutionary War, he’s been called the “Father of the American Navy.”
Joseph Warren Stilwell was born on March 19, 1883 in Palatka, Florida. “Uncle Joe” served and led with distinction during World War I and II, earning some of the military’s highest honors.
On March 16, 1802, the Military Academy at West Point was founded. America’s oldest military academy, West Point prepared some of our most accomplished Army officers for service.