Government

Aviation pioneer Charles Augustus Lindbergh was born on February 4, 1902, in Detroit, Michigan. He was the first person to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean and helped to promote and expand aviation and airmail.

Newspaper publisher Horace Greeley was born on February 3, 1811, in Amherst, New Hampshire.  His newspapers championed a number of causes, including abolition, temperance, railroads, and westward expansion.

On January 30, 1975, the USS Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was established off the coast of North Carolina.  It was America’s first national marine sanctuary created under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, passed three years earlier.

U Thant was born in Pantanaw, British Burma, on January 22, 1909.

On January 20, 1960, the US Post Office Department issued the first stamp in the American Credo Series. The stamps feature quotes from notable Americans, honoring “the ideals upon which America was founded.”

On January 16, 1786, Virginia enacted Thomas Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom. It was one of the most important laws ever passed by the Virginia Assembly, provided inspiration for the Bill of Rights, and was one of the achievements of which Jefferson was most proud.

On January 14, 1784, the Confederation Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris, officially ending the American Revolutionary War. New boundaries were set and Great Britain acknowledged the United States as an independent nation.

On January 12, 1983, Official Mail stamps were issued for the first time in 72 years. They were created to increase government postage accountability and remained in use until 2009.

Alexander Hamilton was born on January 11, 1755 (or 57 – the year is unknown), in Nevis in the British West Indies. He was a hero of the Revolutionary War and first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States.