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.
President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884. America’s 33rd president, he led America through the final months of WWII and the early years of the Cold War.
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 28, 1948, Fort Sumter National Monument was established to preserve the site where the opening shots of the Civil War were fired. Twelve years later, nearby Fort Moultrie was added to the protected area. Together, they honor and preserve generations of American seacoast defense from the American Revolution to World War II.
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.