On August 7, 1782, George Washington ordered the creation of the Badge of Military Merit to be awarded for bravery in battle. The predecessor of the Purple Heart, it’s one of the oldest military awards worldwide that is open to all who are wounded in battle.
On August 6, 1974, the USPS issued the Chautauqua Institution stamp, the second in the Rural America series, honoring the organization’s centennial. Initially founded to train Sunday school teachers, “Chautauqua” became a term for commercial traveling companies who pitched tents and presented lecturers, orators, and performing artists to rural areas.
Leslie Lynch King Jr., better known as Gerald Rudolph Ford, was born on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska. He was the only US president not elected to the presidency or vice presidency.
On July 5, 1967, the US Post Office issued a 5¢ stamp honoring the 50th anniversary of Lions International as well as a special contest hosted by the organization.
On June 30, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Land Grant. This made Yosemite Valley the first piece of land set aside by the US government for preservation and public use.
On June 29, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt established Mesa Verde National Park, the first American park created to “preserve the works of man.” It’s since been called “the best cultural attraction” in the Western United States.
George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts. As America’s 41st president, he led the US through conflicts in Panama and Iraq, helped bring about the end of the Soviet Union, and negotiated treaties to reduce the number of global nuclear weapons. At home, Bush fought against rising drug use and cracked down on the drug trade.
On June 2, 1886, President Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom in the White House, making him the only US president to be married in the executive mansion.
On May 24, 1861, Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, a close friend of President Abraham Lincoln, became the first Union officer to die in the Civil War. “Remember Ellsworth” soon became a popular rallying cry for the Union.