On April 1, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower created the Air Force Academy to train officers. During its more than 60 year history, the academy has had over 52,000 graduates move on to become US Air Force officers.
On March 31, 1736, a six-bed almshouse (home for the poor) was founded in New York City with construction starting only a year earlier. That almshouse would eventually become Bellevue Hospital, which is often cited as the oldest public hospital in the US.
On March 29, 1867, Independence, Missouri, was founded. Known as the “Queen City of the Trails,” it became the starting point for several trails that carried thousands of settlers to the West.
On March 27, 1841, the first steam-powered fire engine was tested in New York City. Though that first engine was only in use for a short time, it marked the start of a new era in firefighting…
Award-winning graphic designer J. Bradbury Thompson was born on March 25, 1911, in Topeka, Kansas. Thompson designed more than 100 US postage stamps and influenced countless others, making him one of the most prolific US stamp designers in history.
Soldier, geologist, and explorer John Wesley Powell was born on March 24, 1834, in Mount Morris, New York. A Civil War veteran, Powell explored and produced some of the first accurate maps of the West and later was director of the US Geological Survey.
On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry addressed the Second Virginia Convention to convince them to raise a militia. During his rousing speech, he delivered one of his most famous statements…
On March 22, 1941, the Grand Coulee Dam first began producing power. The dam was a project that was years in the making and was completed in time to play its own part in the war effort.
On March 21, 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. led the third (and finally successful) march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to protest for voting rights.