World War II

On November 10, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower presided over the dedication and official opening of the United States Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone was born on November 4, 1916, in Buffalo, New York. Basilone earned the Medal of Honor for his heroics at Guadalcanal and a Navy Cross for actions at Iwo Jima.

Richard Evelyn Byrd was born on October 25, 1888, in Winchester, Virginia. Byrd led three Antarctic expeditions and was the US Navy’s youngest admiral at the time.

On October 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier. He reached a speed of 700 miles per hour and accelerated past Mach 1 – the speed of sound.

On September 21, 1948, the US Post Office issued the Gold Star Mothers stamp to honor mothers whose sons had been killed in war. It was the first stamp in eight years to feature women (or women’s organizations), and just the 11th stamp overall to do so.

Claude Denson Pepper was born on September 8, 1900, in Chambers County, Alabama. Representing Florida in the House and Senate for over 40 years, he was instrumental in the passage of numerous important bills.

Claire Lee Chennault was born on September 6, 1890, in Commerce, Texas. He formed and led the Flying Tigers during World War II.

Humanitarian and diplomat Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg was born on August 4, 1912, in Lidingö Municipality, Sweden. Working with the War Refugee Board, he helped over 20,000 Jewish people escape Nazi-occupied Hungary.

Journalist and war correspondent Ernest Taylor Pyle was born on August 3, 1900, in Dana, Indiana.  America’s most widely read war correspondent, he earned a Pulitzer Prize for Journalism and was one of a few civilians to be awarded the Purple Heart.