This Day In History

On December 18, 1918, war-torn and recently independent Latvia issued its first stamps, printed on the back of German military maps.

Famed American conductor Arthur Fiedler was born on December 17, 1894, in Boston, Massachusetts. Best known for his long leadership of the Boston Pops Orchestra, Fiedler transformed classical music from a formal concert hall tradition into an experience enjoyed by millions. Through radio broadcasts, recordings, and outdoor performances, he helped make orchestral music accessible, entertaining, and deeply popular in American culture.

Anthropologist Margaret Mead was born on December 16, 1901, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She would go on to become one of the most influential and recognizable social scientists of the 20th century, known for bringing the study of culture and human behavior to a wide public audience.

On December 15, 1864, Union forces launched the decisive Battle of Nashville, delivering one of the most crushing Union victories of the Civil War. The battle ended the last major Confederate offensive in the West and broke the already-weakened Army of Tennessee beyond repair.

One of the greatest books in American literature, Moby-Dick, was first published in the United States on November 14, 1851. Its author, Herman Melville, drew deeply from his own adventurous life at sea to craft what would become one of the most profound and symbolic novels ever written.

On November 8, 1900, future novelist Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Decades later, she would capture the world’s imagination with her sweeping Civil War epic Gone With the Wind.

Playwright and director Moss Hart was born on October 24, 1904, in New York City, New York. From humble beginnings in the Bronx, he rose to become one of Broadway’s most celebrated writers and directors, shaping American theater with his wit, warmth, and imagination.

Stephen Vincent Benét was born on July 22, 1898, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he’s best known for his historically inspired poems, short stories, and novels.

Singer, songwriter, and actress Édith Giovanna Gassion, better known as Édith Piaf was born on December 19, 1915, in Belleville, Paris, France. She was France’s most popular singer in the 1940s, earning worldwide acclaim for her signature song “La Vie en Rose.”

From December 19, 1777, to June 18, 1778, the Continental Army, under the command of General George Washington, camped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

On December 19, 1732, Benjamin Franklin published the first edition of his Poor Richard’s Almanack under the pseudonym Richard Saunders.

Carter Godwin Woodson was born on December 19, 1875, in New Canton, Virginia. He was the second African American to earn a PhD from Harvard and has been called the Father of Black History.