Felix Frankfurter was born in Vienna on November 15, 1882, and came to New York with his family at age 12. His career connected progressive reform, Roosevelt’s New Deal, and a distinctive view of the Supreme Court’s role.
First Lady Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower was born on November 14, 1896, in Boone, Iowa. Mrs. Eisenhower was known for her stylish dresses, frugality, and love of entertaining. But she also spoke out in support of important causes, including heart health and the well-being of military widows.
On November 13, 1989, the 20th Universal Postal Union Congress opened in Washington, DC. It was the first time the Congress convened in the US since 1897.
On November 12, 1954, Ellis Island’s immigration station closed after more than six decades of operation. At its peak, thousands passed through in a day; in its final years, the island was used largely for detention and deportation.
On November 11, 1873, Daniel Joseph Daly was born in Glen Cove, New York. Over three decades in the Marine Corps, he served in China, Haiti, and France, and became one of 19 people to receive the Medal of Honor twice.
On September 9, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. This act was a landmark piece of legislation that changed the way Americans thought about cars and driving.
Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis was born on November 13, 1856, in Louisville, Kentucky. As a lawyer and supreme court justice, he helped establish new precedents in the right to privacy and the use of expert testimony in court cases – both of which have had lasting effects.
America’s longest-serving chief justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall, was born on September 24, 1755, in Germantown, Virginia.
On July 5, 1935, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 into law. The basis of modern US labor law, it guarantees private sector employees the right to organize in trade unions, bargain collectively, and strike.
On November 15, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation after 16 months of debate. America’s first constitution, it created a weak central government, with the states having greater power. It was later replaced with the US Constitution.
After burning Atlanta, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman embarked on his month-long March to the Sea on November 15, 1864.
On November 15, 1974, the USPS issued its first experimental self-adhesive stamp. It would take two decades to perfect the innovation, and another decade before nearly all US stamps were self-adhesive.
Artist Georgia Totto O’Keeffe was born on November 15, 1887, in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Most well-known today for her close-up paintings of flowers, Georgia O’Keeffe found her greatest inspiration in the rugged deserts of New Mexico.
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