This Day In History

On October 19, 1864, Confederate troops launched a surprise attack on Union camps at Cedar Creek, Virginia. The battle became the final major engagement of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign and the last major Confederate attempt to break Sheridan’s hold on the Valley.

On October 18, 1937, the US Post Office issued the first stamp in a new series honoring the overseas territories of the United States. These stamps chronicled decades of US territorial expansion.

Poet and reformer Julia Ward Howe died in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, on October 17, 1910. Best known for “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” she also spent decades organizing for women’s rights and peace.

On October 16, 1962, President John F. Kennedy learned that the Soviet Union was building nuclear missile sites in Cuba. The discovery began thirteen days of tense negotiations and military alert that brought the United States and the Soviet Union dangerously close to nuclear war.

A gunshot struck Theodore Roosevelt in Milwaukee on October 14, 1912, as he campaigned for president. Bleeding and carrying a bullet in his chest, he insisted on delivering his speech—and spoke for about ninety minutes.

On October 12, 1901, the Executive Mansion, the president’s official residence and workplace, was renamed the White House.

Rutherford Birchard Hayes was born on October 4, 1822, in Delaware, Ohio. He would become president after the nation’s most disputed election of the 19th century, then serve a single term shaped by Reconstruction’s end, civil-service reform, and difficult questions about money, immigration, and racial equality.

On September 19, 1796, the American Daily Advertiser published President George Washington’s Farewell Address for the first time. It’s considered one of the most important documents in United States history.

On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur fulfilled one of the most famous promises of World War II when he waded ashore on the Philippine island of Leyte and declared, “People of the Philippines, I have returned!” This moment marked the beginning of the long-awaited liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation and cemented MacArthur’s reputation as a determined and strategic military leader.

On October 20, 1960, America’s first automated post office opened in Providence, Rhode Island. Issued that same day, this stamp was so popular it inspired the Post Office to continue producing stamps with postal themes.

Composer Charles Edward Ives was born on October 20, 1874, in Danbury, Connecticut.  Though his music was largely unknown during his lifetime, he was later regarded as the leading composer of 20th-century art music.

Mickey Charles Mantle was born on October 20, 1931, in Spavinaw, Oklahoma.  Considered the best switch hitter in history, he was a Triple Crown winner, won seven World Series, and was a three-time MVP.