This Day In History

On June 20, 1863, West Virginia joined the Union as the 35th state. It had formed from the western counties of Virginia which disagreed with the state’s decision to secede during the Civil War.

On June 19, 1865, slaves in Galveston, Texas, were finally informed of their freedom by the Emancipation Proclamation (issued two years prior). The day the last American slaves were freed has become a federal holiday observed across the country.

On June 18, 1682, William Penn established Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  It would quickly grow into a major city because of Penn’s vision.

On June 17, 1775, American colonists inflicted heavy British casualties in their loss at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Showing that the inexperienced colonial militias could stand up against the well-trained British, It raised morale and increased support for independence.

On April 4, 1925, the US Post Office issued the first three stamps in a multi-year series honoring important events and people from the American Revolution. The stamps were issued for the sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of the Revolution.

The 1933 World’s Fair opened in Chicago, Illinois, on May 27, 1933. The fair was so popular, it ran for two years and was the first international fair to pay for itself.

On April 17, 1958, the Brussels World’s Fair, also known as Expo ’58, opened its doors. It was the first major official world’s fair after WWII.

On February 20, 1915, the Panama-Pacific Exposition opened in San Francisco, California. The expo was a celebration of the city and the Panama Canal.

On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the United States Constitution. New Hampshire’s approval of the document put the Constitution into effect and officially made it the United States of America’s ninth state.

Artist Henry Ossawa Tanner was born on June 21, 1859, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He’s the first African American artist to have work included in the White House’s permanent collection.

Legendary illustrator Albert Hirschfeld was born on June 21, 1903, in St. Louis, Missouri.  Hirschfeld’s work was so iconic, the USPS broke their own rules to feature his illustrations on two sets of stamps…

On June 21, 1945, US troops captured Okinawa from the Japanese.  It was the last major WWII battle in the Pacific and has been called the “typhoon of steel” for the fierce fighting, intense kamikaze attacks, and large number of Allied ships and vehicles that assaulted the island.