This Day In History

On January 7, 1785, the sky briefly became part of the postal system. In a daring balloon flight watched by astonished crowds, mail was carried through the air for the first time, marking a bold experiment in communication and transportation that captured the imagination of the world.

On January 6, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt gave his “Four Freedoms” speech while delivering the State of the Union Address. The Four Freedoms represented America’s goals for a peaceful post-war world.

On January 5, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed legislation authorizing the creation of America’s first space shuttle, the “world’s first reusable spacecraft.”

Statesman Everett McKinley Dirksen was born on January 4, 1896, in Pekin, Illinois. He later emerged as a central figure in shaping bipartisan legislation in the US Senate.

Music history took an unforgettable turn on December 4, 1956, when Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash all happened to end up at Sun Studios on the same day. What began as a coincidence quickly became one of the most legendary and unplanned jam sessions in American music history.

Elvis’s famed ’68 Comeback Special aired on NBC on December 3, 1968.  The show was a huge success, establishing that Elvis was again on top of the music world. 

On October 28, 1956, Elvis Presley received a widely publicized polio vaccine that helped to promote the widespread immunization of teenagers around the country.

On January 8, 1815, future president Andrew Jackson began the Battle of New Orleans, two weeks after the Treaty of Ghent was signed. It was the last major battle of the war – and the most one-sided.

William Thomas Piper was born on January 8, 1881, in Knapp Creek, New York. He developed the popular and inexpensive Piper Cub and became known as the “Henry Ford of Aviation.”

On January 8, 1790, President George Washington delivered the very first State of the Union address at Federal Hall in New York City. It started a long tradition that continues to this day.

José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón was born on January 8, 1912, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He won the first-ever Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and was the first Hispanic actor to win an Oscar.