This Day In History

On April 25, 1988, a team of nine Soviet and four Canadian skiers reached the North Pole — on foot, carrying everything on their backs, after 54 days on the Arctic ice. It was the largest expedition ever to reach the Pole, and the first to ski the entire distance from Siberia to Canada via the North Pole without dogs, sleds, or motorized support.

On April 24, 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was inaugurated as Pope Benedict XVI, becoming the 265th Pope of the Catholic Church before a crowd of more than 300,000 in St. Peter’s Square. The 78-year-old German theologian — once nicknamed “God’s Rottweiler” for his doctrinal rigor — surprised the world eight years later by becoming the first pope to resign in nearly 600 years.

On April 23, 1976, the USPS issued the first regular postage stamp to include a service indicator. While most Americans would never use it or notice it, the 7.9-cent Drum coil stamp quietly solved a problem that had complicated bulk mailing for decades.

On April 22, 1993, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum opened in Washington, DC — a building so deliberately unsettling in its design that its…

The first-ever Boson Marathon was run on April 19, 1897. It’s the world’s oldest annual marathon and is one of the six World Marathon Majors. While the first race included 15 runners, recent races have seen over 30,000 participants.

On April 18, 1783, General George Washington issued a proclamation announcing the end of hostilities in the American Revolutionary War. After eight years of fighting, the Continental Army was finally told to stand down, though the path to peace had already been set in motion months earlier.

Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Colony of Virginia. He would go on to draft the Declaration of Independence, serve as the country’s third president, and shape the early United States through his ideas on liberty, education, and expansion.

On March 4, 1791, Vermont was admitted to the Union. After years of land disputes, frontier battles, and even a period as an independent republic, the small mountain region officially became the 14th state of the United States.

On April 26, 1907, the Jamestown Exposition opened at Sewell’s Point in Norfolk, Virginia. It celebrated the 300th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement in America.

On April 26, 1990, the USPS issued the first booklet in its Lighthouse stamp series. The series would last over 30 years and result in some of our most beautiful modern stamps.

Edward Patrick Francis Eagan was born on April 26, 1897, in Denver, Colorado.  He’s the only person in Olympic history to win gold medals in both Summer and Winter sports.

James Pierson Beckwith (later Beckwourth) is believed to have been born on April 26, 1798 (or 1800), in Frederick County, Virginia. He was a figure from the old West, serving as a trapper, scout, trader, rancher, and more.