This Day In History

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 March 3, 1931, the United States officially adopted “The Star-Spangled Banner” as its national anthem. The decision came more than a century after the song was written, ending years of debate and finally giving the nation a single, official anthem.

On March 2, 1972, Pioneer 10 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It became the first spacecraft to travel beyond the outer planets and eventually the first human-made object to head out of the Solar System.

On March 1, 1867, Congress admitted Nebraska to the Union. The decision came after months of political conflict and even a presidential veto, placing the prairie state at the center of national debate during Reconstruction.

National Milk Day, celebrated each year on January 11, honors a simple innovation that changed daily life in America: the first home delivery of milk in glass bottles. On January 11, 1878, milk was delivered to homes in the United States in sealed glass bottles for the first time, marking a major step forward in food safety, convenience, and nutrition. What seems ordinary today was once a breakthrough that helped build the modern dairy industry.

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

On December 25, 1830, the Best Friend of Charleston completed its first run. It was the first American-built steam locomotive to haul a train of passenger cars on a public railroad.

A quarter-century after the Wright brothers first left the ground at Kitty Hawk, the world’s aviation leaders gathered in Washington, DC, to decide just how far—and how fast—human flight could go next. On December 12, 1928, the International Civil Aeronautics Conference opened with a bold mission: to celebrate the past, assess the present, and imagine a future where airplanes would shrink oceans, reshape economies, and bring nations closer together.

On March 5, 1922, Annie Oakley broke all existing records for women’s trap shooting. At age 62, she showed she was still one of the best shooters in the world.

On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill gave one of his most famous speeches, in which he used the phrase, “iron curtain” to describe the communist boundary in Europe.

Illustrator and author Howard Pyle was born on March 5, 1853, in Wilmington, Delaware. Illustrating many of his own books, he’s often credited with creating the modern depiction of flamboyantly dressed pirates.

Dean Cornwell was born on March 5, 1892, in Louisville, Kentucky. A prominent illustrator and muralist, his work became familiar to many Americans, appearing in books, advertisements, and World War II posters. He was known as the “Dean of Illustrators.”