On April 9, 1921, Postmaster General Will H. Hays took an extraordinary step: he ordered the arming of postal workers who handled the nation’s most valuable mail. The order came after a sharp rise in armed robberies, when trains, mail cars, and postal employees had become targets for thieves looking for cash, securities, and registered mail.
On April 8, 1869, Harvey Cushing was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Cushing would transform brain surgery from a desperate last resort into a disciplined medical science. His careful methods and insistence on precision helped turn survival in the operating room from chance into expectation.
Eleanora Fagan, better known as Billie Holiday, was born on April 7, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A musical pioneer known for her soulful, emotional delivery and improvisation skills, she’s been called “the definitive Jazz singer.”
On April 6, 1896, the first Olympic Games in 1,500 years began in Athens, Greece. Revived from ancient tradition, the modern Olympics brought nations together in a new era of international competition and athletic pride.
On April 5, 1856, Booker Taliaferro Washington was born into slavery in Hale’s Ford, Virginia. From those beginnings, he built a life centered on education, discipline, and practical progress in the years after the Civil War.
On March 28, 1876, a Boston inventor received a patent that would transform the way America handled its mail. The Leavitt canceling machine didn’t just speed up a mundane postal task — it helped launch the modern era of mail processing. And it arrived at exactly the right moment.
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.
After just eighteen months of daring rides across the American frontier, the Pony Express ceased operations on October 26, 1861. Though short-lived, it became one of the most legendary chapters in the history of the American West.
On October 1, 1885, the Special Delivery service was first available and the first stamp, US #E1, went on sale. The service provided the immediate delivery of a letter within one mile of any other Special Delivery post office.
On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War. The respect both men showed toward each other led the surrender to be called “The Gentlemen’s Agreement.”
On April 9, 1954, the USPS introduced a new set of stamps, the Liberty Series, with the issue of an 8¢ red, white, and blue Statue of Liberty stamp. It replaced the popular Presidential Series (also known as the Prexies), which had been in use for 15 years.
Photographer Eadweard Muybridge was born on April 9, 1830, in Kingston upon the Thames, Surrey, England. Muybridge was a photography pioneer, improving the technology and completing early motion studies on film.
On April 9, 1942, the largest number of US forces was captured at the end of the Battle of Bataan, leading to the Bataan Death March. Today, this date is commemorated as National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day.
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