This Day in History

One of America’s first modern artists, Stuart Davis died on June 24, 1964.  Davis earned national acclaim for his proto-pop paintings that were inspired by jazz and his strong political beliefs.

Wilma Glodean Rudolph was born on June 23, 1940, in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee. Dubbed “The Fastest Woman in History,” she became the first female athlete to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games. 

On June 22, 1946, US Airmail was carried by jet for the first time.  The flight was part of an event to showcase how GE’s aviation products could positively impact people’s lives and the future.

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 20, 1819, the SS Savannah arrived in Liverpool, England, becoming the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

On June 19, 1910, one of the first Father’s Day celebrations was held at the YMCA in Spokane, Washington.  It would be another 62 years before it was made a permanent national holiday.

Noted artist and illustrator James Montgomery Flagg was born on June 18, 1877, in Pelham Manor, New York.  He painted dozens of memorable posters, book covers, magazine covers, and more, with the most notable being his interpretation of Uncle Sam.

James Weldon Johnson was born on June 17, 1871, in Jacksonville, Florida.  A poet, songwriter, diplomat, and activist, he was the first African American executive secretary of the NAACP.

Barbara McClintock was born Eleanor McClintock on June 16, 1902, in Hartford, Connecticut.  She’s the first, and to date only woman to receive an unshared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for her discovery of transposition, or genetic “switches” in genes.