Holiday Celebrations Series
On October 22, 1996, the USPS issued its first Hanukkah stamp. The joint issue with Israel also launched the Holiday Celebrations Series, which broadened the Postal Service’s holiday stamp program beyond Christmas.
This Day in History
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Dedication of World’s Columbian Exposition
On October 21, 1892, Chicago dedicated the grounds and buildings of the World’s Columbian Exposition. The fair would not open to visitors until the following May, but its three-day dedication celebration drew huge crowds and put the unfinished exposition on the national stage.
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Death of Herbert Hoover
On October 20, 1964, Herbert Hoover, America’s 31st president, died at age 90. Before the Great Depression defined his presidency, he had built a career as a mining engineer and organized relief efforts for people in several countries.
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Battle of Cedar Creek
On October 19, 1864, Confederate troops launched a surprise attack on Union camps at Cedar Creek, Virginia. The battle became the final major engagement of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign and the last major Confederate attempt to break Sheridan’s hold on the Valley.
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Territorial Series
On October 18, 1937, the US Post Office issued the first stamp in a new series honoring the overseas territories of the United States. These stamps chronicled decades of US territorial expansion.
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Death of Julia Ward Howe
Poet and reformer Julia Ward Howe died in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, on October 17, 1910. Best known for “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” she also spent decades organizing for women’s rights and peace.
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Cuban Missile Crisis Begins
On October 16, 1962, President John F. Kennedy learned that the Soviet Union was building nuclear missile sites in Cuba. The discovery began thirteen days of tense negotiations and military alert that brought the United States and the Soviet Union dangerously close to nuclear war.
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Pitcairn Islands Stamps Fund the Colony
On October 15, 1940, the Pitcairn Islands Post Office opened, issuing the colony’s first stamps. These stamps were very popular with collectors and eventually helped support most of the colony’s budget.
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Roosevelt Delivers Speech After Being Shot
A gunshot struck Theodore Roosevelt in Milwaukee on October 14, 1912, as he campaigned for president. Bleeding and carrying a bullet in his chest, he insisted on delivering his speech—and spoke for about ninety minutes.
