This Day In History

On October 31, 1940, the Battle of Britain came to an end. For nearly four months, RAF pilots and ground crews had fought to prevent Germany from gaining the air superiority needed to invade.

On October 30, 1629, the Carolina Province was named, and plans were made for early settlement. That settlement would be delayed for many years, but the name was retained.

On October 29, 1998, John Glenn returned to space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. At the age of 77, he was the oldest person to go into space.

On October 28, 1956, Elvis Presley received a widely publicized polio vaccination before appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show. The event put a familiar face behind a public health message: teenagers, too, needed protection from polio.

More than 70 years after the Titanic sank, a joint American-French expedition located its wreck on the North Atlantic floor on September 1, 1985. The discovery ended decades of failed searches and revealed that the ship still rested nearly 12,500 feet below the surface.

On August 28, 1864, the US Post Office Department created the Railway Mail Service. It revolutionized mail delivery for a century.

On August 23, 1784, an American merchant ship unfurled the Stars and Stripes for the first time in China. The Chinese dubbed it the “Flower Flag,” and its passengers, “flower flag countrymen,” a name that endures today.

After a decade of construction, the Panama Canal opened to traffic on August 15, 1914. Dubbed one of the seven wonders of the modern world, the canal helped to significantly cut down on the travel time between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

On November 1, 1897, the doors of America’s Library of Congress opened to the public, offering a glimpse into a growing national treasure and the knowledge of the world. From its humble beginnings in the US Capitol to its status today as one of the largest libraries on Earth, the Library of Congress has played a vital role in preserving the intellectual and cultural heritage of the United States.

On November 1, 1966, the US Post Office issued its first Traditional Christmas stamp, inspired by the popularity of the first Contemporary Christmas stamp four years earlier. By 1970, both stamp themes were so popular, the Post Office created two separate Christmas series that continue to this day.

On November 1, 1962, the US Post Office issued its first-ever Christmas stamp, starting a popular tradition that continues to this day.

Celebrated annually on November 1, the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is a time to celebrate lost loved ones. While the holiday is a relatively modern tradition, its origins date back thousands of years.