This Day In History

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.

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.

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.

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.

On October 8, 2003, the USPS issued its third Semipostal stamp, which raised funds to help stop family violence.

On October 1, 1851, Hawaiʻi placed its first postage stamps on sale—tiny blue labels that are now among the world’s rarest and most sought-after stamps. Called the Hawaiian Missionaries, they were created to bring dependable postage to islands whose overseas mail had long traveled by chance.

On August 22, 1970, the US Post Office issued the first stamp in the American Poet Series. The series honored seven prolific American poets.

On August 20, 2005, the USPS issued the first stamps in a nostalgic series honoring classic American cars. Over the next 17 years, America on the Move would celebrate four distinct groups of vehicles, from sleek 1950s sports cars to the pony cars that became symbols of youthful performance.

On October 18, 1898, US troops raised the American flag over Puerto Rico for the first time, marking the island’s transition to American control. The event followed Spain’s defeat in the Spanish-American War and began a new era of US governance in the Caribbean.

On October 18, 1997, the Women in Military Service for America Memorial (WIMSA) was officially dedicated in Arlington County, Virginia. This stamp was issued at the memorial’s dedication ceremony.

On October 18, 1994, the USPS issued a corrected Legends of the West stamp sheet after it was discovered they had made an error in their original design. It was one of the biggest stamp stories in years!

On October 18, 1867, Alaska became part of America in a move dubbed “Seward’s Folly.”