This Day In History

On November 6, 1861, Jefferson Davis was elected president of the Confederate States of America. By then, Southern states had seceded, formed the Confederacy, and the Civil War was underway.

On November 5, 1911, Leonard Franklin Slye was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. The boy who learned to yodel from old recordings would grow up to become Roy Rogers, the “King of the Cowboys,” and one of Hollywood’s best-known singing stars.

On November 4, 1955, baseball legend Cy Young died in Newcomerstown, Ohio. He left behind records that still define a pitcher’s workload and a career that spanned baseball’s early major-league era.

On November 3, 1994, the USPS issued a souvenir sheet honoring the 100th anniversary of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing producing US postage stamps. A relatively small number of sheets were discovered with a rare double transfer.

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.

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

On November 7, 1944, Franklin D. Roosevelt made history as the first—and only—US president elected to a fourth term. His remarkable political career reshaped both the country’s government and its role in the world.

On November 7, 1848, the War Department established a post on the Rio Grande that would later come to be known as Fort Bliss. Still in use today, it’s the second-largest US Army installation in the world.

On November 7, 1811, future president William Henry Harrison clashed with Tecumseh’s warriors at the Battle of Tippecanoe, a precursor to the War of 1812. Harrison claimed victory and became known as “Old Tippecanoe.”

British explorer and navigator Captain James Cook was born on November 7, 1728 (October 27 in the Old Style calendar), in Marton, Yorkshire, England.