This Day In History

On June 30, 1899, the American military government issued its first stamps in the Philippines. Spanish colonization of the Philippines began in 1565 and continued for more than three centuries. In the late 1800s, the people of the Philippines revolted against the atrocities of their Spanish rulers. At the same time, unrest was growing in the Spanish colony of Cuba.

On June 29, 1995, the US Space Shuttle Atlantis docked the Russian space station Mir for the first time. The mission, STS-71, was the third in the US/Russian Shuttle-Mir program. It began on June 27, 1995, when the Atlantis launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was the 100th US human space launch from Cape Canaveral.

On June 28, 1914, Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by a Bosnia Serb nationalist, sparking World War I.

On June 27, 1895, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Royal Blue became the first US passenger service to use electric locomotives, signaling a new era of modern rail travel. Running from Washington, DC, to New York City, the train combined speed, comfort, and cutting-edge technology.

On April 1, 1960, the US issued two boat stamps for use on motorboat applications. The stamps were part of an effort to promote boating safety in collaboration with the Coast Guard.

On February 25, 1919, a Narcotic Tax was officially instated. Initially created to help fund World War I, they remained in use for over 50 years.

On February 15, 1898, the USS Maine mysteriously exploded in Havana Harbor, leading the US to declare war on Spain two months later. Special Revenue stamps depicting the Maine were produced to fund the Spanish-American War and the event had a significant impact on US postage stamps.

In response to Parliament’s Stamp Act of 1765, American colonists assembled in New York City on October 7 to organize a unified protest. The Stamp Act Congress is often considered one of the first organized political actions of the American Revolution.

On July 1, 1847, America’s first postage stamps were issued. While the use of stamps wasn’t mandatory until 1856, this was a historic philatelic milestone.

On July 1, 1845, US Congress established uniform postal rates, giving rise to the creation of Postmaster Provisional stamps. These stamps produced for local mail, were precursors to America’s first postage stamps exactly two years later.

On July 1, 1863, the US Post Office inaugurated its free City Mail Delivery Service in part in response to the Civil War. By the end of the first year, 65 cities offered the service and employed 685 mail carriers.

On July 1, 1851, several stamps from America’s second series of postage stamps were issued. These new stamps were issued to meet reduced postal rates that practically eliminated distance as a factor.