After a life of wandering the frontier as a lawman, businessman, and gambler, Wyatt Earp died on January 13, 1929. Many of his exploits were embellished for books and early films, though he was present at the famed shootout at the OK Corral.
William Thomas Piper was born on January 8, 1881, in Knapp Creek, New York. He developed the popular and inexpensive Piper Cub and became known as the “Henry Ford of Aviation.”
On December 29, 1845, Texas was admitted as America’s 28th state. Texas joined the US after 10 years as an independent republic.
Clara Barton was born on December 25, 1821, in North Oxford, Massachusetts. She was known as the “Angel of the Battlefield” during the Civil War and later founded the American Red Cross.
Christopher Houston Carson was born December 24, 1809, in Richmond, Kentucky. Better known as Kit Carson, his contributions to the westward expansion of the United States rank him as one of the nation’s great folk heroes.
From December 19, 1777, to June 18, 1778, the Continental Army, under the command of General George Washington, camped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
On December 15, 1936, the first of 10 stamps in the Army/Navy Set was issued. The stamps honor 18 military leaders from the Revolutionary War to Spanish-American War.
On December 13, 1636, the Massachusetts Bay Colony established its own militia, the precursor to America’s National Guard. Militias were later established in every state, eventually becoming the National Guard in 1916.
Fiorello La Guardia, was born December 11, 1882, in Greenwich Village, New York. He was voted the best former mayor in America for his 12 years of leadership of New York City.