Happy Birthday Orville Wright
On August 18, 1846, Stephen W. Kearny captured Santa Fe without firing a shot as part of the Kearny Expedition.
Aviation
First Flight Across the English Channel
On July 25, 1909, Louis Blériot became the first person to fly across the English Channel. Born in Cambrai, France, on July 1, 1872, Blériot was the first of five children. At the age of 10, he attended the Institute of Notre Dame in Cambrai, where he often won prizes for his engineering drawings.
Happy Birthday, Amelia Earhart!
Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison. Kansas. Earhart had a taste for adventure from a young age. In 1904, she saw a roller coaster for the first time during a family trip to St. Louis. When she returned home, Earhart and an uncle built a homemade version and attached it to the roof of a shed. Though Amelia ended up bruised and the wooden box she rode in was destroyed, she exclaimed, “It’s just like flying!”
Death of Glenn Curtiss
Aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss died on July 23, 1930, in Buffalo, New York. Glenn Hammond Curtiss was born on May 21, 1878, in Hammondsport, New York. He became interested in bicycles as a young man and was a champion racer, riding bikes he had designed and built.
Final Issue of the Classic Collection
On June 13, 2002, the USPS issued the final sheet in the Classic Collection Series.
First Transatlantic Flight
On May 16, 1919, Albert Cushing Read departed Newfoundland, beginning the first transatlantic flight.
First US Airmail Flight
On May 15, 1918, America’s airmail service began when two Curtiss Jenny’s departed New York and Washington, DC.
Discovery of the Inverted Jenny
On May 14, 1918, stamp collector William Robey discovered the now sought-after Inverted Jenny, #C3a.
Doolittle Raid
On April 18, 1942, Jimmy Doolittle led a daring raid against the Japanese in retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor.