First Canal Zone Stamps Issued
On June 24, 1904, the US issued its first stamps for use in the Canal Zone. The stamps were used by the thousands of workers who built and maintained the Panama Canal.
Famous Americans
New Hampshire Becomes 9th State
On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the United States Constitution. New Hampshire’s approval of the document put the Constitution into effect and officially made it the United States of America’s ninth state.
Happy Birthday Cole Porter
American composer and songwriter Cole Albert Porter was born on June 9, 1891, in Peru, Indiana. He wrote over 800 songs in his career, including standards that became hits for multiple singers.
Allies Storm Normandy On D-Day
On June 6, 1944, some 155,000 Allied troops stormed the shores of Normandy on D-Day, the start of Operation Overlord.
Death of O. Henry
On June 5, 1910, American author O. Henry died in New York City. A prolific writer of short stories, he’s best known for his work, “The Gift of the Magi.”
Happy Birthday John Wayne
John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison in Winterset, Iowa, on May 26, 1907. Starring in over 200 movies, Wayne became an American icon, whose name and image were synonymous with the rugged Wild West.
Happy Birthday Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman was born on May 23, 1883 in Denver, Colorado. Better known as Douglas Fairbanks, he was one of Hollywood’s top stars of the 1920s, known as “Everybody’s Hero.”
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West
On May 19, 1883, the first Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show opened in Omaha, Nebraska. The show ran under a few different names for 30 years.
First Transatlantic Flight
On May 16, 1919, Albert Cushing Read departed Newfoundland, beginning the first transatlantic flight. On May 27, he touched down in Portugal, successfully crossing the Atlantic.