While the exact date of abolitionist Frederick Douglass’s birth is unknown, it’s generally considered to be February 14, 1818. Douglass was an abolitionist and suffragist, one of the leading civil rights leaders of the 19th century.
Scientist Josiah Willard Gibbs was born on February 11, 1839, in New Haven, Connecticut. He was a Yale professor, inventor, and formulated the laws of thermodynamics.
Lon Chaney Jr. was born Creighton Tull Chaney on February 10, 1906, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory. He gained fame for portraying horror characters such as the Wolfman, Frankenstein, and the Mummy, but he broke out of that mold later in his career to explore other genres.
William Tecumseh Sherman was born on February 8, 1820 in Lancaster, Ohio. His tough “scorched earth” policy was a severe blow to morale in the Confederacy during the Civil War.
George Herman “Babe” Ruth was born on February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the sports world’s most famous players, he set and broke numerous records during his career and is a legend of baseball.
Politician Adlai Stevenson II was born on February 5, 1900, in Los Angeles, California. He was a popular governor of Illinois and US ambassador to the United Nations.
Newspaper publisher Horace Greeley was born on February 3, 1811, in Amherst, New Hampshire. His newspapers championed a number of causes, including abolition, temperance, railroads, and westward expansion.
On January 29, 1940, the US Post Office Department issued the first stamps in the Famous Americans Series. It honors 35 Americans from 7 professions based on recommendations submitted by the public.
American labor union leader Samuel Gompers was born on January 27, 1850, in London, England. He helped found the American Federation of Labor (AFL), one of the largest unions of the day.