On October 28, 1942, construction was completed on one of the most ambitious engineering projects of World War II — the 1,700-mile Alaska Highway. What began as a desperate military necessity became one of the great infrastructure achievements of the 20th century, linking Alaska to the continental United States for the first time by land.
On August 12, 1955, the Presidential Libraries Act was passed, providing for the organized transfer of presidential papers and other items to the federal government.
On June 20, 1863, West Virginia joined the Union as the 35th state. It had formed from the western counties of Virginia which disagreed with the state’s decision to secede during the Civil War.
On June 16, 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt signed legislation passing the National Industrial Recovery Act. It was a bold and ambitious attempt to fix a broken economy during one of the hardest times in American history.
President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884. America’s 33rd president, he led America through the final months of WWII and the early years of the Cold War.
On March 15, 1935, the US Post Office reissued 20 stamps known as “Farley’s Special Printings,” which were the result of the biggest stamp scandal of the time – “Farley’s Follies.”
On December 7, 1941, Japanese bombers attacked American troops at Pearl Harbor, launching the US into World War II.
On November 24, 1954, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower christened the first plane to be designated Air Force One.
On October 29, 1929, the worst stock market crash in history occurred, marking the start of the decade-long Great Depression. FDR’s New Deal and Works Progress Administration helped the US recover.