First Contract Airmail Flight
On February 15, 1926, the first contract airmail flight was made between Michigan and Ohio. Three stamps were issued for this service during its first two years.
Government
Creation of the U.S. Weather Bureau
On February 9, 1870, Ulysses S. Grant created the US Weather Bureau. Still in operation today as the National Weather Service, it provides weather forecasts and warnings for hazardous weather.
Happy Birthday Lucky Lindy!
Aviation pioneer Charles Augustus Lindbergh was born on February 4, 1902, in Detroit, Michigan. He was the first person to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean and helped to promote and expand aviation and airmail.
Birth of Horace Greeley
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.
First National Marine Sanctuary
On January 30, 1975, the USS Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was established off the coast of North Carolina. It was America’s first national marine sanctuary created under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, passed three years earlier.
Birth of UN Leader U Thant
U Thant was born in Pantanaw, British Burma, on January 22, 1909.
American Credo Series
On January 20, 1960, the US Post Office Department issued the first stamp in the American Credo Series. The stamps feature quotes from notable Americans, honoring “the ideals upon which America was founded.”
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
On January 16, 1786, Virginia enacted Thomas Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom. It was one of the most important laws ever passed by the Virginia Assembly, provided inspiration for the Bill of Rights, and was one of the achievements of which Jefferson was most proud.
Ratification Day
On January 14, 1784, the Confederation Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris, officially ending the American Revolutionary War. New boundaries were set and Great Britain acknowledged the United States as an independent nation.