On July 1, 1845, US Congress established uniform postal rates, giving rise to the creation of Postmaster Provisional stamps. These stamps produced for local mail, were precursors to America’s first postage stamps exactly two years later.
Esteemed statesman Henry Clay died on June 29, 1852, after nearly 50 years in politics. Nicknamed “The Great Compromiser,” he orchestrated several important government compromises in the years leading up to the Civil War.
On June 26, 1948, the first supply-filled planes departed bases in England and Western Germany as part of the Berlin Airlift.
On June 24, 1918, Captain Brian Peck made the first airmail flight in Canada. It would be another decade before the service became official and Canada would issue its first Airmail stamps.
On June 23, 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Civil Aeronautics Act, creating the Civil Aeronautics Authority. The CAA was tasked with investigating accidents, recommending ways to prevent future accidents, and setting airline fares and routes. It eventually became the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
On June 22, 1943, the first stamp in the Overrun Countries Series, US #909, was issued. These stamps were created to send a message of hope to war-torn residents of the overrun countries.
On June 20, 1782, the United States adopted the Great Seal. It had taken six years, three committees, and the work of 14 men.
Just 29 years after gaining independence, the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world by declaring war on June 18, 1812, in what would become America’s “Second War of Independence.”
On June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous House Divided Speech in Springfield, Illinois. The speech helped propel Lincoln onto the national stage, setting him on course to become one of America’s greatest presidents.