On June 15, 1934, Franklin Roosevelt signed legislation establishing Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Home to some of the highest mountains in North America, the park is one of the most visited in the United States.
On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Army, the precursor of the United States Army. Commanded by George Washington, they faced off against the British in such notable battles as Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown.
Winfield Scott was born on June 13, 1786, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. Nicknamed “Old Fuss and Feathers” and the “Grand Old Man of the Army,” he was one of America’s longest-serving military commanders.
On June 10, 1967, the Gateway Arch opened in St. Louis, Missouri. A monument to America’s westward expansion, it’s the tallest arch in the world at 630 feet.
On June 1, 1861, the Confederate States of America took control of their own postal operations. With several months before official postage stamps would be ready, some cities produced their own postmaster’s provisional stamps to keep mail moving during this time.
On May 24, 1919, the US issued stamps for use in Shanghai, China. The stamps were produced in limited quantities and only remained in use for a few years.
William Henry Seward was born on May 16, 1801 in Florida, New York. Seward served as Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of state during the Civil War and later acquired Alaska for the United States.
On May 13, 1918, the United States issued its first airmail stamp – US #C3. It carried America’s first airmail two days later, and sparked one of the world’s most famous stamp rarities.
On May 11, 1863, representatives from 15 nations met in Paris to discuss postal issues. That first International Postal Conference would eventually lead to the creation of the Universal Postal Union.