American composer and conductor John Philip Sousa was born on November 6, 1854, in Washington, DC. As the composer of several notable marches, including the “Stars and Stripes Forever” and official Marines march, he’s been called “The March King.”
Stephen Fuller Austin was born on November 3, 1793, in Wythe County (present-day Austinville), Virginia. Known as the “Father of Texas,” he led the first successful American settlement there.
On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles created a panic with his War of the Worlds broadcast, which some listeners believed was a real news story.
US Navy Admiral Arleigh Burke was born on October 19, 1901, in Boulder, Colorado. He Served with distinction during WWII and went on to serve an unprecedented three terms as chief of Naval Operations.
On October 18, 1997, the Women in Military Service for America Memorial (WIMSA) was officially dedicated in Arlington County, Virginia. This stamp was issued at the memorial’s dedication ceremony.
On October 16, 1940, the US Post Office Department issued a set of three stamps to raise support for a strong national defense. Conceived and designed by President Roosevelt, more than 19 billion stamps were sold, more than any other US stamp series up to that time.
On October 15, 1817, Polish-Lithuanian General Thaddeus Kosciuszko died in Solothurn, Switzerland. Kosciuszko fought and brought extensive engineering knowledge to the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Dwight Eisenhower was born October 14, 1890, in Denison, Texas. After serving as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in WWII, he was elected America’s 34th president.
On October 13, 1754, one of the women that inspired the nickname, “Molly Pitcher,” was born near Trenton, New Jersey. She took over her husband’s artillery when he was injured and was later made a noncommissioned officer.