On June 10, 1840, Senator Daniel Webster submitted a resolution to the US Congress recommending that the US issue stamps. He was inspired by the success of Britain’s recently issued Penny Black, and proposed the US follow their example.
On June 1, 1909, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition opened in Seattle, Washington. The Expo honored the purchase of Alaska, the Klondike Gold Rush, and trade in the Pacific.
America’s eighth International Philatelic Exhibition opened to the public on May 22, 1986, in Chicago, Illinois. It was also the first to be held in the Mid-West.
On May 18, 1990, the USPS issued an experimental plastic stamp to test the popularity of selling stamps through Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs). While the plastic stamp proved unpopular, especially with environmentalists, the ATM format proved to be a success.
On May 9, 1918, the US War Department created the Military Postal Express Service (MPES) to handle military mail in Europe during World War I. It was the first postal system in the world to be created by an Army.
On May 7, 1833, future President Abraham Lincoln took a job as postmaster for New Salem, Illinois. Holding that position for three years, he was well-liked and respected for his commitment to his postal customers.
On April 21, 1898, Spain ended diplomatic relations with America and the US Navy established a blockade of Cuba, marking the official start of the Spanish-American War. The war would last less than four months, but saw the downfall of the Spanish Empire and the rise of America as a major world power with several new possessions.
On April 20, 1987, the USPS issued the set of eight Special Occasions stamps, the first “special” stamp booklet.
April 14, 1866 was the earliest known usage of the first US mourning stamp, which honored Abraham Lincoln. It was issued a year after his assassination, during a critical time in US history, when the country was attempting to heal from the bloody Civil War.