On July 26, 1775, former deputy postmaster general of the American colonies, Ben Franklin, was made the first postmaster general of the United States. He revolutionized mail service in the young nation at a crucial time in our history.
On July 23, 1966, George Rogers Clark National Historical Park was established in Vincennes, Indiana. The park honors this Revolutionary War hero and his role in the expansion of the Northwest Territory.
Pedro Francisco, also known as the “Virginia Giant,” the “Giant of the Revolution,” and the “Virginia Hercules,” was born on July 9, 1760, in Porto Judeu, Terceira, Portugal. A hero of the Revolutionary War, many of his exploits were larger than life.
On June 20, 1782, the United States adopted the Great Seal. It had taken six years, three committees, and the work of 14 men.
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.
Artist John Trumbull was born on June 6, 1756, in Lebanon, Connecticut. A prolific artist, he painted many of America’s founding fathers as well as notable events and battles from the Revolutionary War.
America’s first First Lady was born Martha Dandridge on June 2, 1731 (by the Old Style calendar), on her parents’ Chestnut Grove Plantation near Williamsburg, Virginia. After leading several initiatives to involve women in the Revolutionary War, Martha established many of the responsibilities and traditions of the office of first lady.
On May 10, 1876, the first official World’s Fair in the United States was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The fair also commemorated the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
On April 28, 1788, Maryland was the seventh state to ratify the US Constitution, an act that admitted it as America’s seventh state.