On June 27, 1895, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Royal Blue became the first US passenger service to use electric locomotives, signaling a new era of modern rail travel. Running from Washington, DC, to New York City, the train combined speed, comfort, and cutting-edge technology.
On May 28, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge officially opened to traffic. It was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time of its opening and was dubbed a “Wonder of the World” structure.
On May 15, 1918, America’s airmail service began when two Curtiss Jennys departed New York and Washington, DC. In the months that followed, pioneering aviators expanded airmail service over the treacherous Allegheny Mountains to Chicago and eventually the west coast.
President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884. America’s 33rd president, he led America through the final months of WWII and the early years of the Cold War.
On April 25, 1959, the St. Lawrence Seaway opened, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway was nearly as ambitious as the Panama Canal project.
One of the most well known maritime disasters in history occurred on April 14, 1912, when the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank.
On April 1, 1960, the US issued two boat stamps for use on motorboat applications. The stamps were part of an effort to promote boating safety in collaboration with the Coast Guard.
Train engineer Jonathon Luther Jones was born on March 14, 1863, in Missouri. He later became an American folk hero after sacrificing his own life to save his passengers.
On February 19, 1914, parents in Idaho took advantage of the affordable Parcel Post rate to mail their daughter to her grandmother’s house. It was one of several instances of people mailing children using stamps.