Union Wins the Battle of Gettysburg
On July 3, 1863, Union forces turned the tide of the Civil War with their victory at the Battle of Gettysburg. It helped to raise morale in the North and was a major turning point in the war.
American History
First U.S. Postage Stamp Goes on Sale
On July 1, 1847, America’s first postage stamps were issued. While the use of stamps wasn’t mandatory until 1856, this was a historic philatelic milestone.
Birth of George Washington Goethals
US Army general and civil engineer, George Washington Goethals was born on June 29, 1858, in Brooklyn, New York. Under his leadership, the Panama Canal was completed two years ahead of schedule.
Battle of Sullivan’s Island
On June 28, 1776, South Carolina patriots won their first decisive victory of the Revolutionary War at Sullivan’s Island.
Birth of Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Thanks in part to the teachings of Anne Sullivan, she went on to become the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Birth of Chesty Puller
Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller was born on June 26, 1898, in West Point, Virginia. The most decorated Marine in US history, Puller stands as a symbol of esprit de corps.
First Canal Zone Stamps Issued
On June 24, 1904, the US issued its first stamps for use in the Canal Zone. The stamps were used by the thousands of workers who built and maintained the Panama Canal.
GI Bill
On June 22, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, also known as the GI Bill, into law.
First American Woman in Space
On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. She was the third woman overall, after Soviet cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova and Svetlana Savitskaya.