First U.S. All-Star Baseball Game
On July 6, 1933, the first All-Star game was played at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois. It’s become a beloved annual tradition held nearly every since.
American History
The National Labor Relations Act of 1935
On July 5, 1935, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 into law. The basis of modern US labor law, it guarantees private sector employees the right to organize in trade unions, bargain collectively, and strike.
Bicentenary Statehood Series
On July 4, 1987, the USPS issued the first in a series of stamps honoring America’s first 13 states. The series honored each state’s 200th anniversary of statehood as well as the bicentennial of the ratification of the Constitution.
Emancipation Day in the US Virgin Islands
On July 3, 1848, Governor Peter von Scholten abolished slavery in the Danish West Indies (now the US Virgin Islands). Though it would be several years before slavery was truly ended in the islands, this date is celebrated as Emancipation Day, an official holiday, in the US Virgin Islands.
Death of Henry Clay
Esteemed statesman Henry Clay died on June 29, 1852, after nearly 50 years in politics. Nicknamed “The Great Compromiser,” he orchestrated several important government compromises in the years leading up to the Civil War.
The Berlin Airlift
On June 26, 1948, the first supply-filled planes departed bases in England and Western Germany as part of the Berlin Airlift.
U.S. Adopts Great Seal
On June 20, 1782, the United States adopted the Great Seal. It had taken six years, three committees, and the work of 14 men.
America Declares War on Great Britain
Just 29 years after gaining independence, the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world by declaring war on June 18, 1812, in what would become America’s “Second War of Independence.”
Lincoln Delivers House Divided Speech
On June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous House Divided Speech in Springfield, Illinois. The speech helped propel Lincoln onto the national stage, setting him on course to become one of America’s greatest presidents.