First White House Easter Egg Roll
On April 22, 1878, the White House hosted its first official Easter Egg Roll on Easter Monday. It’s a beloved tradition that has continued to this day.
American History
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Opening of Seattle World’s Fair
On April 21, 1962, the Seattle World’s Fair, also known as the Century 21 Exposition, opened to the public. The fair’s themes of space and the future helped to make it a tremendous success – one of the few to turn a profit.
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Graf Zeppelins Issued
On April 19, 1930, three special airmail stamps, the Graf Zeppelins, were made available for sale to be used exclusively on mail carried via the Graf Zeppelin on its European-Pan American flights the following month.
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Doolittle Raid
On April 18, 1942, Jimmy Doolittle led a daring raid against the Japanese in retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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America’s Oldest School for the Deaf
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc founded the first permanent school for the deaf in America on April 15, 1817. To date, over 4,000 students have graduated from the American School for the Deaf.
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Emancipation Memorial
On April 14, 1876, the Emancipation Memorial (also known as the Freedmen’s Memorial Monument) was unveiled in a special ceremony in Washington, DC. Most of the funds raised for the statue came from freed slaves and African American Union veterans.
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Civil War Centennial Series
On April 12, 1961, the US Post Office issued the first stamp in a five-year series honoring major events from the Civil War. Issued for the war’s 100th anniversary, they were the first US stamps to specifically commemorate the conflict.
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Birth of Matthew C. Perry
The “Father of the Steam Navy” Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry was born on April 10, 1794, in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Perry is best known for modernizing the US Naval Academy and opening friendly relations with Japan.
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Birth of Dennis Chávez
The first American-born Hispanic senator, Dionisio “Dennis” Chávez was born on April 8, 1888, in Los Chaves, New Mexico. The 1991 Chavez stamp was the first US stamp printed outside the US and led to a Congressional inquiry!
