Sinking of the Lusitania
On May 7, 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed the British ocean liner Lusitania off the coast of Ireland. The ship sank in about 18 minutes, killing nearly 1,200 people and pushing the United States closer to World War I.
World War I
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Red Baron’s Final Victory
On April 20, 1918, Manfred von Richthofen—known around the world as the Red Baron—shot down his 80th enemy aircraft, setting a record for World War I. Within a day, his remarkable career would come to an abrupt end, cementing his place as the war’s most recognized flying ace.
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Birth of Thornton Wilder
On April 17, 1897, playwright and novelist Thornton Wilder was born in Madison, Wisconsin. Over the next several decades, he would become one of America’s most respected writers, known for works that explored everyday life with unusual clarity and structure.
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Battle of Verdun
On February 21, 1916, one of the longest battles on the Western Front began at Verdun. The nearly 10-month battle ended in a French victory, but at a high cost of lives on both sides.
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Birth of Omar Bradley
US General Omar Nelson Bradley was born on February 12, 1893, in the small town of Clark, Missouri—far from the battlefields where he would one day command millions. Known as the “GI’s General,” Bradley rose from humble beginnings to become one of America’s most trusted military leaders of World War II.
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Birth of Neysa McMein
Neysa McMein, born on January 24, 1888, helped shape how America saw itself during the early 20th century through powerful images that appeared everywhere from magazines to movie studios. Her art captured modern beauty, wartime patriotism, and celebrity culture at a moment when illustration defined public life.
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Birth of Everett Dirksen
Statesman Everett McKinley Dirksen was born on January 4, 1896, in Pekin, Illinois. He later emerged as a central figure in shaping bipartisan legislation in the US Senate.
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Death of Former President Harry Truman
On December 26, 1972, America’s 33rd president, Harry S. Truman, died, closing the chapter on a leader who had guided the nation through the final days of World War II and the uncertain dawn of the Cold War. Plainspoken and decisive, Truman rose from humble beginnings to make some of the most consequential choices in US history—decisions that reshaped America’s role on the world stage and still spark debate today.
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Latvia’s First Stamps Printed on Maps!
On December 18, 1918, war-torn and recently independent Latvia issued its first stamps, printed on the back of German military maps.
