World War I

General of the Air Force Henry “Hap” Arnold was born on June 25, 1886, in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. He was an early supporter of military air power, and later became the Air Force’s first five-star general.

Noted artist and illustrator James Montgomery Flagg was born on June 18, 1877, in Pelham Manor, New York.  He painted dozens of memorable posters, book covers, magazine covers, and more, with the most notable being his interpretation of Uncle Sam.

Irish tenor John McCormack was born on June 14, 1884, in Athlone, Ireland.  Eventually becoming an American citizen, he was internationally renowned for his singing abilities and breath control.

On May 9, 1918, the US War Department created the Military Postal Express Service (MPES) to handle military mail in Europe during World War I.  It was the first postal system in the world to be created by an Army.

On May 8, 1911, the US Navy purchased its first airplane. This date is celebrated as the birth of US naval aviation.

Harvey Thomas Dunn was born on March 8, 1884, near Manchester, South Dakota. Dunn was influenced all his life by the South Dakota prairie where he was born. He once said that he preferred painting pictures of early South Dakota life to any other subject.

Hugo Lafayette Black was born on February 27, 1886, in Harlan, Alabama. He’s the fifth longest-serving US Supreme Court justice and historians state he was second only to John Marshall in his impact on the Constitution.

On December 17, 1925, the seven-week court-martial of World War I aviation pioneer Billy Mitchell came to an end.  He was charged for his public criticism of the military in its rejection of the importance of air power.

On December 14, 1819, Alabama was admitted to the Union as the 22nd state.