World War II

  • US Tests Female Mail Carriers in Cities

    In the midst of World War I, a major change quietly began in the United States Postal Service: for the first time, women were seriously tested as city letter carriers. On November 23, 1917, First Assistant Postmaster General John C. Koons issued a call to the postmasters of eight of the largest US post offices to run 15-day trials of women serving as letter carriers in the city.  This experiment was described as a potential wartime necessity, because many men were off fighting, and extra postal workers were already needed to handle the heavy Christmas mail in December.

  • Battle of Tarawa Begins

    On November 20, 1943, US troops launched the Battle of Tarawa, the first American offensive in the central Pacific region of World War II. A turning point in the Pacific War, it saw effective use of the America’s newly developed island-hopping strategy and provided important lessons for future invasions.

  • Debut of Fantasia

    On November 13, 1940, Walt Disney premiered Fantasia—a film unlike anything audiences had ever seen. Combining animation and classical music, Fantasia was a bold experiment in art, sound, and imagination. It pushed the boundaries of animation and transformed film into something that could be felt as much as seen.

  • Sinking of the USS Reuben James

    On October 31, 1941, the Atlantic became a battlefield for the United States even before the country had formally entered World War II. The German submarine attack on the USS Reuben James marked the first time an American Navy ship was destroyed during the conflict, foreshadowing the coming fight across the globe.

  • Birth of Bill Mauldin

    On October 29, 1921, William “Bill” Mauldin was born in Mountain Park, New Mexico. Before he turned 40, his sharp, honest cartoons of weary GIs had earned him two Pulitzer Prizes — and the lasting respect of those who served.

  • The Alaska Highway 

    On October 28, 1942, construction was completed on one of the most ambitious engineering projects of World War II — the 1,700-mile Alaska Highway. What began as a desperate military necessity became one of the great infrastructure achievements of the 20th century, linking Alaska to the continental United States for the first time by land.

  • Battle of Leyte Gulf

    On October 23, 1944, the Japanese Navy launched a massive counterattack against the Allied invasion of the Philippines, beginning the Battle of Leyte Gulf—the largest naval battle in world history and a turning point in the Pacific War. The four-day struggle shattered Japan’s fleet and ended its ability to fight a large-scale naval war.