American actress, singer, and dancer Judy Garland was born on June 10, 1922, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Best known as Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, she received many awards during her life and was the first woman to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.
On June 7, 1942, the Allies won the Battle of Midway in the Pacific, turning the tide of the war. It’s been called “the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare.”
On June 6, 1944, some 155,000 Allied troops stormed the shores of Normandy on D-Day, the start of Operation Overlord.
On June 2, 1953, the coronation ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II attracted worldwide attention. Though she never expected to become queen, she went on to become Britain’s longest reigning monarch.
On May 30, 1922, William Howard Taft dedicated the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. The memorial houses the massive 19-foot seated Lincoln statue
On May 20, 1950, the US first celebrated Armed Forces Day. Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May, near the end of Armed Forces Week.
On May 15, 1942, the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was established. The women of the WAAC filled important noncombatant jobs, freeing up thousands of men for combat.
On May 3, 2000, the USPS issued the first stamps in the Distinguished Servicemen Series. These stamps were intended as a tribute to all servicemen, not just the soldiers they pictured.
On April 30, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt announced a new series of US Savings Bonds and bought the first one himself the following day. These bonds went on to help raise over $185 billion dollars during WWII.