This Day In History

On June 4, 1944, Allied troops entered Rome, Italy, freeing it from German control. The city’s liberation came after months of hard fighting over mountains, across rivers, and in bad weather, against strong German defenses.

Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, was born on June 3, 1808, in Fairview, Kentucky.

On June 2, 1863, Harriet Tubman helped lead a daring Union raid on South Carolina’s Combahee Ferry. The raid succeeded in capturing supplies, damaging Confederate defenses, and freeing over 750 people.

On June 1, 1995, the USPS issued the first stamp in its long-running Legends of Hollywood Series. The stamp, honoring Marilyn Monroe, was the best-selling stamp of the year.

Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, was born on June 3, 1808, in Fairview, Kentucky.

On May 23, 1788, South Carolina ratified the Constitution, making it America’s eighth state.

President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884. America’s 33rd president, he led America through the final months of WWII and the early years of the Cold War.

On March 15, 1935, the US Post Office reissued 20 stamps known as “Farley’s Special Printings,” which were the result of the biggest stamp scandal of the time – “Farley’s Follies.”

On June 5, 1910, American author O. Henry died in New York City. A prolific writer of short stories, he’s best known for his work, “The Gift of the Magi.”

Anthropologist Ruth Fulton Benedict was born on June 5, 1887, in New York City, New York. Benedict developed her own theories on culture and conducted special research for the US government during World War II.

On June 5, 1978, Lowell National Historical Park was founded in Massachusetts. Lowell has been called the “Cradle of the American Industrial Revolution,” for the important role it played in the rise of America’s textile industry.

On June 5, 1971, the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) was officially dedicated after decades of work. One of the largest civil works projects up to that time, it accounts for more than $1billion in trade transportation each for Arkansas and Oklahoma.