This Day In History

On July 20, 1969, the US effectively won the Space Race when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Eagle lunar module on the Moon’s surface.

On July 19, 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill officially established the “V” for Victory campaign. The letter “V” became a rallying cry for people in occupied nations as well as Germans who opposed the Nazis.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, Cape Province, South Africa. His long struggle against apartheid would carry him from prison to the presidency and make him a worldwide symbol of reconciliation and democratic change.

On July 17, 1987, the USPS issued its first joint issue with Morocco, commemorating 200 years of diplomatic relations.

David Glasgow Farragut was born in Campbell’s Station (now Farragut), Tennessee, on July 5, 1801. A Civil War naval commander, the rank of admiral was created specifically for him.

On June 25, 1876, Civil War veteran George A. Custer died at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The battle became one of the most famous defeats in US Army history, but its deeper story was about land, broken promises, and Native nations fighting to protect their way of life.

On June 15, 1864, Ulysses S. Grant launched the Siege of Petersburg. The long struggle that followed stretched Union and Confederate forces across miles of trenches and helped decide the final months of the Civil War.

On June 12, 1963, civil rights activist Medgar Evers was killed while standing in his own driveway. As Mississippi’s first NAACP field secretary, Evers led voter registration drives, investigated racial violence, pushed to desegregate schools and public spaces, and became one of the state’s most visible voices for justice.

Standing in the dusty town square of Springfield, Missouri, on July 21, 1865, Wild Bill Hickok fired a single shot, killing Davis Tutt in what’s considered America’s first Western showdown.

On July 21, 1944, US troops landed on Guam, initiating a three-week battle to recapture the island. Today, the people of Guam celebrate July 21 as Liberation Day.

Author Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois. Hemingway is considered one of America’s great 20th century novelists, inspiring a generation of writers with his understated, minimal prose.

On July 21, 1930, President Hoover signed legislation forming the Veterans Administration, often called simply, the VA.