This Day In History

Rutherford Birchard Hayes was born on October 4, 1822, in Delaware, Ohio. He would become president after the nation’s most disputed election of the 19th century, then serve a single term shaped by Reconstruction’s end, civil-service reform, and difficult questions about money, immigration, and racial equality.

Clarence Coles Phillips was born on October 3, 1880, in Springfield, Ohio. Considered one of the leaders of the Golden Age of Illustration, he’s most well-known for his “fadeaway” girls, as pictured on his 2001 stamp.

On October 2, 1835, a dispute over a small cannon brought armed Texian settlers and Mexican soldiers into conflict near Gonzales. The brief Battle of Gonzales caused few casualties, but it marked the open break that became the Texas Revolution.

On October 1, 1851, Hawaiʻi placed its first postage stamps on sale—tiny blue labels that are now among the world’s rarest and most sought-after stamps. Called the Hawaiian Missionaries, they were created to bring dependable postage to islands whose overseas mail had long traveled by chance.

On September 17, 1730, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was born in Magdeburg, Prussia, long before he became the drillmaster who brought order and consistency to the Continental Army at Valley Forge. His training methods did not win the American Revolution by themselves, but they gave inexperienced troops a clearer system for fighting, marching, camping, and working as an army.

On September 7, 1813, a newspaper referred to the United States as “Uncle Sam.” The name reportedly came from Troy, New York’s Uncle Sam Wilson, and has since become one of America’s most enduring national symbols.

On August 4, 1790, President George Washington passed a new Tariff Act that created the United States Revenue Cutter Service, the forerunner of the US Coast Guard. The Revenue Cutter Service was America’s only armed maritime service until the Navy was formed in 1798.

Born on August 1, 1779, in western Maryland, Francis Scott Key became forever linked to the flag he saw above Fort McHenry after a 25-hour British bombardment. That sight inspired the four-stanza poem that became “The Star-Spangled Banner,” though the song did not become the national anthem until 1931.

Robert Hutchings Goddard, often called the “Father of Modern Rocketry,” was born on October 5, 1882, in Worcester, Massachusetts. From an early age, Goddard showed a restless curiosity about the world around him, asking questions and performing experiments that hinted at the groundbreaking discoveries he would one day make.

America’s 21st president, Chester Alan Arthur was born October 5, 1829, in Fairfield, Vermont. He instituted major civil service reform, despite rising to prominence in part through the old patronage system.

On October 5, 1973, the USPS issued the first of three stamps in the Rural America Series, which honored different aspects of rural life in America.

On October 5, 1877, Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce surrendered to American forces just 40 miles from the safety of the Canadian border. Chief Joseph was famous for his war strategy, as well as his courage, honor, and the consideration he showed his enemies.