This Day In History

On May 8, 1945, Americans celebrated Germany’s defeat with the first Victory in Europe Day.

On May 7, 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed the British ocean liner Lusitania off the coast of Ireland. The ship sank in about 18 minutes, killing nearly 1,200 people and pushing the United States closer to World War I.

On May 6, 1937, the Hindenburg caught fire while preparing to land in Lakehurst, New Jersey, and was destroyed in less than a minute. The disaster killed 35 people aboard the airship and one worker on the ground, ending a famous chapter in passenger airship travel.

On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to travel into space when he launched aboard Freedom 7. The brief suborbital flight lasted just over 15 minutes, but it marked a turning point in the United States’ early space efforts.

On May 2, 1952, the world’s first commercial jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet 1, began its maiden airline service from London to Johannesburg. The flight opened a new chapter in passenger travel, showing that jet power could move paying customers faster and higher than piston-engine airliners. Commercial aviation entered the jet age.

On April 28, 1971, a major new federal law took effect that changed how workplace safety was enforced in the United States. That date is now observed as Workers’ Memorial Day, a time to remember those lost at work and to renew the effort to prevent future tragedies.

On April 22, 1993, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum opened in Washington, DC — a building so deliberately unsettling in its design that its…

On April 21, 1926, at 2:40 in the morning, a baby girl was born at 17 Bruton Street in London’s upscale Mayfair neighborhood — and almost no one expected her to ever wear a crown. That child, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, would go on to become the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

On May 9, 1936, the Third International Philatelic Exhibition (TIPEX) opened at Grand Central Palace in New York City. The exhibition included the issue of a four-stamp souvenir sheet, a visit from he Hindenburg, and more. 

James Matthew Barrie was born on May 9, 1860, in Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland. His most famous work was Peter Pan, which was turned into an animated film in 1953.

On May 9, 1939, the Philatelic Truck departed the White House on a cross-country journey to introduce thousands of Americans to the exciting world of stamps.

On May 9, 1918, the US War Department created the Military Postal Express Service (MPES) to handle military mail in Europe during World War I.  It was the first postal system in the world to be created by an Army.