This Day In History

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.

On July 16, 1941, Joe DiMaggio extended his record-setting hitting streak to 56 straight games, a Major League mark that still stands. For more than two months, the New York Yankees center fielder had turned each trip to the plate into a national sports story.

Lyricist Dorothy Fields was born on July 15, 1904, in Allenhurst, New Jersey. She wrote more than 400 songs for Broadway and film, including “The Way You Look Tonight” and “On the Sunny Side of the Street.”

On July 10, 1943, the Allies launched Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, with troops dropping from the sky and ships crowding the coast. The attack opened the road to mainland Italy, but it also showed how hard the next stage of the war would be.

Staff Sergeant Esther McGowin Blake raised her right hand in the very first minute women were allowed to join the US Air Force on July 8, 1948. Her enlistment did not make the Air Force equal overnight, but it marked a clear first step toward a permanent place for women in the nation’s newest military branch.

On July 7, 1942, the United States issued its first stamp with foreign characters as part of the design. The stamp honored China’s fight against Japan and used a small design detail to show a larger wartime friendship.

On June 26, 1945, 50 nations signed the United Nations Charter. After two world wars in less than 30 years, their goal was not to create a perfect world, but to build a place where nations could confront crises before they became another global war.

On July 19, 1996, the OLYMPHILEX stamp show opened in Atlanta, Georgia. The 1996 Olympic Games marked an important anniversary – 100 years since the start of the modern Olympic Games.

On July 19, 1980, the Summer Olympic Games opened in Moscow, Soviet Union.  They were the first Olympics to be held in Eastern Europe. The US was among 65 countries that boycotted the games, and the numerous stamps issued to commemorate the games were removed from sale until after the Olympics were finished.

Animator, inventor, and film director Max Fleischer was born in Kraków, Poland, on July 19, 1883. Fleischer patented several animation innovations and was behind popular cartoons such as Betty Boop, Popeye, and Superman, earning the nickname “The Dean of Animated Cartoons.”

On July 19, 1848, the Women’s Rights Convention, also known as the Seneca Falls Convention, opened in New York. The convention’s attendants issued a declaration calling for equal rights, including the right to vote.