This Day In History

On February 3, 1990, the US Postal Service issued a small, colorful stamp that marked a quiet shift in how everyday American mail could look. That Beach Umbrella stamp became the first release in the short-lived but distinctive Mini-Scapes Series.

On February 2, 1914, a little-known British stage performer appeared on screen for the first time, launching one of the most influential careers in film history. That debut film marked the moment Charlie Chaplin stepped into motion pictures and began reshaping comedy, storytelling, and cinema itself.

On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry, killing all seven astronauts on board. The disaster stunned the nation and forced NASA to confront hard truths about risk, decision-making, and the future of human spaceflight.

On January 31, 1835, William Charles Lunalilo was born in Honolulu, a future ruler whose path to the throne would be decided by the people…

Born on January 19, 1918, in Arkansas City, Arkansas, John Harold Johnson rose from poverty and segregation to become one of the most influential publishers in American history. With vision and determination, he built a media empire that reshaped how African Americans saw themselves—and how the nation saw them.

Statesman Everett McKinley Dirksen was born on January 4, 1896, in Pekin, Illinois. He later emerged as a central figure in shaping bipartisan legislation in the US Senate.

On December 26, 1972, America’s 33rd president, Harry S. Truman, died, closing the chapter on a leader who had guided the nation through the final days of World War II and the uncertain dawn of the Cold War. Plainspoken and decisive, Truman rose from humble beginnings to make some of the most consequential choices in US history—decisions that reshaped America’s role on the world stage and still spark debate today.

Nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln first declared enslaved people in the Confederacy free, the United States finally took the decisive step that ended slavery everywhere in the country. With the ratification of the 13th Amendment on December 6, 1865, the country closed the door on a system that had shaped—and scarred—America since its earliest days. Getting there, however, required a long, bitter, and politically complicated struggle that stretched across the final years of the Civil War.

John Marshall began his 34-year career as chief justice of the Supreme Court on February 4, 1801. During that time, Marshall participated in more than 1,000 decisions and authored more than 500 opinions.

Aviation pioneer Charles Augustus Lindbergh was born on February 4, 1902, in Detroit, Michigan. He was the first person to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean and helped to promote and expand aviation and airmail.

Mark Hopkins was born on February 4, 1802, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He was the youngest college president in the US and produced many influential writings on religion, education, morality, and more.

The third Winter Olympic Games open in Lake Placid, New York. They were the first games held in the US and showed the world that the US could host the games as well as European nations.