On July 13, 1584, the first of three Roanoke voyages arrived in present-day North Carolina. These were attempts to establish the first permanent English settlement in North America. While the settlement saw the first English child born in America, all of the settlers disappeared and their fate is still unknown today.
On July 12, 1922, the US Post Office Department issued its first stamp with an announced first day of issue. Prior to this event, the Post Office Department didn’t usually designate specific dates for the issue of new stamps.
William Howard Taft always dreamed of being a Supreme Court justice. After a term as president, the time was finally right for Taft to take his dream job – on July 11, 1921.
Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, in Smiljan, Austrian Empire (present-day Croatia). A brilliant inventor, engineer, and physicist, his experiments and research changed the world.
On July 9, 1863, Confederate forces surrendered Port Hudson, Louisiana, ending a 48-day siege. The longest siege in American history, the victory returned control of the Mississippi River to the Union.
Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin was born on July 8, 1838, in Konstanz, Grand Duchy of Baden (now part of Germany). He developed the airships that bear his name and would later travel the world.
On July 7, 1898, President William McKinley signed legislation annexing Hawaii, paving the way for it to become a US state.
On July 6, 1894, a San Francisco businessman operated a short-lived bicycle mail route in San Francisco, complete with his own stamps.
On July 5, 1950, US forces had their first fight of the Korean War at the Battle of Osan.