Women in Military Service for America Memorial
On October 18, 1997, the Women in Military Service for America Memorial (WIMSA) was officially dedicated in Arlington County, Virginia. This stamp was issued at the memorial’s dedication ceremony.
This Day in History
Birth of George Polk
Journalist George Polk was born on October 17, 1913, in Fort Worth, Texas. He served as a Navy pilot during World War II before losing his life reporting on the Greek Civil War in 1948.
National Defense Issue
On October 16, 1940, the US Post Office Department issued a set of three stamps to raise support for a strong national defense. Conceived and designed by President Roosevelt, more than 19 billion stamps were sold, more than any other US stamp series up to that time.
Death of General Thaddeus Kosciuszko
On October 15, 1817, Polish-Lithuanian General Thaddeus Kosciuszko died in Solothurn, Switzerland. Kosciuszko fought and brought extensive engineering knowledge to the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Birth of President Eisenhower
Dwight Eisenhower was born October 14, 1890, in Denison, Texas. After serving as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in WWII, he was elected America’s 34th president.
Birth of Molly Pitcher
On October 13, 1754, one of the women that inspired the nickname, “Molly Pitcher,” was born near Trenton, New Jersey. She took over her husband’s artillery when he was injured and was later made a noncommissioned officer.
Start of the America Series
On October 12, 1989, the USPS issued the first stamp in the America Series. The stamp series was a collaboration between the 24 Western Hemisphere countries in the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain (PUAS).
Battle of Valcour Island
On October 11, 1776, the Continental Navy participated in one of its first naval battles of the Revolutionary War at Valcour Bay. While they were forced to retreat, they succeeded in delaying British plans for the upper Hudson River valley.
US Naval Academy Opened
Decades after America’s first ships took to the oceans to defend its interests, the US Naval Academy was opened on October 10, 1845. USNA graduates have participated in every major US conflict since the Mexican-American War.