On May 16, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson officially created the White Mountain National Forest, which resides mostly in New Hampshire (with about 5% of the forest in Maine). It’s the only national forest located in either state or the most eastern national forest in the country.
On May 15, 1918, America’s airmail service began when two Curtiss Jennys departed New York and Washington, DC. In the months that followed, pioneering aviators expanded airmail service over the treacherous Allegheny Mountains to Chicago and eventually the west coast.
On May 14, 1935, US and Cuban pilots flew the first international airmail sky train. Inspired by locomotives hauling wagons, this air train consisted of a motored airplane pulling two gliders.
Inventor and businessman Cyrus McCormick died on May 13, 1884, in Chicago, Illinois. He’s best known for his mechanical reaper, which increased productivity, and advanced the industrialization of agriculture in dozens of nations.
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born on May 12, 1907 in Hartford, Connecticut. One of Hollywood’s leading ladies with a career that spanned six decades, she holds the record for the most Best Actress Academy Awards.
On May 11, 1910, an act of Congress officially created Glacier National Park in Montana. America’s 10th national park, its been called the “Crown of Continent.”
On May 10, 1908, the first official Mother’s Day celebration was held in Grafton, West Virginia.
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.
President Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri on May 8, 1884. America’s 33rd president, he led America through the final months of WWII and the early years of the Cold War.