This Day In History

Ogden Nash was born on August 19, 1902, in Rye, New York.  Having written over 500 poems during his life, Nash is considered America’s best-known humorous poet.  

On August 18, 1587, Virginia Dare was born on Roanoke Island in present-day North Carolina, becoming the first English child known to have been born in North America. Just three years later, her grandfather returned to find Virginia, her parents, and the other colonists gone, creating the mystery now known as the Lost Colony of Roanoke.

David “Davy” Crockett was born on August 17, 1786 in Greene County, North Carolina (though it is now part of Tennessee). Dubbed the King of the Wild Frontier, Crockett was a folk hero, politician, frontiersman, and soldier.

On August 16, 1777, American troops won the Battle of Bennington—even though most of the fighting took place across the border near Walloomsac, New York. The victory denied British General John Burgoyne badly needed supplies and cost his army hundreds of men at a critical point in the Saratoga campaign.

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 June 25, 1876, Civil War veteran George A. Custer died at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The battle became one of the most famous defeats in US Army history, but its deeper story was about land, broken promises, and Native nations fighting to protect their way of life.

On June 23, 2004, the USPS issued the first stamps in its Art of Disney Series. The USPS worked with Disney artists to create this whimsical series of stamps, with each year featuring a different theme.

Daniel “Uncle Dan” Beard was born on June 21, 1850, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His childhood adventures along the rivers and woods of Kentucky later helped shape the activities and ideals of the Boy Scouts of America.

Stepping up to bat in the first inning with the bases loaded, Lou Gehrig hit the 23rd grand slam of his career on August 20, 1938. The Yankees’ “Iron Horse,” his record went unbroken for 75 years.

On August 20, 1794, General “Mad Anthony” Wayne led American troops to victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The win enabled the Treaty of Greenville and the US acquisition of the Ohio Territory.

Benjamin Harrison was born in North Bend, Ohio, on August 20, 1833. America’s 23rd president, he was also a Civil War veteran and lawyer.

On August 20, 1992, Computer Vended Postage stamps were first made available for sale in five test cities.