On June 18, 1855, the first ship passed through the Soo Locks, located on the St. Mary’s River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Today there are four locks, and an average of 10,000 ships pass through them each year.
On June 17, 1844, Boyd’s City Express Post opened in New York City, offering residents a faster alternative for sending letters across the growing metropolis. Despite decades of government efforts to restrict private mail services, Boyd’s continued making deliveries for more than 40 years.
On June 16, 1963, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. The 26-year-old former textile worker circled Earth 48 times during a demanding solo flight that lasted nearly three days.
On June 15, 1864, Ulysses S. Grant launched the Siege of Petersburg. The long struggle that followed stretched Union and Confederate forces across miles of trenches and helped decide the final months of the Civil War.
On June 14, 1846, California settlers staged the Bear Flag Revolt in rebellion against the Mexican government. Their handmade flag, painted with a grizzly bear and a single star, gave the short-lived California Republic its symbol and later inspired the state flag still used today.
On June 5, 1883, the Orient Express made its first trip from Paris to Vienna. It quickly earned a reputation as the world’s most luxurious train.
On May 6, 1937, the Hindenburg caught fire while preparing to land in Lakehurst, New Jersey, and was destroyed in less than a minute. The disaster killed 35 people aboard the airship and one worker on the ground, ending a famous chapter in passenger airship travel.
On May 2, 1952, the world’s first commercial jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet 1, began its maiden airline service from London to Johannesburg. The flight opened a new chapter in passenger travel, showing that jet power could move paying customers faster and higher than piston-engine airliners. Commercial aviation entered the jet age.
On April 12, 1862, a group of Union sympathizers stole a Confederate train, setting off a high-speed pursuit that lasted nearly eight hours. The event, later known as the Great Locomotive Chase, unfolded along a single rail line but revealed just how critical transportation had become in the Civil War.
On June 18, 1682, William Penn established Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It would quickly grow into a major city because of Penn’s vision.
On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. She was the third woman overall, after Soviet cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova and Svetlana Savitskaya.
Just 29 years after gaining independence, the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world by declaring war on June 18, 1812, in what would become America’s “Second War of Independence.”
Noted artist and illustrator James Montgomery Flagg was born on June 18, 1877, in Pelham Manor, New York. He painted dozens of memorable posters, book covers, magazine covers, and more, with the most notable being his interpretation of Uncle Sam.
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