This Day In History

On July 17, 1987, the USPS issued its first joint issue with Morocco, commemorating 200 years of diplomatic relations.

On July 16, 1941, Joe DiMaggio extended his record-setting hitting streak to 56 straight games, a Major League mark that still stands. For more than two months, the New York Yankees center fielder had turned each trip to the plate into a national sports story.

Lyricist Dorothy Fields was born on July 15, 1904, in Allenhurst, New Jersey. She wrote more than 400 songs for Broadway and film, including “The Way You Look Tonight” and “On the Sunny Side of the Street.”

On July 14, 1853, President Franklin Pierce opened a glass-and-iron palace in New York City filled with machinery, art, and manufactured goods from around the world. The Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations became the first major world’s fair in the United States and tested whether New York could rival London as a center of industry and culture.

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 February 9, 1825, John Quincy Adams was elected president of the United States even though he had not won a majority of the electoral vote. The unusual outcome exposed deep political divisions and set the stage for one of the most contested elections in early American history.

Politician and diplomat Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin was born on January 29, 1761, in Geneva, Switzerland. His journey from European aristocrat to one of the most influential financial minds in US history is a story of ambition, intellect, and public service.

George Sewall Boutwell was born on January 28, 1818, in Brookline, Massachusetts, at a time when the young nation was still defining its political identity. Over the course of his long career, Boutwell became a key figure in state and federal government, shaping policy before, during, and after the Civil War.

On July 18, 1899, “rags to riches” author Horatio Alger died. He’s best known for his story Ragged Dick, about a boot shiner who rose to middle-class success.

Baseball player Ty Cobb got his 4,000th hit, a first in the sport’s history, on July 18, 1927. In all, he set about 90 records during his career, some of which still stand today.

On July 18, 1894, the post office issued the first US postage stamp printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). for the next 75 years, the BEP produced nearly all US stamps.

On July 18, 1979, the first National POW/MIA Recognition Day was observed. It’s a day to honor past and present POW/MIAs, rededicate efforts to bring them home, and care for the families still waiting on their return home.