This Day In History

On August 20, 2005, the USPS issued the first stamps in a nostalgic series honoring classic American cars. Over the next 17 years, America on the Move would celebrate four distinct groups of vehicles, from sleek 1950s sports cars to the pony cars that became symbols of youthful performance.

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 July 20, 1969, the US effectively won the Space Race when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Eagle lunar module on the Moon’s surface.

On July 11, 1996, the USPS issued four stamps honoring larger-than-life American Folk Heroes. The colorful set celebrated a mighty baseball slugger, a giant lumberjack, a legendary steel driver, and the wildest cowboy in the West.

On June 27, 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo departed New Spain (present-day Mexico) in search of a water route between the Atlantic and Pacific. He’s considered to be the first European to travel the California coast and many spots in that state are named in his honor.

On June 1, 1792, Kentucky became America’s 15th state and the first state west of the Appalachian Mountains. Its admission marked a new stage in the nation’s growth, as settlers pushed through mountain passes into a region long valued for its rivers, forests, wildlife, and rich farmland.

On August 21, 1959, America became the 50-state country we know today with the addition of Hawaii. Hawaii’s path to becoming the 50th state was long, complicated, and sometimes controversial.

William James “Count” Basie was born on August 21, 1904, in Red Bank, New Jersey. One of America’s most notable Big Band leaders, he earned nine Grammy awards and made a permanent mark on American music.

On August 21, 1878, the American Bar Association (ABA) was formed in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is to serve as a national representative of the legal profession, promote justice, professional excellence, and respect for the law. 

On August 21, 1858, Abraham Lincoln participated in the first of seven debates against Stephen Douglas.  Part of a race for an Illinois seat in the US Senate, they became known as the Lincoln-Douglas Debates or the Great Debates of 1858.