This Day In History

On June 10, 2005, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) printed its last US stamp. The Bureau first began printing US postage stamps in 1894 and for 75 years, printed nearly all US stamps.

On June 9, 1973, Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes race, becoming the first US Triple Crown winner in 25 years.

On June 8, 1997, the ninth US stamp show came to an end. Pacific ’97 was the first IPEX (International Philatelic Exhibition) held on the West Coast.

On June 7, 2002, the USPS issued the Heroes of 2001 Semipostal stamp to honor emergency workers who responded to the September 11 attacks. The stamp turned ordinary mail into a small act of support for families who had lost loved ones or whose loved ones had been permanently disabled in the line of duty.

On August 19, 1812, the USS Constitution dueled with the British HMS Guerriere and reigned victorious. During the fighting, one sailor noted that the British cannonballs simply bounced off the Constitution’s oak hull, proclaiming it was “made of iron.” This earned the ship its famous nickname – “Old Ironsides.”

On September 28, 1891, author Herman Melville died in his New York City home. While it was a moderate success during his lifetime, Melvile’s novel Moby-Dick is now considered a masterpiece of American literature.

On September 25, 1909, the Hudson-Fulton Celebration opened in New York and New Jersey. The celebration marked the 300th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the Hudson River as well as the 100th anniversary of Robert Fulton’s first successful commercial paddle steamship.

On April 12, 1792, Montauk Point Light was authorized by President George Washington.  It was the first lighthouse built in the state of New York and one of the first public works projects of the United States.

On June 11, 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered a television and radio address calling for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

On June 11, 1897, the US Railway Mail Service mascot, Owney the Postal Dog, died in Toledo, Ohio. He rode the rails with the mail for nearly 10 years and even took steamships to Europe and Asia, earning international fame!

Vincent Thomas Lombardi was born on June 11, 1913, in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York. One of the most successful coaches in NFL history, the Super Bowl trophy is named in his honor.

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park was established on June 11, 1940, along the Kentucky-Virginia border. The park preserves and honors the “first great gateway to the West.”