This Day In History

On January 1, 1856, the United States Post Office made a change that permanently transformed how Americans sent mail. Beginning on that date, all domestic letters were required to be prepaid using postage stamps. Although the Post Office had first begun selling stamps on July 1, 1847, their use had remained optional for nearly ten years. By making stamps compulsory, the federal government created a more efficient, reliable, and modern postal system suited to a rapidly growing nation.

On December 31, 1862, the Battle of Stones River (also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro) began in Middle Tennessee. What followed would become one of the bloodiest and most hard-fought clashes of the Civil War, with the fate of the region hanging in the balance.

On December 30, 1963, just weeks after the nation was shaken by the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Congress passed a bill approving the creation of a new half dollar coin bearing his likeness. This decision came a full ten years before a redesign of the half dollar was legally required, showing how strong the desire was to honor the fallen president as quickly as possible.

On December 29, 1851, Thomas V. Sullivan helped establish America’s first Young Men’s Christian Association, or YMCA, in Boston. What began as a small effort to guide and support young men soon grew into one of the most influential community organizations in the world. The YMCA’s early history reflects the challenges of rapid industrial growth and the desire to provide safe, healthy alternatives for people facing difficult urban conditions.

Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm was born on November 30, 1924, in New York City. The first Black woman elected to Congress and the first Black woman to seek a major party’s presidential nomination, Chisholm built her career on courage, independence, and a fearless commitment to justice.

Dr. William Boyd Allison Davis, born on October 14, 1902, in Washington, DC, was a scholar who devoted his life to breaking down the barriers of race, class, and inequality in education. At a time when few African Americans were given a platform in the nation’s top universities, Davis used his voice and intellect to challenge the systems that defined how—and for whom—education worked in America. His pioneering research changed the way educators and policymakers viewed learning, fairness, and opportunity.

Fannie Lou Hamer was born on October 6, 1917, in Montgomery County, Mississippi. The youngest of 20 children in a family of sharecroppers, Hamer grew up in poverty but would later rise to become one of the most important voices of the civil rights movement. With her powerful speeches, unshakable courage, and belief in equality, she helped transform the struggle for voting rights in the United States.

On July 14, 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt committed $30,000 toward a monument to botanist and inventor George Washington Carver.

On January 2, 1952, the US Post Office Department issued a commemorative stamp honoring Betsy Ross, one day after her 200th birthday. The stamp pictures Ross presenting the flag to George Washington and the Flag Committee.

On January 2, 1949, Luis Muñoz Marín became Puerto Rico’s first independently-elected governor. The stamp issued to celebrate the even includes this, his inauguration date.

On January 2, 1788, Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the US Constitution, making it our fourth state.

Jazz pianist and composer Erroll Garner died on January 2, 1977, in Los Angeles, California. He’s been called “one of the most distinctive of all pianists” and a “brilliant virtuoso.”