On July 10, 1943, the Allies launched Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, with troops dropping from the sky and ships crowding the coast. The attack opened the road to mainland Italy, but it also showed how hard the next stage of the war would be.
On July 9, 1850, President Zachary Taylor died just 16 months after taking office. His sudden death ended the presidency of a career soldier who had won national fame on the battlefield, then faced one of the most dangerous political crises in the nation’s history.
Staff Sergeant Esther McGowin Blake raised her right hand in the very first minute women were allowed to join the US Air Force on July 8, 1948. Her enlistment did not make the Air Force equal overnight, but it marked a clear first step toward a permanent place for women in the nation’s newest military branch.
On July 7, 1942, the United States issued its first stamp with foreign characters as part of the design. The stamp honored China’s fight against Japan and used a small design detail to show a larger wartime friendship.
On July 6, 1777, British forces re-took Fort Ticonderoga, two years after Americans had captured it in a surprise attack. The victory seemed important at first, but it soon became one step in a campaign that ended in disaster for Britain at Saratoga.
Staff Sergeant Esther McGowin Blake raised her right hand in the very first minute women were allowed to join the US Air Force on July 8, 1948. Her enlistment did not make the Air Force equal overnight, but it marked a clear first step toward a permanent place for women in the nation’s newest military branch.
On July 7, 1942, the United States issued its first stamp with foreign characters as part of the design. The stamp honored China’s fight against Japan and used a small design detail to show a larger wartime friendship.
On June 26, 1945, 50 nations signed the United Nations Charter. After two world wars in less than 30 years, their goal was not to create a perfect world, but to build a place where nations could confront crises before they became another global war.
On June 19, 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt signed legislation creating the National Archives. The archives houses billions of historic documents, photographs, maps, videos, and more.
Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, in Smiljan, Austrian Empire (present-day Croatia). A brilliant inventor, engineer, and physicist, his experiments and research changed the world.
On July 10, 1890, Wyoming was accepted as America’s 44th state. Per its state constitution, it was the first state to give women the right to vote.
James Abbott McNeill Whistler was born on July 10, 1834, in Lowell, Massachusetts. A celebrated American artist, he’s best known for his painting many call “Whistler’s Mother.”
Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. was born on July 10, 1943, in Richmond, Virginia. Ashe was the first and only African American man ranked as the world’s #1 tennis player, with over 800 career wins, including three Grand Slam singles titles.
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