Amazing inventions and incredible creativity.
February 6, 1917
Just off the coast of Ireland a German submarine torpedoed and sank a U.S. steamer, The California; it was carrying 205 passengers. The damage was such that the ship sank within nine minutes; a total of 43 people died. This occurred three days after President Woodrow Wilson warned Germany that American interests at sea should not be assaulted. On April 6, 1917 the U.S. entered the war.
February 8, 1918
The U.S. resumed publication of “Stars and Stripes,” a military newsletter for Union soldiers started during the Civil War. It was published weekly from February 8, 1918 to June 13, 1919 and was distributed to American soldiers dispersed across the Western Front to keep them unified and informed about the war effort as well as to provide them with news from home. Publication was resumed again during World War II.
Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of America’s past.
These stories are about Americans—people just like you—who have made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around the site and find what inspires you.
Today, e-mail travels in a matter of moments, text messages arrive in real time, and almost all items sent through the U.S. Mail spend at least part of their time on an airplane. With our present day sensibility, it is hard to think back to a day when air travel for letters was a rarity–a special service promising speedy delivery and therefore worthy of an extra postal fee.
If you have ever stopped by the post office to buy a special type of stamp for a wedding invitation or a holiday card, then you have had the pleasure of admiring the various stamp designs that the U.S. Postal Service offers.
