Post Office Born: Franklin Leads America's Mail
George Washington signed the Postal Service Act into law on February 20, 1792, creating a federal department that connected a fractured nation through a unified mail system. This foundation allowed the agency to evolve from a simple Post Office into a Cabinet-level entity under John McLean's leadership and later Andrew Jackson's cabinet inclusion, before Nixon's 1970 act finally reorganized it into the independent Postal Service we know today.
July 26, 1775
251 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on July 26
The Battle of Siffin erupted between Ali and Muawiya, resulting in a stalemate that deepened the rift within the early Muslim community. This conflict created c…
Ninety thousand Muslims faced each other across the Euphrates near Siffin, cousin against cousin. Ali ibn Abu Talib, the Prophet's son-in-law and fourth caliph,…
Khan Krum turned Nikephoros I's skull into a drinking cup lined with silver. The Byzantine emperor had ignored warnings, pushed 80,000 troops deep into Bulgaria…
Muslim forces under the Emirate of Córdoba crushed a coalition of Christian troops from Navarre and Léon at the Battle of Valdejunquera. This decisive victory r…
Afonso Henriques commanded maybe 1,000 men against Ali ibn Yusuf's force—sources claim anywhere from 5,000 to 200,000 Almoravid fighters, though medieval chroni…
A medieval banquet hall at Henry VI's Hoftag suddenly collapsed on July 26, 1184, sending dozens of gathered nobles plunging into open sewage pits below. The tr…
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