On this day in 1893, a professor stands atop Pikes Peak in Colorado. She is struck by the beauty around her and is inspired to write a poem. Her poem is later set to music. Today, we all know that song as “America the Beautiful.” It nearly became America’s national anthem. The professor was Katharine Lee Bates, daughter of a minister and teacher. Her father unfortunately passed away when she was young, but her mother managed to send Bates to Wellesley College anyway. Bates la

On this day in 1789, a signer of the Declaration of Independence writes a letter to John Adams. The letter sounds harsh to modern ears. And yet it makes perfect sense. “A simple democracy,” Benjamin Rush wrote, “or an unbalanced republic, is one of the greatest of evils.” Wait. Democracy . . . . evil?! What on earth could he mean? Simple. Our Founders knew that, as a matter of history, simple democracies tend to implode. Naturally, they wanted to avoid such a catastrophe. Per

At about this time in 1940, a boy is born in Connecticut. Harvey “Barney” Barnum would one day find himself in the middle of a desperate Vietnam battle. His courage that day would ultimately earn him the Medal of Honor—but first, he had to become a Marine. Barnum might never have been a Marine at all but for an experience in high school. His school hosted a Marine recruiter during his senior year. Apparently, the students were so boisterous and rowdy that the recruiter deno

At about this time in 1987, a former Navy nurse passes away. Jane Louise “Candy” Kendeigh is best known for her service during World War II. She was the first Navy flight nurse to land in an active Pacific combat zone during World War II. She’d just been wrapping up nursing school when the Japanese attacked at Pearl Harbor. She was soon volunteering for the brand-new School of Air Evacuation, ultimately graduating with its first class. That training was no picnic, coverin

During this month in 1917, a soldier discovers a stray dog wandering around an athletic field at Yale University. That dog would go on to serve in World War I with his friend J. Robert Conroy, the new recruit who’d found him. Some claim that Sergeant Stubby was the “most decorated dog” in that war. Stubby was more than just a pet who occasionally cheered soldiers up. He was a member of a team. He saved lives; he assisted the wounded. He provided early alerts of incoming a

On this day in 1779, General “Mad Anthony” Wayne launches an attack in New York. He and his men would take back the fort at Stony Point, which had been lost to the British mere weeks earlier. George Washington himself had drafted the original plan of attack, then tasked Wayne with carrying it out. Washington’s plan exploited a flaw in the fortifications, and it called for the attack to be made in the middle of the night—an unusually difficult time to attack. But Washington

On this day in 1776, George Washington refuses to accept a letter from British Admiral Richard Howe. The admiral and his brother, General William Howe, were attempting to contact Washington without recognizing the legitimacy of his military title. Of course, what they really meant is that they did not accept the legitimacy of the American cause. Washington’s army was then on Long Island and in Manhattan, preparing to defend New York City from a British attack. In the meantime

On this day in 1944, a pilot receives the Medal of Honor. But for Nathan Gordon, fifteen American airmen would have lost their lives in the churning waters of the Bismarck Sea during World War II—assuming they weren’t captured by the Japanese first. Gordon’s heroism came as American forces were attacking a Japanese supply base in New Ireland. Gordon’s job was to circle in his PBY Catalina seaplane, waiting for calls to help downed airmen. Gordon receives the Medal from Admi

On this day in 1923, a young boy is born in Wisconsin. For decades, John Bradley was believed to be one of the men raising a flag on Iwo Jima in Joe Rosenthal’s iconic Marine photo. Bradley believed it, too. After all, he did help raise a flag that day. The photo made Bradley a household name, but perhaps he should be known for his heroism instead. Did you know Bradley earned a Navy Cross for his actions mere days before the famous flag raising? The young corpsman had

On this day in 1938, entrepreneurial aviator Howard Hughes makes final preparations for one of aviation’s boldest flights. Within hours, he would attempt to circle the globe in his twin-engine Lockheed 14 Super Electra. He wanted to set a record for speed, naturally, but he had another vision in mind, too. “Hughes planned to fly around the world in a sophisticated machine supported by an expert air and ground crew,” his biographers explain. “No longer should ocean hopping b

On this day in 1835, city bells toll as a funeral procession for Chief Justice John Marshall makes its way down Philadelphia streets. Some reports say that the Liberty Bell cracked on that day, although the story has never been proven. Marshall was one of the nation’s early Chief Justices, and his tenure established the Court as we think of it today. But do you know the rest of this Patriot’s story? The future Chief Justice Marshall grew up in Virginia, where George Washi

On this day in 1777, a series of skirmishes between British and American forces continue. At first, it seemed that British Lt. Gen. John Burgoyne might succeed in squashing the Patriots. Fortunately, Americans got the last laugh. Burgoyne was then on a campaign through New York. He’d entered America from Canada, moving toward Albany. He hoped British troops would join him from New York City, thus separating New England colonies from the South. He thought dividing the co

At about this time in 1944, a future Medal of Honor recipient is born. William “Pits” Pitsenbarger once tried to quit high school to join the Army. Instead, he finished high school, then joined the Air Force. He would go on to serve in Vietnam, completing hundreds of rescues as a pararescue medic. “He wanted to go where the action was,” his father would say. Airman 1st Class Pitsenbarger’s Medal action came on April 11, 1966. The day should have been relatively uneventful:

On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress adopts our Declaration of Independence. It had already resolved on July 2 that “these United Colonies are, and, of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States . . . .” Now it formally adopted a written document, too. It took nearly a month to write the Declaration. You may know that Thomas Jefferson was the primary author, but he had help, too. What is the rest of the story? On June 11, Congress nominated a “Committee of Five”

Happy 250th birthday, America! On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress declared America’s independence! Did you know that this vote actually occurred on July 2, not July 4? “That these United Colonies are,” congressional delegates resolved, “and, of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown . . . .” There would be no more attempts to reconcile with Great Britain. The Committee of Five as depicted in

On this day in 1898, Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders famously charge up San Juan Hill. Roosevelt’s bravery captures the public imagination, launching him into national prominence. “The charge itself was great fun,” he declared afterwards. “Oh, but we had a bully fight.” But how much of his legendary reputation was earned on the battlefield—and how much was created by an adoring media eager to make him one of the Spanish-American War’s most famous heroes? That co

On this day in 1972, a pilot faces an impossible choice: One path offers his best hope of survival. The other gives a fellow serviceman a fighting chance to live. Naturally, Captain Steven Bennett chose to help his fellow man. Perhaps his family would have expected nothing less. “He was a fine young fella,” Bennett’s uncle would later reminisce, “who came from a modest family and came up from moderate means. He worked his way through school. . . . He was a first-class citiz

At about this time in 1927, the United States Marine Corps adopts a mascot: the English bulldog. Did you ever wonder why Marines are sometimes called “Devil Dogs” and why their mascot is a bulldog? There’s more uncertainty surrounding the issue than you might think. As the story goes, the phrase “Devil Dogs” came into use after the World War I Battle of Belleau Wood. It’s said that Marines fought so ferociously that the Germans called them “Teufel Hunden” or “Devil Dogs.”

On this day in 1929, a project born from floods, ruined farms, and an accidental inland sea takes a major step forward. The Colorado River had long been a problem for Americans in the Southwest, but soon a dam—known today as “Hoover Dam”—would provide some relief. The project had been a long time coming. Roughly 25 years earlier, the Colorado River had flooded. There was so much water that an inland sea was accidentally created: the Salton Sea. Needless to say, farms in t

On this day in 1784, the first American “aviator” takes to the skies. Would you believe that this individual was none other than a 13-year-old boy? The young teenager made history when he climbed into a hot air balloon and floated into the sky—the first American ever to do so. But how did a 13-year-old boy come to be in that position? The Montgolfier balloon ascending in Paris (November 21, 1783) It all started because Americans were then fascinated by balloons. Late in 178