On this day in 1776, John Adams writes his wife Abigail about an unusual assignment: He, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson had been asked to design a seal for the new United States. They’d been given the assignment just a few weeks earlier, on July 4. You may think of July 4 as the day that the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. That’s true, but Congress accomplished other things that day as well. For instance, Congress passed a resolutio

On this day in 1934, Alcatraz accepts its first official group of federal prisoners. That maximum security prison in the middle of San Francisco Bay would soon become the stuff of legends, earning a reputation as “The Rock” from which no prisoner could possibly escape. Did you know the facility was a military prison long before it was a civilian one? As early as the 1850s, the Army was constructing a fort on the island. It soon began using Alcatraz as a military prison, b

On or around this day in 1831, a sea captain from Massachusetts names his American flag “Old Glory.” The name that Captain William Driver gave to his flag stuck. “Old Glory” is more than just a general nickname for our national banner. It is an actual flag, which can be found today at the Smithsonian Institution. The American flag pictured at sunset aboard USS Green Bay. The ship was then at White Beach Naval Base in Okinawa, Japan. Photo taken on on August 21,

On this day in 1927, President Calvin Coolidge speaks at a dedication ceremony for Mount Rushmore. Work would begin on that famous monument soon thereafter. What did Coolidge think the importance of the monument was? “On this towering wall of Rushmore, in the heart of the Black Hills,” Coolidge said, “is to be inscribed a memorial which will represent some of the outstanding features of four of our Presidents.” He thought it natural that the design would begin with George Was

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 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 1864, the stage is set for a change in American coinage. The country was then in the midst of the Civil War. Times were difficult, and some had been calling for a way to boost morale. Do you know the story of the 1864 two-cent coin? It was the first time that “In God We Trust” appeared on American money. The groundwork had been laid much earlier, in 1861. The Treasury Secretary, Salmon P. Chase, was then receiving appeals to recognize God on coins. Most fam

On this day in 1982, a groundbreaking ceremony is held for a new national memorial. Its design would spark debate—but it would also soon become one of the most powerful places of remembrance in America. Indeed, over the course of the past several decades, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., has become a place of reverence and healing for many. The Memorial might never have existed but for Jan C. Scruggs, a Vietnam War veteran. The years after the war were

On or around this day in 1845, Johnny Appleseed passes away in Indiana. Of course, that wasn’t his real name. Johnny Appleseed’s real name was John Chapman. Chapman was born in the years immediately before the American Revolution. Many details of his early life are sketchy, but we do know that his father served at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He may have been apprenticed to an orchardist and nurseryman, but no one is sure. As a young adult, he decided to take advantage of an op

On this day in 1931, a song Americans had been singing for generations becomes the national anthem. Perhaps you know that The Star-Spangled Banner has its roots in the War of 1812, but do you know what happened after that? Francis Scott Key wrote the song in the wake of the Battle of Baltimore, which had raged before his very eyes in September 1814. “It seemed as though mother earth had opened and was vomiting shot and shell in a sheet of fire and brimstone,” he later wrot

On this day in 1794, George Washington signs an act redesigning the United States flag. His signature increased the number of stripes on our national banner from thirteen to fifteen. Did you know that the Star-Spangled Banner had 15 stripes for more than two decades? Indeed, our flag has a long history that many do not know. During the American Revolution, a wide variety of flags were used. Sometimes soldiers brought flags affiliated with their state or region and used th

On this day in 1854, the man who was the probable inspiration for Uncle Sam passes away during a cholera epidemic. Did you know that...

On this day in 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a law making “In God We Trust” the national motto. His action came just two...

On or around this day in 1816, America’s first circus elephant, “Old Bet,” is tragically killed. The details of her passing are disputed....

On this day in 1971, Memorial Day is observed on a new date. If you don’t know much about the history of this weekend’s holiday, then you...

On this day in 1861, the U.S. Army occupies General Robert E. Lee’s property at Arlington. The move would ultimately lead to the creation...

On this day in 1754, Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette publishes a political cartoon that you might recognize. It depicted a...

On this day in 1908, an illuminated ball completes its drop in Times Square, signaling the beginning of New Year’s Day. Such a ball had...

On this day in 1954, the United States Marine Corps celebrates its birthday—and it dedicates a new War Memorial. That Memorial is easily...

On this day in 1814, the British begin bombarding Fort McHenry. Famously, a young lawyer named Francis Scott Key watched the battle from...