On this day in 1951, the first “Engineeress” in the Coast Guard passes away. Myrtle Hazard was the first woman to serve in the Coast Guard—and the only woman to serve during World War I. It was perhaps an unexpected path for the young mother to take? When the United States entered World War I, Myrtle was living in Baltimore with her husband, parents, and three-year-old son. She saw an ad for the Y.M.C.A.’s Wireless and Commercial Telegraphy School. The ads promised “Goo

On this day in 1908, a new chapter begins for the United States Navy as a new Nurse Corps is authorized. Twenty pioneering women would soon be selected as the Corps’ first nurses. Together, they came to be known as the “Sacred Twenty.” The idea of Navy nurses had been slow to take hold. “The strongest resistance came from within the Navy itself,” historian Susan H. Godson explains. “Many older senior medical officers had never worked with women nurses . . . . They could o

On this day in 1915, American newspapers report startling news: A passenger liner, the RMS Lusitania, had been torpedoed by a German U-boat. Some of the casualties were American. Were the Germans trying to goad America into joining World War I? Why were ammunition and war supplies in the ship’s cargo in the first place? Did the British secretly want Americans pushed out of their neutrality? Or was the tragedy simply the result of bad timing? British naval operations may hav

On this day in 1915, the RMS Lusitania is torpedoed by a German U-boat. Shockingly, Lusitania sank in only 18 minutes! Nearly 1,200 people, including 128 Americans, were killed. How could a civilian passenger ship become a casualty of war? Americans were outraged. Indeed, the tragedy was one domino that fell, eventually prompting the United States to enter World War I. In retrospect, it seems obvious that more precautions should have been taken. Mere hours before Lusitani

On this day in 1918, USS Cyclops departs from Barbados, headed for Baltimore. She is never seen again. Her disappearance is among those adding to the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle—although that term did not then exist. “Only God and the sea know what happened to the great ship,” Woodrow Wilson said at the time. Cyclops was a Proteus-class collier designed to carry coal. She transported troops and supplies for the United States during World War I, but her service remain

On this day in 1918, a United States Army Air Service pilot engages in an action that would earn him a Distinguished Service Cross. William “Bill” Vail was then flying a Spad fighter plane over the skies of France. His action was one of the final aerial battles of World War I. What must it have been like for those early pilots, flying in open-air biplanes, even as they fought off German fighters? First Lt. Vail was on patrol with another pilot that day. He and Lt. Josia

This day in 1918, then-Corporal Alvin York distinguishes himself for bravery in a battle near Chatel-Chehery, France. The one-time...

On this day in 1918, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. September 29 also happened to be Milo Lemert’s...

On this day in 1918, the Meuse-Argonne offensive of World War I begins. Allied forces were determined to push the Germans out of France...

On or around this day in 1916, a mixed-breed terrier is born. The little dog would go on to become an American war hero—and the U.S. 1st...

On this day in 1918, Lt. Douglas Campbell becomes the first all-American flying ace. Despite this feat and despite his service with...

On this day in 1918, Americans launch an attack at Cantigny, France. That World War I conflict is notable, in part, because it marked an...

At about this time in 1919, a hero receives the Medal of Honor. Actually, he didn’t earn just one Medal, he earned two for the same...

On this day in 1918, a member of the United States military, wearing an American uniform and acting under American colors, scores an...

On this day in 1901, Frank Woodruff Buckles is born. He became best known for his longevity: He was the last living American veteran of...

On this day in 1941, a heroine passes away. Lenah Higbee is best known as the first woman to receive the Navy Cross; it was awarded for...

On this day in 1943, a hero passes away. Patrick J. Regan received a Medal of Honor for his bravery in World War I, yet his name has been...

On this day in 1918, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Thomas Neibaur was the first Latter Day Saint to...

On this day in 1927, the United States Marine Corps adopts a mascot: the English bulldog. Did you ever wonder why Marines are sometimes...

On this day in 1919, a heroine leaves the Army Nurse Corps and returns to private life. Helen Grace McClelland was one of just three...