On this day in 1929, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier is born. Americans would later come to know her by her married name, of course. Jackie Kennedy remains one of our nation’s most recognizable First Ladies, long admired for her grace and style. It’s easy to remember the glamour that surrounded Jackie and John Kennedy, but there was another side to their story, too. The couple wed while Kennedy was still just a Senator. The nation was fascinated by them, but life was not always so

On this day in 2013, one of America’s most highly decorated officers passes away at nearly 90 years old. George “Bud” Day served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He was a Marine, a soldier, and an Air Force pilot. He is also a recipient of the Medal of Honor, awarded for his bravery as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. When Day was captured, he was a 42-year-old Air Force Major and the commander of a squadron of F-100s known as the Misty forward air contr

On this day in 1944, United States Marines invade the island of Tinian, in the Pacific. By August 1, they would be in possession of the island. “In my opinion,” Admiral Raymond A. Spruance would say, “the Tinian operation was probably the most brilliantly conceived and executed amphibious operation in World War II.” It would prove vitally important, too. Tinian later became the base of operations for aircraft dropping nuclear bombs on Japan. Its relatively flat terrain made

During this month in 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention debate an important question: How should a President be elected? You’d be surprised by the great variety of crazy ideas they had. For starters, it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that we’d have only one President. We’d fought a Revolution so we could escape a tyrannical British King. Why would we now invest all Executive power in one man again? Perhaps it would it be better to disperse power. Can you imagi

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 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 denounced t

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

On this day 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, covering every

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 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: It was

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

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