On this day in 1776, Benedict Arnold prepares to take on the British. He is badly outgunned. His sailors are inexperienced. His ships are inferior. Naturally, he went anyway. After all, back then, he was still a good guy, fighting valiantly for the American cause! Arnold had no intention of letting George Washington’s army fall victim to the latest British plot: A fleet was being prepared to push through Lake Champlain toward the Hudson Valley, joining Howe’s forces near

On this day in 1787, an author writing under the pseudonym “Centinel” writes his first contribution to the anti-Federalist Papers. These papers argued against the new Constitution, then being considered for ratification by the states. Their authors were not working together in any type of organized fashion, as the writers of the pro-Constitution Federalist Papers were. This particular author, “Centinel,” was probably Samuel Bryan of Pennsylvania, although it is possible that

On this day in 1945, President Harry Truman awards the Medal of Honor to a Marine and a veteran of the Battle of Peleliu. Arthur “Bull” Jackson had singlehandedly taken out 12 enemy positions in about 90 minutes! Unsurprisingly, he’s been labeled “nothing less than a one-man Marine Corps” for his actions. Many World War II battles in the Pacific were bloody and hard-fought—and Peleliu was no exception. Americans had hoped to take the island in a matter of days. Instead, the

On this day in 1803, Samuel Adams passes away. Much could be said about this fiery Patriot, of course. “[He] has the most thourough Understanding,” his cousin John Adams once said, “of Liberty . . . as well as the most habitual, radical Love of it, of any of them.” That “radical love” of liberty shone especially bright in one incident, years before shots rang out at Lexington Green. Indeed, Sam Adams went toe-to-toe with the British that day—and won. Parliament had then

On this day in 1866, Bernard J. Cigrand is born. He is considered by many to be the Father of Flag Day. What would Cigrand think of modern-day refusals to salute the flag as our national anthem is sung? After all, those protests are pretty much the opposite of what he spent his entire life working towards. Cigrand was the youngest child of Nicholas and Susan Cigrand, immigrants from Luxembourg. The elder Cigrands loved their new country. “They instilled that love of the c

On this day in 1939, a football game is televised for the first time. The nation was not yet in the habit of playing the Star-Spangled Banner before such sporting events, but it soon would be. Did you ever wonder how and why we began playing the national anthem before football games? Technically, it all started with baseball. As early as 1862, the Star-Spangled Banner was played at an opening day game in New York. The song wasn’t yet the national anthem, but it was a much

At about this time in 1863, the “Mother of Thanksgiving” makes one more attempt to get her favorite holiday recognized nationwide. Five days later, Abraham Lincoln took action. But Thanksgiving was hardly Sarah Josepha Hale’s only claim to fame. She wore many hats during her lifetime. She was a writer and a poet. She raised money for the Bunker Hill Monument and helped save Mount Vernon. She was “Editress” of Godey’s Lady’s Book. She was a widow who raised five children. Sh

On this day in 1917, a future Medal of Honor recipient is born in Hawaii. Yet when America entered World War II, the Army initially didn’t even trust Yeiki Kobashigawa to keep his rifle. Kobashigawa had been working on a sugar plantation when he was drafted into the Army late in 1941. Just a few short weeks later, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. That attack made life difficult for all Japanese Americans, of course, but it created special difficulties for those who were

On this day in 1787, an author writing under the pseudonym “Cato” writes his first contribution to the anti-Federalist Papers. As a whole, these papers argued against the new Constitution, then being considered for ratification by the states. In this particular paper, however, Cato is still keeping an open mind about the Constitution. He urges his readers to do the same—but he also urges them to be very careful. The decision to ratify or not to ratify the Constitution will be

On this day in 1780, General George Washington receives an offer of help from a group of women in Maryland. Many of my history posts have to do with glorious moments in a battle or a specific brave act. Perhaps lost in the shuffle are the many ways in which ordinary citizens pitched in: Many, many Americans wanted their freedom!! Perhaps they didn’t always know how to help. But they jumped in and did whatever they could, when they could. In this instance, the First Lady of

On this day in 1999, a hero passes away. Medal of Honor recipient John R. Crews hadn’t wanted to talk about his experiences after World War II. “I didn’t care whether anyone knew,” he told a journalist from The Daily Oklahoman. “It was difficult to talk about. It just left such an emotional load.” He later changed his mind and began opening up. In the final years of his life, he made a point of attending Memorial Day ceremonies and other events honoring Medal recipients. He w

On this day in 1774, a largely forgotten American settles into a new job. It was one he would hold throughout the American Revolution. Schools don’t say much about Charles Thomson, but he was the perpetual secretary of Congress for nearly 15 years. His job was to do much of the unglamorous, behind-the-scenes work that made our Revolution possible. He resigned only when the Constitution was ratified and our new government established. Yet most Americans have no idea he exist

On this day in 1779, Navy legend John Paul Jones fights the Battle of Flamborough Head. He’d lost his biggest guns. His ship was flooding, and one of his own frigates was even shooting at him! Naturally, he won anyway. Jones was then commanding a squadron of ships in the North Sea, near the coast of Yorkshire. His flagship, the Continental Navy ship Bonhomme Richard, and a few others had been wreaking havoc, capturing British ships and threatening coastal towns. Trouble c

On this day in 1776, an American Patriot is executed by the British. Nathan Hale’s reported final words were brave and memorable. Maybe you’ve heard them? Hale declared: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Awesome! Brave. Hale was attempting to help George Washington’s army, then fighting a series of battles in and around New York. Americans had lost the Battle of Long Island in August 1776, but then they’d made a miraculous middle-of-the-night

On this day in 1777, George Washington’s army scrambles to recover from a most unusual military disaster: Its ammunition has been ruined by rain. Ironically, the same storm may have just saved the army from an even greater disaster. It had then been about a week since the Battle of Brandywine (see September 11 history post). Americans had lost that battle, but they’d put up a good fight against the better-trained British army. Morale was surprisingly high. Washington ex

On this day in 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention sign the Constitution. Perhaps you’ve heard what Benjamin Franklin did immediately afterwards? He’d been spotted by a Philadelphia matron as he emerged from that meeting. She was curious. What had delegates been doing behind closed doors? “Doctor,” she reportedly called out, “what have we got, a Republic or a Monarchy?” Franklin’s response was brief: “A Republic, if you can keep it.” The tale is simple, yet Frank

On this day in 1940, America creates its first peacetime military draft. Among the first Americans called to serve would be one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars: Jimmy Stewart. There was just one problem: The Army didn’t want him. Instead, Stewart flunked the physical exam because he was 10 pounds underweight. Stewart did not like that! Not one little bit. He promptly appealed the decision. His family had a history of military service, and he intended to serve. “It may so

On this day in 1952, an Air Force pilot uses his plane to do something it was never designed to do: push another jet through the sky. James Robinson “Robbie” Risner is legendary for his heroic leadership among POWs during Vietnam. But long before that, he was already making a name for himself in the skies over Korea. “Korea was probably the high point of my whole career as far as real gratification is concerned,” he would say. Indeed, Risner was an ace of the Korean War—a

On this day in 1970, a Special Forces medic concludes a four-day mission. Then-Sergeant Gary Michael “Mike” Rose had saved the lives of dozens of soldiers during his long ordeal. Rose had been participating in Operation Tailwind, a secret mission into Laos during the Vietnam War. Even after Rose came home from war, he wouldn’t speak of it for decades. The mission began on September 11, when Marine helicopters inserted a combined force of Americans and Montagnards deep int

On this day 25 years ago, terrorists attack our country. Many everyday Americans step forward, courageously working to help those around them. Some of their names have since become synonymous with the heroism of that day. But there were so many others who remain relatively unknown. The flight attendants aboard American Flight 11 were among these. Calm and professional in the midst of chaos, Betty Ong called American’s reservations center. “I think we’re being hijacked,” s