On this day in 1945, a Navy chaplain engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Father Joseph T. O'Callahan was then stationed aboard USS Franklin , an aircraft carrier working just off the coast of Japan. Franklin and others were working to neutralize the Japanese kamikaze threat before the invasion of Okinawa on April 1. Trouble came early on March 19 when a Japanese Judy dive bomber dropped out of the clouds, mere yards in front of Franklin . Two semi-ar

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 71 is published. You may remember that the last paper outlined several ingredients needed for an energetic executive, and it addressed the first of these (“unity”—i.e. a single executive). Alexander Hamilton (a.k.a. “Publius”) now tackles the second: “duration.” How long should the President’s term be? Publius notes that the length of a President’s term affects two subjects: his “personal firmness” and the stability of policies enacte

On this day in 1967, the first female Marine assigned to duty in a combat zone lands overseas. Barbara Dulinsky had volunteered for the mission, despite its inherent dangers. It wasn’t just any combat zone, you see. MSgt. Dulinsky had volunteered to go to Vietnam. Dulinsky had then been serving in the Marine Corps for nearly two decades. She’d advanced steadily through the ranks until she was a Senior Drill Instructor for female Marines at Parris Island, South Carolina.

On this day in 2003, a Medal of Honor recipient passes away. Delbert O. Jennings had rescued 8 men from behind enemy lines in Vietnam—to say nothing of pulling his men through a 3-hour battle against the Viet Cong. “He was literally all over the place, pulling men out of trouble, prodding others, rallying any man he could touch,” Brig. Gen. S.L.A. Marshall wrote in a Medal recommendation for Jennings. The determined staff sergeant had done this while struggling against stomac

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 70 was published. Alexander Hamilton (a.k.a. “Publius”) begins a more detailed examination of the presidency. Some of you will really dislike the next few papers! Publius lays out the arguments for a strong executive. Maybe it will help to remember two things: (1) Generally speaking, when the Founders spoke of a strong executive or a strong government, they meant something different than what we would mean today. The founding generati

On this day in 1783, George Washington brings the so-called Newburgh Conspiracy to an end. The potential military coup had been festering for a while. At this juncture, the war was basically over, but a peace treaty between Britain and America had yet to be signed. As the soldiers waited, they grew restless. They had been paid only on an irregular basis throughout the war. They were ready to mutiny. On March 10, someone called for a meeting of soldiers. An anonymous letter ac

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 69 is published. Alexander Hamilton (a.k.a. “Publius”) begins his discussion of the “real characters of the proposed Executive.” Americans had just broken free from a tyrannical Monarch. The powers given to the American President would be among their chief concerns. Publius spends some time defending aspects of the presidency that now seem perfectly normal to us: We have ONE President, not two or three executives. The President is ele

On this day in 1978, George Washington is posthumously promoted. It had been more than two centuries since the American Revolution began. Washington’s new rank? General of the Armies of the United States. Washington’s promotion was retroactively dated to July 4, 1976, the bicentennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Today, the rank is the highest in the United States military, and it has been held by only one other officer, John Pershing (WWI). Even Pershing,

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 68 is published. Alexander Hamilton (a.k.a. “Publius”) defends the Constitution’s unique presidential election process. The Electoral College was fairly uncontroversial during the ratification debates. What has changed since then? I would argue that our needs have not changed. We still need a President that can represent and serve a great, diverse nation, and the Electoral College still serves us well in that regard. However, somethi

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 1788, Federalist Paper No. 67 is published. Alexander Hamilton (a.k.a. “Publius”) turns his attention to the constitutional provisions made for the President. Publius feels compelled to immediately address the presidential power to make recess appointments during Senate vacancies. Kind of interesting, isn’t it? If he were going sequentially, he would have addressed presidential election first and gotten to this issue of recess appointments later. But people at

On or around this day in 1944, the so-called “roughnecks of Sherwood Forest” return home. They’d just finished a year-long, secret mission: They’d been drilling oil in England. When they returned, there was no fanfare. Most people didn’t know what they’d done, yet victory in World War II might have been impossible without them. It all began with the German U-boats: They were sinking too many oil tankers early in the war. Making matters worse, the Luftwaffe was destroyin

On this day in 1968, a hero engages in an action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Jack Howard Jacobs was a self-described “city kid” from Brooklyn who never expected to become a military hero. He was, however, the son of a World War II veteran, and he knew the importance of service. He signed up for the Army after graduating from Rutgers because “it was my obligation to serve,” but he expected “that I would serve three years, and then get out and go to law school.” Twe

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 66 is published. Alexander Hamilton (a.k.a. “Publius”) continues his discussion of the constitutional provision that makes the Senate a court for the trial of impeachments. He addresses several specific objections. First, does the plan violate the principle of separation of powers? You may remember that Publius already discussed separation of powers in earlier papers, and he refers to those arguments again here. Yes, the Constitution

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 65 is published. Alexander Hamilton (a.k.a. “Publius”) discusses the Senate’s role in impeachment/conviction of executive officers. Why do I suspect just a few of you are interested in this paper?! Publius notes the inherent difficulties in prosecuting the “misconduct of public men” or the “abuse or violation of some public trust.” Finding a “well-constituted court for the trial of impeachments” is difficult, to say the least. The “pa

On this day in 1945, Americans capture the city of Cologne, Germany. The town had already been shattered by years of aerial raids. Now, as World War II was coming to an end, Germans began to flee before the oncoming American tanks. Yet the commander of one German Panther tank refused to go. Instead, he made a last stand in front of Cologne Cathedral, one of the few buildings to remain mostly intact. A U.S. soldier stands near the burned-out Panther tank. The text on the sign

On this day in 1788, Federalist Paper No. 64 is published. John Jay returns as “Publius” for one final essay. He discusses the role of the Senate in the making of treaties: The President has the power to make treaties, but two-thirds of Senators must concur. Jay notes the difficulties associated with making treaties: “The power of making treaties,” he writes, “is an important one . . . and it should not be delegated but in such a mode, and with such precautions, as will affor

On this day in 1770, tensions in Boston erupt. Five Bostonians are killed by British soldiers. Others are wounded. The event, as you know, would come to be known as the Boston Massacre. Tension had been mounting for years. Parliament wanted to establish its authority to tax the colonies, and it had approved a series of duties: the much-hated Townshend Acts. Naturally, the colonists didn’t think too much of THAT. What right had Parliament to tax them when the colonists had n

On this day in 1942, the United States creates a different kind of fighting force. These men didn’t rely on rifles, though. Instead, they drove bulldozers, concrete mixers, and cranes. They operated jackhammers, shovels, and welding torches. “The Seabees of the United States Navy were born in the dark days following Pearl Harbor,” the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) website explains, “when the task of building victory from defeat seemed almost insurmountable. The

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