US Navy and Army Game In 1760, Major Robert Rogers and his Rangers took possession of Detroit on behalf of Britain. French commandant Belotre surrendered Detroit. General James Amherst selected Rogers for the honor of receiving the surrender of the western French posts——Detroit, Michilimackinac, Ouiatenon, and others. In 1775, Captain John Manley of Marblehead, commanding the schooner Lee captured the British brigantine Nancy, about ten miles off Cape Ann. In 1775, Congress i

General Westmoreland In 1620, 41 male passengers on the Mayflower , prior to landing at Plymouth , Massachusetts, signed the Mayflower Compact , by which they agreed to abide by the laws of the new government they would establish. In 1654, Richard Johnson, a free black, granted 550 acres in Virginia. In 1775, Two young soldiers have been found guilty of abandoning their posts while on duty—an offense that could have cost them their lives. A court-martial has sentenced them to

Tom Horn In 1767,  The Townshend Acts go into effect. These were a series of laws created to bring in revenue and gain more control over the Colonies. In 1775, From Cambridge, Washington writes Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Reed, his trusted secretary and confidant. He updates Reed on pressing matters: the army’s dire lack of pay, Congress’s slow response, and his appeal for one month’s advanced wages to encourage soldiers to reenlist. Washington mentions Henry Knox’s mission to

John Hays In 1755, Worst quake in Massachusetts Bay area strikes Boston; no deaths reported. In 1775, Washington instructs the commissary general to collect all bullock horns from cattle slaughtered for army provisions. The horns are to be crafted into powder horns—essential tools for soldiers who must carry dry gunpowder. In 1861, The first provisional meeting of the Confederate Congress is held in Richmond, Virginia In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln   boards a train for Ge

Richard Nixon In 1773 John Hancock’s ship, Hayley, arrives in Boston from England, captained by James Scott. He brings news that several vessels laden with East India Company tea had come down the English Channel at the same time as his vessel – four of which are headed for Boston. In 1775, In his General Orders, Washington announces that Congress has increased officers’ pay, intended to reward their service and encourage renewed recruitment. He also calls a meeting to establ

Gemini Flight 12 In 1626, The Pilgrim Fathers, who settled in New Plymouth, bought out their London investors. In 1763, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon began surveying Mason-Dixon Line between Pennsylvania and Maryland. In 1775, Washington reports the verdicts of several courts martial — acquittals, fines, lashings, and dismissals — and gives his approval. Mutiny, drunkenness, and insubordination will not threaten the army’s unity. In 1777, Articles of Confederation is adopt

Ruby Bridges In 1775, Learning of the surrender of Fort St. John in Canada, Washington calls on his soldiers to show gratitude to Providence for “thus favouring the Cause of Freedom and America.” Meanwhile, complaints against the commissary general and the unregulated sale of liquor among the ranks draw his sharp attention; he promises investigation and tighter controls. In 1776, the St. James Chronicle  of London carries an item announcing “The very identical Dr. Franklyn [

Fantasia - 1940 version In 1775, Continental Army Brigadier General Richard Montgomery captured Montreal, Canada, without opposition. In 1776, The Continental Navy ship Alfred, commanded by Captain John Paul Jones, along with Continental sloop Providence, commanded by Captain Hoysteed Hacker, capture the British transport Mellish, carrying 10,000 winter uniforms later used by General George Washington’s troops. In 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to the French scientis

Andrew Ellicott In 1775, Upon hearing of England’s rejection of the so-called Olive Branch Petition   Abigail Adams   writes  to her husband, John , “Let us separate, they are unworthy to be our Brethren. Let us renounce them and instead of supplications as formerly for their prosperity and happiness, Let us beseech the almighty to blast their councils and bring to Nought all their devices.” In 1775, Washington issues orders to organize the Continental Army for a new year. He

Robert A. Millikan In 1620, 41 Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, anchored off Massachusetts, signed the Mayflower Compact, calling for a “civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation.” In 1647, Massachusetts passes first compulsory school attendance law in the American colonies. In 1750, First collegiate secret society in the United States, the F.H.C. Society (Flat Hat Club), is formed at Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg, Virginia. In 1775, Washington writes to Jo

Revolutionary War Era Marines In 1674, Dutch Republic formally cedes New Netherland to England, who rename it New York In 1766, The last Colonial governor of New Jersey, William Franklin, signs the charter of Queen's College (later renamed Rutgers University). In 1775, A resolution proposed by John Adams that "two Battalions of Marines be raised" for service as landing forces in the recently formed Continental Navy, is passed by the Continental Congress. This resolution creat

Thomas Nast In 1637, Puritan reformist preacher Anne Hutchinson is tried in Massachusetts Bay Colony as a heretic, found guilty and banished. In 1775, Major General Philip Schuyler writes Washington with triumphant news: Fort St. Jean has fallen. Schuyler forwards General Richard Montgomery’s report that the British garrison surrendered on November 3. “I beg leave to congratulate you on this happy event,” Schuyler writes. In 1786, The oldest performing musical organization in

Everett Massacre - 1916 In 1639, First post office in the colonies is set up in Massachusetts. In 1733, Printer and journalist John Peter Zenger publishes the first issue of New York Weekly Journal. After attacks on the colonial governor landed him in jail for libel, a jury acquitted him—a first win for press freedom in the English colonies. In 1773, John Hancock is elected as moderator at a Boston town meeting that resolves that anyone who supports the Tea Act is an "Enemy t

Boston Female Medical College In 1623, Fire at Plymouth, Massachusetts, destroys several buildings. In 1683, The English crown colony of New York is subdivided into 12 counties. In 1765, The Stamp Act went into effect, marking the first British parliamentary attempt to raise revenue through direct taxation of all American colonial commercial and legal papers. In 1777, the USS Ranger , with a crew of 140 men under the command of John Paul Jones , leaves Portsmouth, New Hampsh

War of the Worlds 1938 In 1775, Officers have begun recruiting soldiers without proper authorization. Washington orders that all unauthorized enlistments stop immediately and emphasizes that commissions in the new army will be based on merit, not recruitment numbers. In 1776, in his first speech  before British Parliament  since the leaders of the American Revolution  came together to sign the Declaration of Independence  that summer, King George III  acknowledges that all wa

In 1766, St. Paul's Chapel in New York is consecrated. It is the oldest surviving church in Manhattan. In 1775, In a letter to John Hancock, Washington warns that a third to half of his officers, especially captains and below, plan to leave service when their enlistments expire. He expresses “great anxieties” but hopes that increased pay and a sense of patriotism will persuade soldiers to remain. In 1864, the town of Helena, Montana, is founded  by four gold miners who struck

Jane Toppan In 1682, The founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn, landed at what is now Chester, Pa. In 1775, Four hundred miles from Washington’s Cambridge headquarters, Lund Washington, the general’s cousin and farm manager, writes a detailed letter from Mount Vernon. Lund is doing all he can to safeguard Washington’s papers, land, and debts while planning how to defend Mount Vernon in case of a British attack. He proposes erecting a battery along the Potomac River to stop en

Boston Proclamation In 1636, Harvard University , the oldest institute of higher learning in the United States, was founded by the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony . In 1646, First Protestant church assembly for American Indians established in Massachusetts. In 1726, Gulliver’s Travels" is first published. In 1775, British General William Howe's Proclamation ordered the City of Boston closed. Under this proclamation no person was allowed to leave the ci

In 1659, William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson, two Quakers  who came from England in 1656 to escape religious persecution, are executed  in the Massachusetts Bay Colony for their religious beliefs. The two had violated a law passed by the Massachusetts General Court the year before, banning Quakers from the colony under penalty of death. In 1682, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is founded by Englishman William Penn. In 1775, In the Canadian wilderness, Benedict Arnold writes

Marine Corps Barracks Bombing Lebanon In 1684, English King Charles II revokes the Massachusetts Bay Colony charter due to repeated violations of the charter’s terms including trading with other countries and running an illegal mint. In 1694, American colonial forces, led by Sir William Phipps, fail to seize Quebec. In 1775, The Congressional Committee meeting with General Washington agreed to accept the Penobscot, Stockbridge, and St. John's Indian tribes offers of assistanc