On February 24, 1960, the US Navy submarine USS Triton slipped beneath the surface to begin the first fully submerged circumnavigation of the globe. The daring departure marked the start of a 60-day underwater journey that would prove just how far nuclear submarine technology had advanced during the tense years of the Cold War.
On February 23, 1942, millions of Americans were gathered around their radios listening to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fireside chat. At almost the same moment — 7:15 p.m. Pacific time — a Japanese submarine surfaced one mile off the California coast and began shelling an oil field near Santa Barbara. The war had just arrived on the American mainland.
On February 21, 1916, one of the longest battles on the Western Front began at Verdun. The nearly 10-month battle ended in a French victory, but at a high cost of lives on both sides.
On February 19, 1943, the Battle of Kasserine Pass began, marking the first major clash between American and German forces in North Africa. The fight quickly tested the strength, training, and leadership of US troops as they faced experienced Axis armored units in the rugged mountains of Tunisia.
Winfield Scott Hancock was born on February 14, 1824, in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania, and would grow into one of the Union Army’s most respected battlefield commanders. Known later as “Hancock the Superb,” he built his reputation not through legend, but through steady leadership in some of the Civil War’s hardest fights.
US General Omar Nelson Bradley was born on February 12, 1893, in the small town of Clark, Missouri—far from the battlefields where he would one day command millions. Known as the “GI’s General,” Bradley rose from humble beginnings to become one of America’s most trusted military leaders of World War II.
Neysa McMein, born on January 24, 1888, helped shape how America saw itself during the early 20th century through powerful images that appeared everywhere from magazines to movie studios. Her art captured modern beauty, wartime patriotism, and celebrity culture at a moment when illustration defined public life.
On December 26, 1972, America’s 33rd president, Harry S. Truman, died, closing the chapter on a leader who had guided the nation through the final days of World War II and the uncertain dawn of the Cold War. Plainspoken and decisive, Truman rose from humble beginnings to make some of the most consequential choices in US history—decisions that reshaped America’s role on the world stage and still spark debate today.
On the cold night of December 24, 1826, a group of cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point launched an eggnog-fueled riot that shocked the school and embarrassed the young nation. What began as a forbidden holiday celebration quickly spiraled into violence, gunfire, and destruction. By the following morning, order was restored—but the incident, later known as the Eggnog Riot, left a lasting mark on West Point’s history.