Confederates Burn Manhattan
On November 25, 1864, a group of Confederate operatives set several fires in New York City, as retaliation for damage done in the South by Union troops.
Military
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Battle of Britain Ends
On October 31, 1940, the nearly four-month-long Battle of Britain came to an end.
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Birth of U.S. Army’s Medal of Honor
On July 12, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation creating a Medal of Honor to be awarded “to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier-like qualities during the present insurrection [Civil War].”
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First Women Inducted into the U.S. Air Force
Staff Sergeant Esther McGowin Blake raised her right hand and enlisted in the first minute women were allowed to join the U.S. Air Force on July 8, 1948. In doing so, she paved the way for a new generation of women’s military service.
