On October 11, 1776, the Continental Navy participated in one of its first naval battles of the Revolutionary War at Valcour Bay. While they were forced to retreat, they succeeded in delaying British plans for the upper Hudson River valley.
Decades after America’s first ships took to the oceans to defend its interests, the US Naval Academy was opened on October 10, 1845. USNA graduates have participated in every major US conflict since the Mexican-American War.
Football star and coach Paul William “Bear” Bryant was born on September 11, 1913, in Moro Bottom, Arkansas. Over the course of his coaching career, he broke the record at the time for the most victories, with 323 regular season wins.
On September 10, 1813, Oliver Hazard Perry won an important War of 1812 victory on Lake Erie. That victory helped change the course of the war, leading to America’s absolute independence from Britain.
On September 5, 1781, French forces won a decisive victory at the Battle of the Virginia Capes. The eventual siege of Yorktown was a success due to the joint efforts of the French fleet and the French and American troops on land.
On August 29, 1861, the first combined Union Army and Navy battle of the Civil War concluded at the Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries. A Union victory a month after the defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run, it boosted morale in the North.
Oliver Hazard Perry was born on August 23, 1785, in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Serving with distinction during the War of 1812, he was known as the “Hero of Lake Erie.”
On August 19, 1812, the USS Constitution dueled with the British HMS Guerriere and reigned victorious. During the fighting, one sailor noted that the British cannonballs simply bounced off the Constitution’s oak hull, proclaiming it was “made of iron.” This earned the ship its famous nickname – “Old Ironsides.”
On July 21, 1944, US troops landed on Guam, initiating a three-week battle to recapture the island. Today, the people of Guam celebrate July 21 as Liberation Day.