American History

  • Birth of Mary Lyon

    On February 28, 1797, Mary Lyon was born in Buckland, Massachusetts. From a modest New England farm, she would go on to found one of the first institutions in the United States devoted to the higher education of women.

  • Bryce Canyon National Park

    On February 25, 1928, Bryce Canyon officially became Bryce Canyon National Park, securing permanent federal protection for one of America’s most unusual landscapes. What began as a remote stretch of pink cliffs and strange rock spires in southern Utah had become important enough to earn the highest level of preservation in the National Park System.

  • First Submarine to Circle the Globe

    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.

  • First Attacks on US Mainland During WWII

    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.

  • San-Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge

    On February 20, 1931, Congress approved the San-Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge project, setting in motion construction of a permanent crossing that would reshape travel across San Francisco Bay. That decision launched one of the most complex bridge systems ever attempted in the United States and created a transportation link that millions would rely on every year.

  • Jefferson Wins Presidency 

    On February 17, 1801, the young United States faced a constitutional crisis that tested whether its new government could transfer power peacefully. That day, after weeks of deadlock, the House of Representatives finally chose a president, proving that the nation’s system—though imperfect—could still function under pressure.

  • Birth of Susan B. Anthony

    Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820, in Adams, Massachusetts. Born into a Quaker family that believed deeply in equality and moral responsibility, she would grow into one of the most persistent and recognizable leaders of the fight for women’s voting rights in the United States.

  • Birth of Winfield Scott Hancock 

    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.