World War I

The SS Saint Paul was launched on April 10, 1895. It was the first commercial ship commissioned for the Spanish-American War and later served during World War I.

The “Father of American Football,” Walter Chauncey Camp, was born on April 7, 1859, in New Britain, Connecticut. Camp is credited with developing the rules and techniques that set American football apart from British rugby.

Baseball great “Gorgeous George” Harold Sisler died on March 26, 1973. An Agile first baseman, Sisler was one of baseball’s greatest players in all areas – fielding, throwing, hitting, and base-running.

On March 21, 1916, a group of mostly American pilots formed the Escadrille Américaine. Later named the Lafayette Escadrille, they flew several high-profile missions that encouraged more Americans to join their ranks.

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. 

Statesman Everett McKinley Dirksen was born on January 4, 1896, in Pekin, Illinois.

World War I hero Alvin Cullum York was born on December 13, 1887, in Pall Mall, Tennessee.

Associate Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter was born on November 15, 1882, in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. 

US Marine Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph Daly was born on November 11, 1873, in Glen Cove, New York.