A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on July 28th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On July 28, 1854, the USS Constellation was commissioned, a sloop-of-war, the last sail-only warship for the US Navy. On July 28, 1866, Helen Beatrix Potter was born in London, England, to a moderately well to do family of Unitarians. On July 28, 1866, Vinnie (Lavinia) Ream, an 18 year old girl became the first woman in the United States to win…

A Brief History On July 28, 1854, the USS Constellation was commissioned, a sloop-of-war, the last sail-only warship for the US Navy.  The second US Navy ship of the name, the first was built in 1797 and was scrapped in 1853. Digging Deeper While seeking to strengthen the US Navy, economics mattered and the Navy sought to save money by using available stocks of Oak and to eschew the use of an expensive steam engine.  Constellation would be economical to build and to operate. With a length of 191 feet and a beam of 43 feet, Constellation displaced 1400 tons,…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on July 27th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On July 27, 1189, Friedrich Barbarossa (also known as Frederick), the Holy Roman Emperor, arrived at the capital of the Serbian King Stefan Nemanja, a city called Nis. On July 27, 1689, the Battle of Killiecrankie was fought between Scots and Irish Jacobites against the forces of the Williamite Government of Scotland. On July 27, 1789, the Department of Foreign Affairs was…

A Brief History On July 27, 1789, the Department of Foreign Affairs was created, becoming the first of many US Federal departments and agencies.  As you may guess, this department is now called the Department of State. Digging Deeper How many agencies and departments does the Federal Government currently have?  We have 15 Cabinet level departments, each led by a secretary appointed by the President and approved by the Senate.  The most recently added Department is the Department of Homeland Security, added in 2002.  Meanwhile, we now have a staggering 438 Federal agencies. Despite this enormous growth in bureaucracy, there…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on July 26th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On July 26, 1739, George Clinton was born in a place then called Little Britain, Province of New York, British America. On July 26, 1767, Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk, and one-time mistress of King George II of England, died. On July 26, 1861, Major General George McClellan was appointed the commander of the Army of the Potomac, a move President Lincoln…