From October 23–26, 1944, the Japanese navy unsuccessfully went up against the American navy off the coast of the Philippines in one of the largest naval battles in history. The Japanese loss at Leyte Gulf effectively finished off their navy and gave the Americans unchallenged dominance in the Pacific for the rest of World War…
On September 11, 1777, American troops clashed with the British in the Battle of Brandywine in Pennsylvania, resulting in an American defeat that allowed the British to easily capture Philadelphia later that month. In early September, with British general William Howe’s troops advancing toward Philadelphia, George Washington deployed his army along the east side of…
This August marks the 226th birthday of the U.S. Coast Guard, originally created as the Revenue Marine in August 1790 by Congress. The Revenue Marine was formed at the request of Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, as an armed service to collect and enforce customs duties at U.S. ports. Though the Continental Navy was…
On August 12, 1898, representatives for the United States and Spain signed a peace protocol in Washington DC, ending the three-month-long Spanish-American War in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. The American victory against the Spanish would result in the collapse of what remained of Spain’s colonial empire and would herald America’s entrance as…
Did you have any male family members living in the United States during 1917–18 who were born between 1872 and 1900? If so, there’s a good chance you’ll find them in Fold3’s WWI Draft Registration Cards (via the National Archives). After the United States entered the war with Germany in 1917, the government required men…
In the early morning of July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis, on its way from Guam to the Philippines, was struck by two torpedoes fired by a Japanese submarine and quickly sank, resulting in the largest loss of life at sea in U.S. Navy history. On July 16, the Indianapolis, a cruiser, left San Francisco…
Did you have ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War? Come check out Fold3’s more than 5 million Revolutionary War records, which you can explore for free July 1–15. Popular among the 21 titles in this collection are: Revolutionary War Pensions Revolutionary War Service Records Revolutionary War Rolls Final Payment Vouchers Index for Military Pensions,…
