This Week in History: The states … united, connected, defended
1565 North America saw its first permanent European settlement: St. Augustine, Florida.
1664 The British flag was raised over the Dutch city of New Amsterdam (thereafter known as New York).
1776 Continental Congress changed the name from the United Colonies to the United States.
1813 “Uncle Sam” became the symbol of the nation (first appearing in a newspaper in Troy, NY).
1813 Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry (who defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie) contributed to US naval history with this succinct report: “We have met the enemy, and they are ours.”
1850 California was admitted to the US as the 31st state.
1850 Congress created the territories of New Mexico and Utah.
1882 The Pledge of Allegiance was first published in Youth’s Companion magazine.
1904 Mounted police began service for the first time (in New York City).
1913 The Lincoln Highway became the first coast-to-coast paved road in the US … taking drivers from New York City to San Francisco.
1920 Transcontinental airmail service was established.
1990 Ellis Island reopened as a museum of immigration.
2001 September 11th, 2001 changed from a mere date on the calendar … to become 9/11 in our collective national memory. I will never forget where I was that morning (coaching a client in Washington DC) … I will forever remember the thousands of men and women who lost their lives to the terrorism … and I will always honor the military, the police and the firefighters who gave so much to help so many. Thank you, all. Thank you, thank you, thank you.