August 19, 2026

August 18, 2026

August 17, 2026

Today is National Airborne Day, designated by the U.S. Congress to honor the airborne forces of the United States Armed Forces. The first official U.S. Army parachute jump took place on August 16, 1940, at Fort Benning, Georgia.

August 14, 2026

August 13, 2026

August 13, 1783: "In 1783, just before the war ended with the Treaty of Paris, Charlestown’s rapid growth necessitated a municipal government. On August 13 an act of incorporation for the city provided the citizens an opportunity to change its name. They shortened it to 'Charles Ton.' In the years succeeding the city’s incorporation, the spelling 'Charleston' achieved widespread prominence and is now the city's official name." battlefields.org/learn/articles/10-facts-charleston-revolutionary-war ccpl.org/charleston-time-machine/demilitarizing-urban-charleston-1783-1789

August 12, 2026

August 12, 1863: Drawings from Morris Island by W.T. Crane from The Becker Collection at Boston College. "Throughout the Civil War, Crane worked as a “special artist” for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, which published 244 of his drawings. In addition, under orders from General Quincy A. Gilmore, Crane drew a series of sequential views of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor in the summer of 1863 depicting the stages of the fort’s demolition during a prolonged Union bombardment." Crane, W. T., “The Siege of Charleston – Views on and From Morris Island, South Carolina,” The Becker Collection, accessed June 17, 2024, https://beckercollection.bc.edu/items/show/2786.