1916Member story · 1776 Club
A pier of Allied munitions detonates in New York Harbor overnight
Shrapnel tears into the Statue of Liberty as windows shatter twenty-five miles away, in Times Square.
1945
A submarine finds Indianapolis in the dark, unescorted; the cruiser is gone in twelve minutes
Six torpedoes in the night sea north of Palau leave hundreds of sailors adrift for days before anyone knows they are missing.
1956
Eisenhower signs the words already stamped on coins into the law itself
The phrase had ridden American currency since 1954; Congress just gave it a statute to stand on.
1971
Scott lands Falcon by hand at Hadley Rille; astronauts get a car on the Moon
The computer drifted off course, so David Scott flew the last stretch himself, straight toward a mountain valley chosen for its scenery.
1974Member story · 1776 Club
Supreme Court orders Nixon to hand over the tapes; the president complies
A unanimous ruling leaves no room left to hide the Oval Office recordings.
2020Member story · 1776 Club
NASA launches Perseverance toward Mars, chasing signs of ancient life
An Atlas V carries the $2.8 billion rover, plus a small helicopter riding along for the first powered flight on another world.