History Dame

Where curiosity meets the American story! Real stories • Historic travel @history_camp | @pursuinghistory | @thehistorylist

[History Dame @history_dame]

Changing up the profile photo and banner for 2026!

[History Dame @history_dame]

Just picked these up!

[History Dame @history_dame]

Oh, this sounds interesting!

[Mount Vernon @MountVernon]

Out today on @hbomax, Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness is a new limited series celebrating America’s 250th birthday. We’re so excited to see our new Education Center in the premiere. Plan a visit to Mount Vernon to see the center in person!

**Please Note: Larry David is NOT currently on display**

[History Dame @history_dame]

June 25, 1864, Union soldiers from the 48th Pennsylvania, many of them experienced coal miners, grabbed their picks and shovels and started digging a secret tunnel straight toward the Confederate lines at Petersburg, Virginia.

Their bold plan? Tunnel under the Rebel trenches, pack it with gunpowder, and blow a massive hole in the defenses to break the stalemate of the Siege of Petersburg. What started as an ambitious idea from Lt. Col. Henry Pleasants would lead to one of the most tragic moments of the Civil War: the Battle of the Crater.

[History Dame @history_dame]

Today marks 10 days until America’s 250th birthday, the Semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026.

What are your plans?

[History Dame @history_dame]

@murrajo @scottlincicome Thanks for tagging me since I’ve been doing my 250 series!

[History Dame @history_dame]

@ncirish2002 @SalinaBBaker Love!

[History Dame @history_dame]

Ok, random rabbit hole. Catching up on emails and saw The History List’s email on their newest Rare Find on Operation Sea Lion and I was like, tell me more.

So here we go:

In July 1940, after the fall of France, Germany planned to invade Great Britain under Operation Sea Lion. The goal was to land troops along the south coast, seize key ports, and knock Britain out of the war. Preparations included assembling barges and invasion craft in French and Dutch ports. Still, everything depended on two critical conditions: Luftwaffe air superiority over the Channel and southern England, and temporary control of the seas.

The RAF’s Fighter Command, famously known as “The Few,” denied the Luftwaffe air supremacy during the intense Battle of Britain. Without control of the skies, a cross-Channel invasion was far too risky.

On 17 September 1940, Germany postponed Sea Lion indefinitely. It was never formally canceled, but the threat faded as Germany turned its attention eastward.

The bravery of RAF pilots, ground crew, and the entire British defense effort in 1940 kept the island fortress secure and changed the course of WWII.

And The History List has Folder A of those plans. View cool!

[History Dame @history_dame]

@ncirish2002 @SalinaBBaker Yes. He does! ☺️

[History Dame @history_dame]

@SalinaBBaker @ncirish2002 He is a great guy! You’ll love him

[History Dame @history_dame]

One of the bloodiest battles of WWII finally concluded on June 22, 1945, as U.S. forces overcame the last major Japanese resistance on Okinawa. The 82-day fight for this strategic Pacific island cost over 12,500 American lives and tens of thousands of Japanese troops, with civilians caught in the horror.

The brutal terrain and deeply entrenched defenders turned caves and bunkers into deadly fortresses. Flamethrowers became one of the most feared and effective tools for rooting out the enemy.

The high price of Okinawa helped accelerate the end of the war, paving the way toward Japan’s surrender just weeks later.

The video is a demo of a WWII flamethrower in action.

[History Dame @history_dame]

On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth and decisive state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, making it the law of the land.

After the Constitutional Convention wrapped up in Philadelphia the previous September, the document needed the approval of 9 of the 13 states. New Hampshire’s vote sealed the deal (with Virginia and New York following shortly after).

It wasn’t without drama; debates raged over a stronger federal government, the lack of a Bill of Rights, and state powers. But with the promise of future amendments, the first 1o ten, enough states said yes.

The new government under the Constitution officially began on March 4, 1789, and still guides us today as the oldest written national constitution in operation.

[History Dame @history_dame]

America at 250

On June 20, 1782, Congress officially adopted the Great Seal of the United States!

After six years, three committees, and plenty of debate following the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress finally approved the national seal.

Front:
A majestic bald eagle clutches an olive branch (peace) in one talon and 13 arrows (war/defense) in the other. Its breast bears a shield with 13 red and white stripes under a blue bar, representing the states united under Congress. In its beak: “E Pluribus Unum” (“Out of Many, One”). Above its head, 13 stars in a constellation of glory.

Back:
An unfinished pyramid topped by the Eye of Providence. “Annuit Coeptis” (“He [Providence] has favored our undertakings”) and “Novus Ordo Seclorum” (“A New Order of the Ages”), with 1776 in Roman numerals at the base.

Charles Thomson largely designed the seal, and the photo shows his 1782 design.

This seal has authenticated official U.S. documents ever since, and it is still used today.

[History Dame @history_dame]

America at 250

June, 18, 1778, the British finally packed up and abandoned Philadelphia after nearly 9 months of occupation. General Sir Henry Clinton led about 15,000 troops (and a bunch of Loyalists) out of the city by land toward New York to dodge the French fleet now backing the Americans.

Meanwhile, Washington’s army had toughened up over the brutal winter at Valley Forge, thanks in part to help from Lafayette, von Steuben, and others. The Patriots rolled back into Philly the next day without a fight.

[History Dame @history_dame]

@Stush9000 Yes!

[History Dame @history_dame]

America at 250

June 17, 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill (actually fought mostly on nearby Breed’s Hill) became one of the bloodiest early clashes of the American Revolution.
British forces under General Thomas Gage launched a frontal assault on colonial fortifications. Legend has it Colonel William Prescott ordered his men: ‘Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!’

The British technically won the hill, but at a staggering cost, over 1,000 casualties (nearly half their force), including many officers. The Americans lost around 450 but proved they could stand toe-to-toe with the world’s most powerful army.

Today, the towering 221-foot granite Bunker Hill Monument stands as a powerful reminder on the site. Here’s a short video capturing its presence, a symbol of sacrifice and the fight for liberty that still echoes today.

[History Dame @history_dame]

America at 250

This striking steel frame in Philadelphia’s Franklin Court marks the exact footprint of Benjamin Franklin’s elegant brick home, built in a quiet garden court off Market Street. Here, Franklin lived while serving in the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. He died in this house in 1790, and it was demolished just 22 years later.

No walls remain, but the ‘ghost structure’ (designed by Venturi, Rauch & Scott Brown for the 1976 Bicentennial) lets you imagine the scale: a large home for its time, with a print shop nearby run by his grandson.

I love this structure and think it is well done!

[History Dame @history_dame]

America at 250

On June 15, 1776, three weeks before July 4th, the folks in Delaware’s Lower Counties declared themselves independent from both the British Crown and Pennsylvania (they’d been the “Lower Counties on the Delaware” under PA since 1682).

Thomas McKean and Caesar Rodney pushed hard for this separation. They were done sharing a governor and ready to stand on their own!

Their official statehood date, however, is December 7, 1787, when they ratified the Constitution.

[History Dame @history_dame]

America at 250

Happy Birthday to the United States Army and Happy Flag Day! 🇺🇸

Here’s a highlight reel of the National Army Museum outside of Fort Belvoir, VA.

My full video of the museum is posted on my website.

[History Dame @history_dame]

@maximumleader I’m also far too short for the pit lol

[History Dame @history_dame]

Not a history post but this will be my weekend.

See you in the Pit!

Just kidding, I’m too old for the pit, I might die.