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On this day in 1775, a tall Virginia planter accepted a job that should have ruined him, and instead it made a nation.
The day before, Congress had voted to create a Continental Army out of the militia swarming around Boston. Now they needed someone to lead it, and the choice was not obvious. There were older men, more experienced men, men who had commanded larger forces. But the colonies had a deeper problem than experience. New England was already carrying the fight, and if a New Englander took command, the southern colonies might never fully commit. The cause needed a leader who could bind thirteen suspicious, squabbling colonies into one army.
George Washington had been quietly attending the Continental Congress in his old military uniform, a silent signal that he was ready to serve. On June 15, 1775, John Adams rose and nominated him. The Virginian was chosen unanimously.
What he did next tells you everything. He stood before Congress and confessed he did not believe himself equal to the command. Then he refused a salary, asking only that his expenses be covered. This was not false modesty. He genuinely understood the odds. He was about to lead untrained farmers, with no navy, no reliable money, and no real government, against the most powerful military empire on the planet.
He would lose New York. He would retreat across New Jersey in the dead of winter with his army melting away around him. He would go years without a clear victory. And he would never quit.
Eight years later the empire surrendered, and the man who doubted himself in June of 1775 walked away from power instead of seizing it, stunning the world. 251 years ago today, the American experiment got the one leader it could not have survived without.
As recruiting for the 2028 class on Monday opens, here are five Nebraska volleyball prospect targets to watch.
From @JustinbFrommer:
https://t.co/SNvVMU3T0X
Rogers Hornsby and Ernie Banks talking hitting at Wrigley Field, 1958. Rogers Hornsby joined the Chicago Cubs as a coach in 1958 The mentorship clearly paid off. Ernie Banks went on to win the first of his back-to-back National League MVP awards that same year, leading the league in home runs and RBIs. Hornsby ended his playing days with a .358 career batting average, second only to Ty Cobb in baseball history
On June 13, 1948, a dying man put on his old uniform one last time, used his bat as a cane to stand up, and broke the heart of every baseball fan in America.
It was Yankee Stadium's 25th anniversary, "The House That Ruth Built." Babe Ruth was there to have his No. 3 retired, only the second number the Yankees ever retired after Lou Gehrig. But everyone in the crowd of nearly 50,000 could see it. The Babe was wasting away from throat cancer. He was thin, frail, and wrapped in a heavy wool overcoat in June because he was always cold now.
He walked out into the roar leaning on a bat like an old man's cane. When he spoke, the booming voice was gone, reduced to a painful rasp. But he stood. He tipped his cap. He soaked in the love one final time.
A photographer named Nat Fein didn't shoot the usual photo from the front. He moved behind Ruth and captured the Babe from the back, number 3, shoulders stooped, facing the crowd and the field he ruled. He titled it "The Babe Bows Out." It won the Pulitzer Prize, the first sports photo ever to do so.
Two months later Ruth was dead at 53.
78 years ago today, the greatest to ever play it said goodbye.
Extremely smoky touchdown by the United States Air Force KC-10A Extender! 🇺🇸
The KC-10A was retired in 2024, bringing to a close more than 43 years of distinguished service with the United States Air Force.
📹: fraproductionsyt(IG)
101-year-old Bill Greason, the oldest living Major Leaguer, threw out the first pitch for the Birmingham Barons Thursday night. ❤️
Reverend Greason served in World War II and played alongside Willie Mays with Birmingham in 1948.