July 27, 2026
History
America’s 250th: The Fighters: Alexander Hamilton
Born in the Caribbean to an unwed couple, Hamilton was abandoned by his father in 1766 when the young Hamilton was about 11 years old. His mother died two year’s later. Hamilton moved to the island of St. Croix where a letter he wrote describing a hurricane that hit the island impressed locals who raised money to send him to the colonies.
America’s 250th: The British: Benedict Arnold
Perhaps the most infamous traitor in history, this Connecticut native twice joined the New York Milita during the French and Indian War and twice deserted under family pressure to finish his apothecary apprenticeship. He became a successful businessman, owning ships that sailed all along the Eastern seaboard.
America’s 250th: The British: Lord North
Prime Minister during the American Revolution, Lord Frederick North was descended from Edward Montagu, the 1st Earl of Sandwich on his mother’s side. A man of the world, North attended the Eton School and then Trinity College, Oxford where he earned a Master of Arts. He became a member of the House of Commons – known for his charm and personal connections – and then took a government position as a junior Lord of the Treasury.
America’s 250th: The British: King George III
King George III was 22 years old when he ascended to the throne of England in 1760. George – whose parents were German and spoke German - took a German Princess wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In fact, he was the first Prince of Wales in 75 years to have been born in England.
Today in History
Today is Saturday, June 27, the 178th day of 2026. There are 187 days left in the year.
Today in History
Today is Friday, June 26, the 177th day of 2026. There are 188 days left in the year. Today in history: On June 26, 2015, in its 5-4 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country, ruling that state-level bans on same-sex marriage violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. Also on this date: In 1917, U.S. troops entered World War I as the first soldiers of the American Expeditionary Force landed in Saint-Nazaire, France. In 1945, the charter of the United Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco. In 1948, the Berlin Airlift began in earnest after the Soviet Union cut off land and water routes to the isolated western sector of Berlin. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he delivered his famous speech expressing solidarity with the city’s residents, declaring: “Ich bin ein Berliner” (“I am a Berliner”). In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced the U.S. had launched missiles against Iraqi targets because of “compelling evidence” Iraq had plotted to assassinate former President George H.W. Bush. In 1996, in the case of United States v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court found that the Virginia Military Institute’s male-only admission policy violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. (VMI enrolled its first female cadets the following year.) In 1997, the first Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling, was published in the United Kingdom. It was later released in the United States under the title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” Today’s Birthdays: Jazz musician-composer Dave Grusin is 92. Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician Gilberto Gil is 84. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer is 73. Musician Mick Jones (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite) is 71.