Sick officers’ quarters, Base Hospital, Camp Meade, Maryland — February 20, 1918.

Inside one of the small convalescent wards reserved for officers, an Army Nurse Corps nurse moves between beds as sunlight pours through the tall ventilation windows mandated in the Army’s 1917 hospital designs. These wooden-frame buildings, built at speed for America’s entry into the First World War, formed part of Camp Meade’s vast base hospital complex — more than two thousand beds serving the 79th Division and the thousands of soldiers passing through the camp.

In rooms like this, officers recovered from training injuries, exhaustion, influenza, pneumonia, and post‑surgical procedures that didn’t require isolation. Unlike the long enlisted wards, the sick officers’ quarters were quieter, lower‑density spaces meant for rest, correspondence, and observation. The iron beds, wool blankets, pitcher and basin, and the nurse’s white cap and apron reflect the Army Nurse Corps’ early wartime uniform and the era’s emphasis on fresh air, cleanliness, and constant monitoring.

Camp Meade’s hospital would soon become a major center for treating the 1918 influenza pandemic, but on this winter day — February 20, 1918 — the work of healing unfolded in sunlight and silence, one patient, one letter, one conversation at a time.

On February 20, 1685, about halfway between present day Houston & Corpus Christi, Texas, La Salle and members of his expedition established the settlement of Fort St. Louis. They originally intended to land at the mouth of the Mississippi River, but found themselves nearly 400 miles to the west. ​A print showing La Salle’s landing in Texas in 1685

Image via NYPL Digital Collections, no known restrictions

On February 20, 1755, British General Edward Braddock arrived in Hampton, Virginia to take command of British forces in Colonial America. Less than five months later he was fatally shot at the Battle of the Monongahela.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Mercury astronaut John H. Glenn Jr. looks into a Celestial Training Device (globe) during training in the Aeromedical Laboratory at Cape Canaveral, Florida. February 20, 1961

Image from NASA via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

John Glenn entering Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962 when he became the first American to orbit the Earth.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On February 20, 1792, George Washington signed the Postal Service Act

Image: 1 cent George Washington stamp from 1912 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On today’s date February 20, 1987, David Hartman thanked America for welcoming him into their homes for more than eleven years on his final day as a regular host of ABC’s Good Morning America.

Image: David Hartman & Nancy Dussault on Good Morning America in 1976 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

U.S. Navy officers in uniform of the USS Santee with mascot dogs at a dock in Devonport, England on February 20, 1918

Sidney Poitier was born on February 20, 1927 in Miami, Florida

Image: Claudia McNeil and Sidney Poitier in A Raisin in the Sun (play), 1959 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

A photo of a Navajo Woman and Infant, Canyon de Chelle, Arizona c. 1933-1942 by Ansel Adams American photographer Ansel Adams was born on February 20, 1902 in San Francisco, California.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

“Willie Lincoln, third son of President Lincoln. Died February 20, 1862…” The early label on this image says that Willie was 12 years old at the time of his death. However, since Willie was born in December 1850 he was only 11 years old when he passed away.

Image via LOC, no known restrictions

On February 20, 1942, Lt. Commander Edward “Butch” O’Hare, USN was credited with saving his ship, the USS Lexington, when he and his wingman attacked a flight of nine Japanese bombers. For his bravery and skill O’Hare was awarded the Medal of Honor. Chicago’s airport is named in his memory.

Image: NHC via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

President Reagan during an Oval Office meeting and working visit of Prime Minister Thatcher of the United Kingdom. February 20, 1985

Image via LOC, no known restrictions

Edward and Julius Koester at Camp Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina February 20, 1918

Image via Wikimedia Commons, no known restrictions

On February 20, 1839, Congress passed a law making it illegal to duel in the District of Columbia.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On February 20, 1872, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art – “The Met” opened. Eight years later its current location, at 1000 Fifth Avenue (shown in 1914) opened with 2 million square-feet of exhibition space. The Met is the most-visited museum in the US with a yearly attendance of over six million art lovers.

Image from LOC via Wikimedia Commons, public domain in the US.

On February 20, 1965, “This Diamond Ring” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys began its two week run as the #1 song in America.

Image of Gary Lewis (the son of actor and comedian Jerry Lewis) & the Playboys in the 1960s via Wikimedia Commons, public domain in the US.

The largest Civil War battle that was fought in Florida occurred on February 20, 1864 in Olustee, Florida.

Image: Survivors of the Battle of Olustee, gathered at the Monument dedication in 1912 from Florida Memory via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

USS Intrepid (CVS‑11) refuels the destroyer USS Borie (DD‑704) in the Caribbean Sea, February 20, 1966.

Although officially designated an anti‑submarine warfare support carrier (CVS), Intrepid was temporarily repurposed as an attack carrier to meet the growing demand for strike platforms in Vietnam. During her February work‑ups with Attack Carrier Air Wing 10, her flight deck carried not only ASW aircraft but additional Skyhawks and Skyraiders brought aboard for the upcoming deployment. The four A‑4E Skyhawks forward belong to VA‑86 “Sidewinders,” normally assigned to CVW‑7 aboard USS Independence (CVA‑62), but operating from Intrepid during the February 1966 work‑ups that preceded her first Vietnam combat tour