About today’s date, June 20, 1775, as George Washington prepared to leave Philadelphia to take command of the Continental Army, he made a quiet civic gesture: the purchase of a fire engine for the Friendship Fire Company of Alexandria, Virginia, the volunteer brigade he had long supported. Widely accepted as the very engine he acquired, the hand-pumped apparatus remains preserved at the Friendship Firehouse Museum. Though the exact date is unconfirmed, the purchase likely occurred during these final days in the city—underscoring how, even as he stepped onto the national stage, Washington’s first instincts were those of a citizen.
Image: the fire engine widely accepted as the one purchased by George Washington in 1775 in Philadelphia. Shown here is G. William Humphries, custodian of the firehouse,1931.
A painting of The Great Seal of the United States from St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City c. 1780s
On June 20, 1782 Congress adopted The Great Seal of The United States.
Image from Rick Aiello via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY SA 2.0
On This Day, June 20, 1787,During the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut proposed replacing the phrase “national government” with “the United States” to identify the emerging federal system. Though the term had already appeared in the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and in Thomas Paine’s influential pamphlets like The American Crisis, Ellsworth’s motion ensured its official adoption in the Constitution’s deliberations. His careful wording helped preserve the idea of a union of sovereign states, giving shape to a republic defined by federal unity rather than centralized power.
Image of Oliver Ellsworth viaWikimedia Commons, public domain
A view of Wheeling, West Virginia c. 1863
On June 20, 1863 West Virginia became the 35th state.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
Audie Murphy on the right and Guy Mitchell on his left in the classic TV western “Whispering Smith” in 1961.
American hero Audie Murphy was born on June 20, 1925 in Kingston, Texas.
Sullivan Square Station, June 20, 1912
Beneath the vaulted steel trusses and sunlit windows of this Charlestown hub, Boston’s electric age thrived. Named for Governor James Sullivan, whose brief tenure belied a lasting legacy as a canal visionary, the station stood as a monument to civic momentum. Part of the Boston Elevated Railway’s Main Line, it linked the city to outlying towns such as Medford and Chelsea via electric streetcars and interurban routes. Order was enforced by signs warning against “disorderly conduct.” It was here, amid the hum of transit and the clang of progress, that a city on the cusp of modernity gathered momentum.
On June 20, 1948, a new variety show called “Toast of The Town” premiered on CBS Television.
The program’shost was Ed Sullivan whobegan his career as a sports journalistnearly threedecadesprior.
In 1955, the title of the program became“The Ed Sullivan Show” and continued to entertain audiences with first-run episodesuntil 1971.
Image of Ed Sullivan in the late 1940s via Alamy
On June 20, 1819, the SS Savannah, an American sailing vessel outfitted with a steam engine and side
paddlewheels, arrived in Liverpool, having completed the first trans-Atlantic crossing by such a ship. The
Savannah’s engine powered her for about 80 hours, or 11% of the 29-day voyage.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
A U.S. Army Air Forces recruitment poster from WWII with the heading
“‘Keep ’em Flying’ is Our Battle Cry! First Class Fighting Men Needed.”
On June 20, 1941,the U.S. Army Air Forces was created andcontinuedservices until 1947 when the U.S. Air Force was established.
Photograph of the
Paddle steamer “Fulton”
by Mathew Brady
June 20, 1864
via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
American boxer Floyd Patterson in an episode of Wild Wild West in 1968, eightyears after he regained the Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship on June 20, 1960.
Imagevia Wikimedia Commons, public domain
American actor John Goodman was born on June 20, 1952 in Affton, Missouri.
After moving to New York City, John did voice-overs and performed on stage before getting his big break in the 1986 film True Stories.
The movie was directed by Talking Heads lead singer David Byrne who also released an album by the same name.
You may remember John’s appearance in themusic video “Wild Wild Life.”
Image via Alamy
American actor Danny Aiello who was nominated for an Academy Award forhis supportingrole as Sal in Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing” was born on June 20, 1933 in New York City.
Image: Danny Aiello withEstelle Parsons in 1977 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
On June 20, 1975,Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film “Jaws”was released in North America.
Production of the highest grossing film of 1975 featuredmechanical sharks that were nicknamed“Bruce” afterSpielberg’s attorney.
Image via Alamy
