NASA Archives – Page 2 of 8

December 21 in U.S. military history

1861: President Abraham Lincoln signs a bill creating a “Medal of Honor” for enlisted sailors and Marines who “distinguish themselves

1902: Pres. Theodore Roosevelt orders Adm. George Dewey to take the U.S. North and South Atlantic Squadrons and sail to

1917: Four U.S. battleships, USS Delaware (BB-28), USS Florida (BB-30), USS New York (BB-34), and USS Wyoming (BB-32) arrive in

1918: When enemy fighters shoot down Ensign George M. Ludlow’s Machhi M.5 seaplane off the Austria-Hungary coast, Charles H. Hammann

1910: 100 feet over New York City’s Sheepshead Bay Race Track, Lt. Jacob E. Fickel becomes the world’s first aerial