Charles Wilson Peale’s portrait of Washington commemorating the victory at Princeton.
(FoxNews) – The storied blue sash worn by George Washington (above) during the Revolutionary War has gone on display at Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution. The sash, on loan from Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Ethnography and Archaeology, was rediscovered several years ago by Dr. Philip Mead, chief historian and director of curatorial affairs at the Museum of the American Revolution. Mead found the artifact at the Peabody Museum, where it had essentially been hidden in plain sight for decades. He spent years studying the sash before concluding that it was indeed the one worn by Washington.
The sash (below) which is on display until Oct. 9, is featured with a 1776 portrait of Washington by Philadelphia artist Charles Willson Peale, which depicts him wearing the sash. The portrait is on loan from the Brooklyn Museum.
Washington’s uniform sash.
George Washington depicted in the Battle of Princeton.
On this day in 1944, Paris, France, was liberated by Allied forces ending four years of German occupation.
Captain Matthew Webb (above) swam from Dover, England, to Calais, France making him the first person to swim the English Channel on this day in 1875. The feat took about 22 hours.
Engraving depicting the completion of the ‘First Swim Across The English Channel”.
CaptainMatthew Webb (1848 – 1883)
It was on this day in 1985.
Kinsey died on this in 1956 at the age of 62. The cause of death was reported to be a heart ailment and pneumonia.
Sean Connery as agent Bond, James Bond.
Sir Thomas Sean Connery is 87 years old today.
Iconic Scottish actor Sean Connery starred as secret agent 007 James Bond in seven films from 1962 to 1983, including Dr. No, From Russia with Love and Goldfinger. He earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1987 gangster film The Untouchables and also played prominent roles in the films The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Rock (1996),and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).
Elvis Costello (Declan Patrick MacManus) is 63 years old today.
Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello has contributed to the proto-new wave and punk movements with such songs as "Pump it Up" and "Allison." He released his debut album My Aim is True in 1976. His group Elvis Costello and the Attractions were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
Leonard Bernstein(August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990)
Leonard Bernstein was an American composer, conductor, author, music lecturer, and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the US to receive worldwide acclaim. According to music critic Donal Henahan, he was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history."
Bruce Springsteen‘s album "Born to Run" was released on this day in 1975.
Born to Run is the third studio album by singer-songwriterBruce Springsteen. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number three on the Billboard 200 and eventually selling six million copies in the U.S. It has since been considered y critics to be one of the greatest albums in popular music.
The Mount Vesuvius eruption killed approximately 20,000 people and much of the area was buried in volcanic ash.
It happened on this day in 1814.
On this day in 2006.
The planet Pluto was reclassified as a "dwarf planet" by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Pluto’s status was changed due to the IAU’s new rules for an object qualifying as a planet. Pluto met two of the three rules because it orbits the sun and is large enough to assume a nearly round shape. However, since Pluto has an oblong orbit and overlaps the orbit of Neptune it disqualified Pluto as a planet.
On this day in 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the U.S. non-stop. The trip from Los Angeles, CA to Newark, NJ, took about 19 hours in her Lockheed Vega (above).
Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Model 5B Vega, NR7952, on display at the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum.
On this day in 1989, Pete Rose, the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, was banned from baseball for life after being accused of gambling on baseball.
Former Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose at the start of a news conference at Riverfront Stadium after being given his lifetimesuspension from baseball.
It was announced on this day in 1945 by President Truman that Japan had surrendered unconditionally. The surrender ended World War II.
President Harry Truman announcing the surrender of Japan.
It happened on this day in 2003.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law on this day in 1935. The act created unemployment insurance and pension plans for the elderly.
On this day in 1969, British troops arrived in Northern Ireland to intervene in sectarian violence between Protestants and Roman Catholics.
Polish demonstrators carrying banners with the name of the trade union Solidarność (“Solidarity”).
Polish shipyard worker and strike leader, Lech Walesa, speaks to fellow workers.
Stephen Glenn Martin is 72 years old today.
Comedian, actor and musician, Steve Martin is best known for his films The Jerk (1979), Father of the Bride (1991), Three Amigos (1986), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) and Planes,Trains and Automobiles (1987). He hosted the Academy Awards in 2001, 2003 and 2010 and he has hosted NBC’s Saturday Night Live on a number of occasions.
Martin has increasingly dedicated his career to music since the 2000s, acting less and spending much of his professional life playing banjo, recording, and touring with various bluegrass acts, including Earl Scruggs, with whom he wona Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance in 2002.
Last combat troops began leaving Vietnam on this day in 1972.
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy Jr. (July 25, 1915 – August 12, 1944)
Joseph Kennedy, Jr was a United States Navylieutenant. He was killed in action during World War II while serving as a land-based patrol bomber pilot and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. He was the oldest brother of John F. Kennedy. Joseph was the only Kennedy son who never sought political office.
New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey (left) resigned after revealing that he was gay on this day in 2004.
The Russian nuclear submarine Kursk sank and its 118-man crew died during naval exercises in the Barents Sea on this day in 2000.
Wreck of the Kursk on a floating dock at Roslyakovo.
Cecil Blount DeMille(August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959)
Cecil B. DeMille was a filmmaker who made a total of 70 features, both silent and sound films between 1913 and 1956. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most successful producer- director in film history. His films were distinguished by their epic scale and by his cinematic showmanship.
