FUN FACTS – Our Military Life Blog

Leap Year Fun Facts!

Kate — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 10:08:41 +0000

This year is a leap year.

We get an extra day in February!!! I have always found the concept of the leap year fascinating. I won’t delve into the scientific side of things as it hurts my brain, but here are some fun and fascinating facts about this day/year.

-to be a leap year, the year must be divisive of 4

-If we didn’t have a leap year, our seasons would eventually be out of sync.

-there is a leap-year cocktail https://www.seriouseats.com/leap-year-cocktail-recipe

People born on 29th February are called ‘leaplings’ or ‘leapers’ (reword)

According to tradition, it’s a day when a woman can propose to men

Started with Julius Cesar in 46BC, but the math wasn’t mathing until Pope Gregory XIII tweaked it 1500 years later

-it is not legally recognized as a day

-4 million people are leap-day babies; are you one of them?

For more fun and interesting blog posts, click here.

A Brief History of Independence Day

Rebecca — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 21:04:15 +0000

The 4th of July is just around the corner, and most of the United States is gearing up for a long holiday weekend. There is more to this day than just a long weekend. This became a federal holiday in 1941, but we have been celebrating this holiday much longer than that.

During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress met and declared their independence from England, signing the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776. It was ratified and adopted by the original 13 colonies on July 4, 1776.

A Few Fun Facts About Independence Day:

Very few colonists wanted independence from Britain when the hostilities first broke out. These colonists were considered radicals in the beginning. Later, many of these radicals became our founding fathers.
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense helped to spread the fervor for independence from Britain.
A five-man committee was formed to draft a declaration for independence. These men were: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, and Robert R. Livingston. Although they worked as a committee, Thomas Jefferson wrote the bulk of the Declaration of Independence.
50 years after the passing of the Declaration of Independence, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, founding fathers and Presidents of the United States, died within a few hours of each other.
Adams and Jefferson were friends who had a feud that lasted for many years. In the last few years of their lives, they patched their friendship and kept in touch until the end.

John Adams wrote to his wife that Independence day “will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival” and that the celebration should include “Pomp and Parade…Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other.”

As we celebrate this independence day, we remember the original meaning of this day that brings this fabulous holiday about and the men and women who have gone on to serve our great nation through the Armed Forces.

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.

~Elmer Davis~

Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness.

~Louis D. Brandeis~

America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination.

~Harry S. Truman~

Happy Birthday to the United States Marines!

Rebecca — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 05:12:13 +0000

November 10, 2017 marks the 242 birthday of the United States Marine Corps! They were established first on 10 November 1776, as the Continental Marines. Their creation stemmed from a need to keep the newly formed Navy safe. The Marines were on-board security, as well as being able to From the beginning of their history, they have been involved in the conflicts that have beset the nation. Since their establishment, they are attached to the Department of the Navy, and have worked closely with the Navy for many years. But their roles have evolved over the years as well. Not only will they sail with the Navy, but they will conduct land assaults as well. They have become a universal fighting force, and one that has been depicted in hundreds of movies, television shows and songs.

Their very first amphibious landing, on Fort Nassau in the Bahamas was a victory. It resulted in the British surrendering as well as gaining several cannon and munitions that were needed. Since then, the Marines have been going strong for the past 242 years. During the 1700s the Marines were best known for their fighting against pirates. There are some surprising fun facts about the Marine Corps. Legend states that the first Marines were formed while in a bar. While some historians dispute this, it remains embedded in Marine Corps history to this day.

Here are some of the key battles that the Marine Corps have participated in:

Battle of Baldensburg
Battle of New Orleans
Battle of Wake Island
Battle of Guadalcanal
Battle of Tarawa
Battle of Iwo Jima
Battle of Belleau Wood

The Marine Corps has a proud history, and one that will continue to shine for many years to come. We want to wish all of the Marines out there a very Happy Birthday!! If you would like to learn more about the Marines here are a few links that you can follow: