St. Patrick’s Day is renowned for its green beer and revelry, but on March 17, 1776 the day marked a turning point in the Revolutionary War. Through the course of events, a young bookworm would serendipitously uncover a solution that unlocked American innovation and changed history.
Today, we take the term “The United States of America” for granted, but when a plucky Irishman in Washington’s Navy used it for the first time, the unity of the American colonies as well as their quest for independence was in question.
“These are the times that try men’s souls,” Paine wrote. “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”
