Latest news with #RevolutionaryWar
New York Post
12 hours ago
- New York Post
LI driver burns to death crashing into historic Quaker meeting house — and cops won't rule out possible hate crime
A Long Island driver burned to death early Thursday when his car burst into flames after smashing into a historic Quaker meeting house — and cops are not ruling out the crash was a potential hate crime. The unidentified SUV operator swerved off the road at high speed and crashed into the Quaker Society of Friends Meeting House in Manhasset off Northern Boulevard in Nassau County just before 6 a.m., instantly engulfing the vehicle in flames, authorities said. The white car was registered to a 41-year-old man from New Rochelle in Westchester County, but authorities could not confirm if the owner was behind the wheel at the time. 4 Authorities could not confirm that the owner of the car was behind the wheel at the time of the crash. Facebook/Manhasset-Lakeville Volunteer Fire Department 4 The meeting-house site dates back to 1650, when a structure was originally built there and obtained by local colonial Quakers in 1703. Eyewitness News ABC7NY Cops said they are investigating why the driver swerved into the historic building and refused to rule anything out, including whether the incident could have been a targeted attack or a hate crime. Arson investigators and the county bomb squad were on the scene backing up the fire marshal and detectives. The fire from the car badly damaged the left side of the building. The meeting-house site dates back to 1650, when a structure was originally built there and obtained by local colonial Quakers in 1703. The meeting house burned down during the Revolutionary War but was rebuilt in the 1800s, and the property is also home to Long Island's oldest and largest oak tree. The site is listed in the US National Register of Historic Places. 4 Crews arrived and found a vehicle which had struck the building and fully engulfed in flames. Facebook/Manhasset-Lakeville Volunteer Fire Department 4 The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. Eyewitness News ABC7NY 'It's a special place,' said Dick Lopez, a member of the Quaker community, to CBS News. He said the home is used as a religious meeting place and a home-schooling center for local Quakers and a variety of art and culture programs the community holds. Firefighters from four departments responded to the scene: The Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department first and then firefighters from Port Washington, Plandome and Great Neck.
Boston Globe
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Is Gloucester ready for Bunker Hill?
Ready or not, Gloucester is about to find out, because on Saturday and Sunday, the city's Stage Fort Park will play host to An aerial view of the Bunker Hill monument in Charlestown in 2021. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Advertisement Picture a thousand reenactors portraying Colonists and British soldiers. Three schooners, standing in for the British Navy, firing cannons from Gloucester Harbor. And perhaps tens of thousands of visitors who are expected to flood the city for the event. The rebels lost at Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, in the first major battle of the Revolutionary War, but proved their mettle against a trained, British army. The reenactment is part of a wider celebration this year of the beginning of the American Revolution. Related : 'While we would love to host this event on the original ground, we just don't have that kind of space in Charlestown, and the goal is to do it justice on a larger scale than that piece of land would allow,' said Tom Dietzel, president of the 10th Massachusetts Regiment and one of the organizers of the event. Advertisement 'It's a dream come true to be able to pull off something with this scope,' he said, noting that you'd have to go back to the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976 to find a Massachusetts reenactment that approaches this scale. Still, many locals are unaware, or confused about why the event is taking place at Visitors climbed the steps on the seawall at Cressy's Beach at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester May 22, 2020. John Blanding/Globe Staff/The Boston Globe And while there is certainly some buzz in Gloucester for the battle reenactment — which will be performed over two days to break up the anticipated crowds — it has stiff competition. That's because the following week is Related : 'All anyone's talking about is Fiesta,' said Horgan, a 31-year-old Gloucesterman who will be walking the greasy pole for the ninth time this year. 'That's all Gloucester thinks about this time of year, but it sounds like we need to start thinking about Bunker Hill before all these people show up.' Advertisement And it could be easy to get people excited, for America's oldest seaport loves its ships. And never has anyone seen what's about to happen in the harbor. 'Very rarely do we in the reenactment community have a chance to involve a naval presence,' said Steve Cole, the captain of the It's going to be big. It's going to be loud,' Cole said. 'And come Saturday, it's going to take over the city, whether the locals know it or not. Billy Baker can be reached at
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Descendants of Battle of Bunker Hill fighters tell about unsung family heroes
CHARLESTOWN, MA – One of the turning points during the Revolutionary War was the Battle of Bunker Hill 250 years ago. While it was a British victory, the confidence and morale of the colonial militia were greatly boosted. The militia were not trained soldiers, but rather ordinary men who were doctors, tradesmen, even farmers. (See the video at the top of this article.) Timothy Riordan, Ph.D., historian and vice president of the Charlestown Historical Society in Massachusetts, said the average age of the men fighting the British Army was 27 years old. With Riordan's research, he founded the "Brothers of the Battle" program. It helps to locate and find descendants of militiamen who fought for America's independence, he said. "Bunker Hill was thought of as the most important battle because it's where we proved we could fight the British," Riordan told Fox News. Dozens of descendants gathered for events around the 250th anniversary. One of them was a New Hampshire representative of Rockingham 13 in Derry, New Hampshire. State Rep. Steve Pearson (R) is a descendant of Lt. John Wheeler, who fought under Doolittle's regiment at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Pearson said the Battle of Bunker Hill "really set the tone in the colonies, set the tone in media propaganda … [It] made people realize, 'There's no going back now.'" Another descendant eager to tell the story of a long-admired family member is Matt Woodfin. He said he's proud to be the descendant of two men who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Just before the Battle of Bunker Hill, 20,000 men from the area decided this was the time to stand up to the British. One is Michael Dalton, expected to have been a fife during the battle. "He was one that was blowing the flute-type whistle to kind of direct troops, left, right, when to eat, when to march," Woodfin told Fox News. Just before the Battle of Bunker Hill, 20,000 men from the area decided this was the time to stand up to the British. One of those men was Woodfin's eighth great-uncle, Henry Dearborn. "He heard about Concord and Lexington and just put down whatever he was doing and just started walking south." Dearborn was a doctor who became a captain, said Woodfin. "Before a formal army, before anything like that, you basically earned your rank by the number of folks you were able to recruit. He came down with 40, 50, 60 men and showed up here as a captain," said Woodfin. Dearborn later served under President Thomas Jefferson as secretary of war in 1801. Woodfin said Jefferson presented an ornate sword to Dearborn during a ceremony. It has been taken care of by the Woodfin family for generations. Many more trekked to Charlestown, Massachusetts, including Josiah Puffer. Sheila Puffer, a descendant of his, said "he lost a thumb [due to] the explosion of a gun in his hands and was disqualified from military service." She found a book written by a family member over 100 years ago, telling many stories of Josiah Puffer over the years. He fought in the French and Indian War, then at Bunker Hill. "When he enlisted, it is said that he passed the examination by wearing gloves of which the thumb of one was filled with wood," she said. For more Lifestyle articles, visit While the British won the battle at Bunker Hill — the colonial militia got the confidence boost. "They only lost because they ran out of ammunition," said Riordan. The British Army lost twice as many casualties than the American patriots. But Riordan said that proves an undisciplined and untrained militia could stand against the British. "It's not that they stood there and fought — it's because they stood there and fought for what they believed in," said Riordan.
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Titan submersible implodes
Today is Wednesday, June 18, the 169th day of 2025. There are 196 days left in the year. Today in history: On June 18, 2023, the submersible vessel Titan, on an expedition of view the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean, imploded, killing all five people aboard. Also on this date: In 1778, American forces entered Philadelphia as the British withdrew during the Revolutionary War. In 1812, the War of 1812 began as the United States Congress approved, and President James Madison signed, a declaration of war against Britain. In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo as British and Prussian troops defeated the French Imperial Army in Belgium. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter and Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev signed the SALT II strategic arms limitation treaty in Vienna. In 1983, astronaut Sally Ride became America's first woman in space as she and four other NASA astronauts blasted off aboard the space shuttle Challenger on a six-day mission. In 1986, 25 people were killed when a twin-engine plane and helicopter carrying sightseers collided over the Grand Canyon. In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Georgia v. McCollum, ruled that criminal defendants could not use race as a basis for excluding potential jurors from their trials. In 2018, President Donald Trump announced he was directing the Pentagon to create the Space Force as an independent branch of the United States armed forces. In 2020, the Supreme Court, in the case of Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, rejected by a 5-4 decision President Donald Trump's effort to end legal protections for more than 650,000 young immigrants. Today's Birthdays: Musician Paul McCartney is 83. Actor Carol Kane is 73. Actor Isabella Rossellini is 73. Singer Alison Moyet is 64. Football Hall of Famer Bruce Smith is 62. Hockey Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis is 50. Actor Alana de la Garza is 49. Country musician Blake Shelton is 49. Football Hall of Famer Antonio Gates is 45.
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Today in History: June 18, War of 1812 begins
In 1778, American forces entered Philadelphia as the British withdrew during the Revolutionary War. Advertisement In 1812, the War of 1812 began as the United States Congress approved, and President James Madison signed, a declaration of war against Britain. In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo as British and Prussian troops defeated the French Imperial Army in Belgium. Advertisement In 1979, President Jimmy Carter and Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev signed the SALT II strategic arms limitation treaty in Vienna. In 1983, astronaut Sally Ride became America's first woman in space as she and four other NASA astronauts blasted off aboard the space shuttle Challenger on a six-day mission. In 1986, 25 people were killed when a twin-engine plane and helicopter carrying sightseers collided over the Grand Canyon. In 1992, the US Supreme Court, in Georgia v. McCollum, ruled that criminal defendants could not use race as a basis for excluding potential jurors from their trials. In 2018, President Trump announced he was directing the Pentagon to create the Space Force as an independent branch of the United States armed forces. In 2020, the Supreme Court, in the case of Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, rejected, by a 5-4 decision, President Trump's effort to end legal protections for more than 650,000 young immigrants. In 2023, the submersible vessel Titan, on an expedition of view the wreckage of the Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean, imploded, killing all five people aboard.
