September 19

September 19 is the 263rd day of the year, and the American record for it runs from 1777 to 1985 — a span of 208 years. The entry that anchors it: American Revolutionary War, 1777.

In the years around independence, the date turns political. In 1777, American Revolutionary War — British forces win a tactically expensive victory over the Continental Army in the First Battle of Saratoga. A year later, in 1778, the Continental Congress passes the first United States federal budget. Then, in 1796, George Washington's Farewell Address is printed across America as an open letter to the public.

By the middle of the nineteenth century the date carries heavier freight. In 1862, American Civil War — Union troops under William Rosecrans defeat a Confederate force commanded by Sterling Price. A year later, in 1863, American Civil War — the first day of the Battle of Chickamauga, in northwestern Georgia, the bloodiest two-day battle of the conflict, and the only significant Confederate victory in the war's Western Theater. A year later, in 1864, American Civil War — Union troops under Philip Sheridan defeat a Confederate force commanded by Jubal Early. With over 50,000 troops engaged, it was the largest battle fought in the Shenandoah Valley.

In the first half of the twentieth century the date turns technological. In 1944, World War II — the Battle of Hürtgen Forest begins. It will become the second-longest individual battle that the U.S. Army has ever fought.

The postwar entries show a nation both expanding and contesting itself. In 1985, Tipper Gore and other political wives form the Parents Music Resource Center as Frank Zappa, John Denver, and other musicians testify at U.S. Congressional hearings on obscenity in rock music.

The date is also a birthday. Among the Americans born on September 19: John Ross Key (1754), American lieutenant, lawyer, and judge; Orson Pratt (1811), American mathematician and religious leader; William Sellers (1824), American engineer, inventor, and businessperson; Frank Eugene (1865), American-German photographer; and Ben Turpin (1869), American comedian and actor.

September 19 is also a date of endings. Among the Americans who died on it: Giles Corey (1692), American farmer and accused wizard (born c. 1612); Hans Christian Heg (1863), Norwegian-American colonel and politician; William Sprague (1868), American minister and politician; and James A. Garfield (1881), American general, lawyer, and politician, and the 20th President of the United States.

8 entries, 208 years, one square on the calendar. September 19 is a reminder that history is experienced as an ordinary day before it is remembered as a date.