A Revolutionary Discovery

Archaeologists have unearthed musket balls that were fired by American soldiers nearly 250 years ago, during the American Revolution.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord opened the American Revolution. Part of the battle took place on the Old North Bridge.

Archaeologists have discovered five musket balls that, amazingly, were used in one of the battles that opened the American Revolution.

The musket balls were discovered at Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord, Massachusetts. They were located near the site of the Old North Bridge, where a famous American Revolution battle took place on April 19, 1775—one of the two that are collectively called the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

The fighting began on April 18 at Lexington, Massachusetts, where British soldiers attempting to crush the rebellion faced off against minutemen (members of the American militia), killing eight Americans and wounding 10. The British then went on to Concord, intending to destroy military supplies the Americans had stored there. But the American militia had been tipped off, giving them enough time to hide most of the supplies and prepare to fight back. The two sides met at the Old North Bridge, where a battle broke out that is now considered to be the start of the American Revolution. The newly discovered musket balls are from that battle.

This is what the North Bridge looks like today.

The musket balls range from pea-sized to marble-sized. Experts say the variations in size indicate that the musket balls were used by the minutemen, who would have brought their own ammunition to the fight. British soldiers used ammunition that had been issued to them and did not vary in size. The musket balls are intact but not in perfect condition, suggesting they were fired but missed their targets.

“It’s incredible that we can stand here and hold what amounts to just a few seconds of history that changed the world almost 250 years ago,” Jarrad Fuoss, a ranger at Minute Man National Historical Park, said in a press release.

NEWS BREAK

U.S. Gymnastics Team Strikes Gold!

(From left to right) Simone Biles, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Hezly Rivera.

The U.S. women’s gymnastics team is golden once more! On July 30, the five Americans earned gold at the 2024 Olympics women’s gymnastics final. Made up of Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezley Rivera (Rivera competed in the qualifying round but not the final), the American team earned a total of 171.296 points.

The U.S. has won the women’s team gold medal in three out of the last four Olympics. This time, they defeated Italy, the silver medalists, by almost six points. The team from Brazil won the bronze, their first gymnastics team medal.

Later in the week, Simone Biles won yet another gold medal, this time in the individual all-around final. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade earned the silver, while Suni Lee of the U.S. (who won the all-around gold at the 2020 Olympics), earned the bronze. Members of Team USA also won individual event medals, including a gold for Biles in the vault.

Did You Know?

Today, the U.S. president and the first lady are photographed all the time. But because photography didn’t exist until the 19th century, the nation’s first several leaders weren’t photographed until well after they left office—if they lived long enough.

Below, check out the earliest known photos of a president and a first lady. The photo on the left, taken in 1843, shows sixth U.S. president John Quincy Adams, who served from 1825 to 1829. The photo on the right, taken in about 1846, shows first lady Dolley Madison. Her husband, James Madison, served as the fourth U.S. president, from 1809 to 1817.

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; Secretary of the Smithsonian and the Smithsonian National Board; The Burnett Family Fund; C. & M. Thoma; C. & D. Keller; T. Lindholm & L.G. Lindholm; Mr. & Mrs. J.W. McCarter, Jr.; Mr. & Mrs. R.J. Gidwitz; E.G. Miles & N.R. Greene; R. Goldsmith; D.D. Hiller; R. & J. Horwood; and M. Martell; Sotheby’s; Photo composite Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Spies of the Revolution

A portrait of Benjamin Tallmadge, with handwritten words and numbers in the background.

Major Benjamin Tallmadge created the Culper Spy Ring. This image shows a page from the Culper Code Book, which allowed the spies to communicate privately.

Did you know that spies played an important role in the American Revolution? A group of informants (spies) called the Culper Spy Ring provided General George Washington with crucial information about British plans and troop movements.

The Culper Spy Ring was the creation of Major Benjamin Tallmadge, Washington’s director of military intelligence. These men and women were friends of Tallmadge who were loyal to the cause of independence. They conducted their operations in New York, where British headquarters was located.

Throughout the war, the members of the spy ring pretended to be loyal to the British king, placing themselves in settings where they could gather information without raising suspicion. Ring member Robert Townsend, for example, ran a coffee house and worked as a journalist, collecting information at parties in his capacity as a reporter.

The information had to be written down in a way that it would remain confidential if anyone else saw it. Tallmadge gave each spy a fake name and created a code that substituted numbers for important names and places, like George Washington and England. The spies also wrote in invisible ink that could be revealed using a chemical agent.

The Culper Spy Ring proved to be very successful. Its members notified Washington about a planned ambush, unlocked Britain’s naval codes, and uncovered an operation in which Britain was counterfeiting American money to reduce its value.

The British were never able to identify the members of the spy ring.

A Soldier’s Secret

Science History Images/Alamy

When officers realized that Deborah Samson (right, in uniform) was a woman, they told her to deliver the news to General George Washington (center). Washington authorized Samson’s discharge from the army.

During the American Revolution, a woman named Deborah Samson disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the 4th Massachusetts Regiment. She fought alongside the other soldiers for at least 17 months. When Samson was injured, she refused medical help and cleaned her own wound, fearing she’d be caught. No one knew Samson’s true identity until she got sick and was taken to a doctor. At that point, she was told to leave the military.

It’s hard to know how the other soldiers reacted when they found out who Samson really was. But Samson was given an honorable discharge from the military, and her husband later received a pension as her widower. This suggests Samson’s service was respected.

In 2019, historians found a diary written by Abner Weston, another Revolutionary soldier.

“There happened an uncommon affair at this time,” Weston wrote. “For Deborah Samson…dressed herself in men’s clothes and…[went] into the three years’ service. But being found out, returned the hire and paid the damages.”

You can read more about Deborah Samson at Britannica!

WORD OF THE DAY

chutzpah

PART OF SPEECH:

noun

Definition:

: personal confidence or courage that allows someone to do or say things that may seem shocking to others

Definitions provided by

Criss Cross

See if you can figure out where each word goes.

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