
George Washington
First President of the United States (1789-1797)
Father of the United States of America,
President of the Constitutional Convention
General of the Revolutionary Army
President of the Constitutional Convention
General of the Revolutionary Army

Biography

» See All 'Quotable Quotes'
This Day In History 259 Years Ago
May 28, 1754
Lieutenant Colonel George Washington
Begins The Seven Years' War
Lieutenant Colonel George Washington
Begins The Seven Years' War

On this day in 1754, a 22-year-old lieutenant colonel of the Virginia militia named George Washington successfully defeats a party of French and Indian scouts in southwest Pennsylvania as Virginia attempts to lay claim to the territory for its own settlers. The action snowballed into a world war and began the military career of the first American commander in chief.
The Ohio Valley had long been a contested territory among French Canadians, various Indian groups and the British colonies of Pennsylvania and Virginia. When the French began to establish fortifications along the river and refused Virginia's written demand that they depart, Virginia's governor, Robert Dinwiddie, dispatched Washington to complete and defend a Virginian fort at the forks of the Ohio. » Full Article
Significant Events This Day In History
» History