Our first medal

George Washington was born on Feb. 22, in 1732, so to celebrate let’s talk about his plan to honor the weary troops that fought the Revolutionary War.

In 1782, as the Revolutionary War was winding down and peace talks were happening in Paris, Gen. George Washington came up with a way to sway any thoughts of rebellion. Congress was running out of money after years of war. Troops were hungry and unpaid and there was talk of mutiny.

He decided to create the Badge of Military Merit to recognize heroic acts by his troops.

The requirements for earning the badge were a lot different from today’s Purple Heart. Soldiers had to do something unusually heroic or perform some act that was essential to the success of the Continental Army. Both the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart came from the Badge of Military Merit.

It was the first award meant for enlisted troops. Before this, the only way to recognize heroism by an enlisted soldier was to promote him, or for a general to give him a battlefield commission.

The Badge of Merit, which became the Purple Heart is America’s oldest military award.

No one knows for sure how many soldiers ever received it.

Washington’s order was allowed to lapse after the war ended. Despite this great start, the Badge of Military Merit was soon forgotten for 150 years. The Purple Heart wasn’t revived until Feb. 22, 1932, on Washington’s 200th birthday. Designed by Elizabeth Will, an Army heraldic specialist, the modern medal was awarded for meritorious service, but now soldiers could also receive it if they’d been wounded by the enemy.

The award was made retroactive — World War I soldiers who had earned certain awards could apply for the Purple Heart. The first medal was presented to Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the Army chief of staff at the time.

At first, the Purple Heart was only available to soldiers, but in 1942 Congress changed the rules for earning the award, authorizing it only for wounds, and made it available to all services, including some civilians.

Civilians who worked with the military, like Red Cross workers or war reporters, remained eligible for the award until 1997. Civilian employees of the Defense Department who are killed or wounded by an enemy now receive the Defense of Freedom Medal.

Dogs and a horse were given the medal on occasion until April 25, 1962, when President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 11016 and formally established the rules for awarding the Purple Heart medal: Military service animals are no longer able to receive the award. Kennedy received the Purple Heart for being wounded in World War II. He is the only president to have one.

About 1.07 million Purple Hearts were awarded during World War II.

In 1942, Army Lt. Annie G. Fox became the first woman to receive a Purple Heart for her heroic actions during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

More on Washington

Although he never lived in Washington D.C. or the White House, George Washington did help build the capital. In July 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act which called for the permanent capital of the U.S. to be located on the Potomac River. The city was known as Columbia until 1791 when it was named in Washington’s honor.

Getting to Washington, a chronological table of the capitals

1. Philadelphia, Carpenter’s Hall, 1776

2. Philadelphia, State House, 1776

3. Baltimore, Henry Fite’s House, 1776

4. Philadelphia, State House, 1777

5. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Court House (one day), 1777

6.York, Pennsylvania, Court House, 1778

7. Philadelphia, College Hall, then State House, 1778

Congress under the Articles of Confederation

8. Philadelphia, State House, 1781

9. Princeton, New Jersey, “Prospect,” then Nassau Hall, 1783

10. Annapolis, Maryland, State House, 1783

11. Trenton, New Jersey, French Arms Tavern, 1784

12. New York, City Hall, then Fraunce’s Tavern

Congress under the Constitution

13. New York, Federal Hall, 1785

14. Philadelphia, Philadelphia County Building, 1790 (until 1800)

15. Washington D.C. (1800 on)

Why it took 36 years to build the monument

July 4, 1848: The cornerstone of the monument is laid with great fanfare. Within the 24,500 pound marble cornerstone was a zinc case filled with mementos, including copies of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and coins.

Fall 1854: By the end of the building season, the Washington Monument stood 152 feet tall and the Washington National Monument Society had exhausted all funds for the project.

1861: The monument’s grounds are used to house livestock during the Civil War.

1876: Ownership transfered to the federal government.

1880: Construction resumes.

1884: Finished at 555 feet, 5⅛ inches, the tallest building in the world at the time.

You can find the National Park Service’s complete Washington Monument construction timeline here.

Sources: The Department of Defense, Mount Vernon, National Park Service, U.S. Senate, Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, City of Washington D.C., USO