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Did You Know? The Forgotten History of September 7 — From Uncle Sam to Hurricane Katrina · Voices Of Life

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Welcome to the Did You Know series of the Voices
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of Life podcast, a ministry of the Church for
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Life. A place where faith speaks, where history
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breathes, and where hope finds its voice again.
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Each episode is crafted to inspire, to strengthen,
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and to guide you on your walk with God. And now,
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to lead us through today's journey, here is your
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host. Welcome to Voices of Life, a ministry of
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the Church for Life. I'm Pastor David. Did you
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know that we are taking a journey on September
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7th? A single calendar day spanning nearly two
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centuries from a barrel stamp in Troy to a beach
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in Atlantic City. Burning skies over London.
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A mighty carrier's commissioning. a museum opening
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in ohio a signature in washington a tragic night
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in las vegas and a drowning city searching for
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hope nine stories one remarkable day and here
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we begin so did you know on september 7 1813
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the nickname uncle sam appeared in print for
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the very first time It happened in the Troy Post
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of Troy, New York, right in the middle of the
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War of 1812. The newspaper complained about wartime
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setbacks landing on, quote, Uncle Sam's shoulders.
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But who was Uncle Sam? He was a real man, Samuel
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Wilson, a meatpacker from Troy who supplied beef
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barrels to American troops. Each barrel was stamped
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U .S. for united states but the soldiers knew
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sam personally so they joked that those letters
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stood for uncle sam and that joke stuck now here's
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what i love about the story and why it matters
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to us today uncle sam didn't stay a joke he grew
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into a personification of the federal government
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itself the tall figure with the white beard the
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top hat the pointed finger made famous by James
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Montgomery flags I want you for the US Army poster
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of World War one think about what that means
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government can feel distant abstract a word of
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bureaucracy a form to fill out but Americans
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gave it a face a face that recruited soldiers
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sold war bonds rallied a nation through two world
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wars even today Every April, when the tax forms
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arrive, Americans still say, sometimes with a
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smile, sometimes with a sigh, that they're paying
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Uncle Sam. That phrase, born in a barrel yard
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in Troy more than two centuries ago, is still
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on our lips. Historical truth? Ordinary people,
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a meatpacker, some joking soldiers, a newspaper
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editor, together. created one of the most enduring
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symbols of national identity in human history.
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God often works the same way through the ordinary.
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He builds something that lasts. Let's fast forward
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to September 7, 1921, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
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Local businessmen wanted to stretch the tourist
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season past Labor Day, so they staged a seaside
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contest, the Intercity Beauty Pageant. Sixteen
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-year -old Margaret Gorman of Washington, D .C.
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took the Watkins Trophy that day and soon carried
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the title Miss America, along with a golden mermaid
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statue. Judging back then leaned heavily on bathing
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attire and appearance, a far cry from today's
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blend of talent, interview, and scholarship.
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Yet that little boardwalk promotion became one
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of America's longest -running pageants. Now here's
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the historical truth. A tourism scheme meant
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to last a weekend became a national tradition
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for a century. On September 7th, 1940, the skies
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over London turned to fire. Nearly 1 ,000 German
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aircraft swept towards the British capital. The
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opening blow of the Blitz. Until that day, the
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Luftwaffe had pounded Britain's airfields and
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radar stations. Now, Hitler shifted to attacking
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the cities themselves. London first, night after
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night. Families slept in subway stations while
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the city burned above them. The raid was meant
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to break Britain's will before an invasion. Instead,
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it forged resolve. Historical truth, out of the
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destruction came defiance, a nation that refused
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to surrender. Now, let's talk about the USS Yorktown.
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It was commissioned on September 7, 1943. But,
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now let's talk about the USS Yorktown. A lot
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of calendars have it down to be commissioned
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on September 7, 1943. But here's the truth. CV
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-10 was actually commissioned on April 15, 1943.
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So today, instead of a birthday, let me tell
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you why this ship still matters to America. The
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Yorktown was an Essex -class aircraft carrier,
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the fourth Navy ship to carry that name. She
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was laid down as Bonhomme Richard in December
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1941, just days before Pearl Harbor. Then came
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the Battle of Midway in June 1942, where the
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earlier USS Yorktown, CV -5, was lost fighting
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heroically. The Navy honored her by renaming
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this new carrier Yorktown, and she went to war
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under Captain Joseph J. Jocko Clark. She fought
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across the Pacific, the Gilbert Marshall Islands,
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the Marianas, the Great Battle of the Philippine
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Sea, the Philippines Campaign, carrying more
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than 80 aircraft and helping to carry America
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to victory. But why does this matter today? Because
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Yorktown tells a story of how America builds
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when it must. In 1940, the U .S. Navy had only
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a handful of carriers. By war's end, the Essex
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-class ships, the Yorktown first among them,
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proved naval aviation and carrier -centered power
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would define American strength for generations.
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Even carrier battle groups that sail today, projecting
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America's presence around the globe, follow a
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doctrine proven on her deck. And there's one
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more gift. The Yorktown survives. She rests today
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at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in
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Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. One of the few
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World War II -era carriers, you could still walk
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aboard generations of schoolchildren climbing
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her decks and seeing what kind of living history
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there was that they could actually touch. And
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by the way, I got to visit that. particular museum
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the yorktown back in 1987 and it was a real experience
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for me because i had never been on a naval vessel
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up until that point and i took a group of youth
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on it and we toured the whole thing it took us
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hours and it was just a lot of fun but it was
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also a learning experience and you could relate
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to what some of the pilots went through when
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they were on there for these long deployments
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as i know recently we had a question about the
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USS Abraham Lincoln being deployed about nine
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months. But the record holder right now is the
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Gerald R. Ford, and it held a 364 -day deployment
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period, one day short of a year. So things like
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that happen. When there's war and conflict, you
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can be deployed for months on end, and they do
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the best they can, but that is the life of a
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military. officer and crew. By the way, fans
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of Hollywood history may know she has one more
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credit. She's portrayed a Japanese carry in the
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1970 film Tora Tora Tora, the old warrior kept
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serving even after her fighting days. Here's
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the historical truth. A nation that answers loss
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by building, honoring, and remembering that Yorktown's
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legacy and a challenge to every generation since.
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On September 7, 1963, the Pro Football Hall of
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Fame opened its doors in Canton, Ohio, with a
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charter class of 17 legends and a modest building
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of about 19 ,000 square feet. Why Canton? Because
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professional football was born there. The American
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Professional Football Association, later the
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NFL, was founded in that city in 1920, and the
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Canton Bulldogs were an early powerhouse. Though
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expansions in 1971, 78, 95, and 2012 -13, that
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small shrine grew into one of sport's grandest
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museums. Historical truth, Canton earned its
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place by founding the game, and the game repaid
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it with a monument. On September 7, 1977, at
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the Organization of American States headquarters
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in Washington, D .C., President Jimmy Carter
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and Panama's General Omar Torreos signed the
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Torreos -Carter Treaties, and the map of the
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Western Hemisphere quietly began to change. To
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understand that moment, you have to remember
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what the Canal Zone was, a 10 -mile -wide strip
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of Panama that operated essentially as an American
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territory, guarded by U .S. forces. since the
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early 1900s. To Panamanians, it was a wound in
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the heart of their nation. To many Americans,
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giving it up felt like surrendering something
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we had built with American genius, sweat, and
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sacrifice. The treaties set in motion a deliberate
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transition, Panama would gain steadily greater
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control. The United States would retain operational
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responsibility until the handover was complete.
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And on December 31, 1999, Panama assumed full
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control of the canal. A transfer completed without
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a shot fired. It was deeply controversial in
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America. It required difficult Senate ratification.
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Critics warned it was a strategic retreat. Supporters
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called it an act of justice and foresight. So
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what does that mean for America today? Well,
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three things. First, the canal is a vital artery
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of American commerce. A huge share of U .S. container
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traffic still passes through it. Its fate touches
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the prices we pay, the goods on our shelves.
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Second, the treaties became the template for
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a bigger idea that American leadership in Latin
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America could rest on respect and partnership.
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rather than occupation a principle still debated
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in our foreign policy right now and third it
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reminds us that sovereignty delayed is instability
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stored up panama today runs the canal efficiently
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proof as some say that trust wisely given is
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not weakness however the panamanian government
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in recent years has come under scrutiny for making
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certain deals with the chinese government which
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would be in favor of them and not so much in
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favor of the United States. Additionally, the
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building of the canal originally caused the lives
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of many Americans. So our blood, sweat, and tears
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were all part of that. But you do have to look
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at a nation's sovereignty. But it was something
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that they agreed to back early on, and why would
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we want to give it up now, meaning in the modern
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era. But what is done is done, and that's where
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we are. And a historic truth, historic truth,
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sometimes a nation's greatness is measured not
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only what it holds, but by what it's wisdom to
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let go of in the right time, in the right way.
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Let's say blessings we hope they did. On the
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night of September 7th, 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur
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was shot in a drive -by attack on the Las Vegas
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Strip, riding in a BMW driven by Death Row Records
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chief, Sujanite after the big fight at MGM Grand.
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Struck by multiple bullets, he died six days
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later on September 13th at just 25 years old.
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For nearly three decades, his murder stood among
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America's most famous unsolved cases. But here's
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what makes this anniversary extraordinary in
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2026. Just a few weeks ago, former gang leader
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Dwayne Cafe D. Davis was convicted of first -degree
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murder for orchestrating the killing. prosecutors
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tying it to retaliation over a confrontation
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involving his nephew davis plans to appeal so
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the 30th anniversary arrives only days after
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the verdict three decades in the making historical
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truth justice delayed but not forgotten the echoes
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of that night still shaped conversations about
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art violence and redemption by september 7th
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2005, nine days after landfall, Hurricane Katrina's
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fury had passed, but New Orleans was still drowning.
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Mayor Ray Nagin had ordered everyone to leave,
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and police, soldiers, and volunteers were going
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door to door by boat, by high water vehicles,
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pulling holdout families from flooded neighborhoods.
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The water itself was toxic, laced with sewage,
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chemicals, and fuel. Behind it all lay a chain
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of failures. Storm surge, broken levees, failed
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flood walls, and an overwhelmed emergency response.
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Katrina would claim more than 1 ,500 lives and
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displace hundreds of thousands. And it changed
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forever how America prepares for, responds to,
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and recovers from a catastrophe. And I can tell
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you firsthand, because I was on the ground for
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30 days. three days after Katrina hit. I was
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stationed in Waveland, Mississippi, and we were
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right there in Hancock County with Bay St. Louis
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and Pearlington and did the best we can. And
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to tell you the truth, we had heard, well, let
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me back up a second. We had Florida troopers,
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Florida police, Florida sheriffs, Florida firefighters.
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in fema and we all work very well together the
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locals had a lot of problems i think they went
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through five or seven emergency management directors
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in two weeks it was terrible and then there was
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a lot of fraud going on from the mayor of the
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city of wavelength trying to resell pet food
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to the fire chief hiding a fire engine but listing
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it as destroyed And I could tell you some stories,
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but I'm not going to burn you all down with that.
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But the point I'm trying to make here is catastrophes
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are a terrible thing. And at the end of the day,
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it was the people that suffered. Red Cross came.
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They were giving out debit cards. You remember
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those debit cards? Long lines. And I think I
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said in the last story that I suggested to the
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person in charge, like, hey, you're not going
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to be able to get to all these people today.
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Why don't we give out numbers for as many as
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we can and tell the other ones to come back tomorrow?
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She thought it was a great idea. We did it. And
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then she decides to move the distribution point.
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And I said, please don't do that. We're going
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to end up with two lines. And what did we end
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up with the next day? Two lines and a lot of
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frustrated, mad people. So, you know, we learned.
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I'm sure the Red Cross learned a lot from it
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after that. But it just goes to show you that
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the people were the ones suffering. They're the
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ones in these. And even if you gave them the
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debit card. there was nothing to buy you have
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to remember the entire cities were all flooded
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they'd have to drive hours to places that had
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power and were not um affected where they can
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actually get food that was not contaminated so
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um really bad thing and i was starting to say
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we we've heard about a lot of things happening
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in new orleans where the police abandoned their
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posts where all kinds of crazy stuff was going
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on at the superdome uh assaults rapes i mean
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just terrible things and and we had a force wanting
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to go and we were ready to go and we could have
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gotten there and done some good but the governor
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of louisiana refused to sign a mutual aid agreement
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that the governors of mississippi alabama georgia
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and florida had signed She just decided, nope,
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she's not having anything of that. So all that
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went on. Ray Nagin, he had said, oh, we dodged
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a bullet. We didn't dodge anything. And because
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for years they got all this extra money to work
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on their levies and they spent the money on something
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else. That's the corrupt New Orleans. So I just
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feel this is a point where I need to interject
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this stuff from my personal experiences there
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back in 2005. hopefully moving forward things
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like that 21 years later doesn't happen again
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so the historical truth here is a storm lasted
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the storm lasted hours its lessons about preparation
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infrastructure and compassion still shape us
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today now step back and look at the pattern of
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september 7th a barrel stamp becomes the face
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of the nation a boardwalk contest crowns a queen
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Fire over London forges the nation's will. A
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carrier's name is reborn to help win a world
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war. A small building in Ohio preserves the heroes
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of a young sport. A signature in Washington returns
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a wonder of engineering to its home people. A
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music legend falls, and 30 years later, the truth
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finally reaches a courtroom. And a broken city
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teaches a nation. what truly matters identity
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resilience sacrifice character nine moments on
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that one date every one of them still alive in
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american life today history reminds us friends
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symbols carry our identity courage carries our
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freedom and character carries our future nations
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rise not by comfort but what they build what
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they honor and what they have the grace to release.
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A nickname, a pageant, a bombing campaign, a
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carrier, a museum, a canal, a verdict, a flood,
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September 7th holds all of them. You've been
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listening to Voices of Life. Did you know? I'm
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Pastor David. Thank you for joining us. We hope
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to see you next time as history speaks again
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through faith and purpose. Thank you for joining
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us today. On the Voices of Life podcast, a ministry
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of the Church for Life. As we close, may the
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stories we share strengthen your faith, steady
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your heart, and remind you that God is present
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in every chapter of your journey. If this episode
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encouraged you, share it with someone who needs
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hope. And until we meet again, walk in truth,
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stand in courage. And keep listening for the
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voice that leads you forward. This has been Voices
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of Life. Peace be with you.