A Lithograph of the Peacemaker Explosion, N. Currier (firm), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

How ‘The Peacemaker’ Tragedy Altered American History

The Story of Love, Death, and Politics Aboard the USS Princeton

It was a Wednesday, February 28th, 1844. The weather was unexpectedly warm, what one guest later called “almost a summer sky.” Dignitaries from all over Washington had gathered for a pleasant, peaceful cruise down the Potomac.