1802: The U.S. Military Academy at West Point officially opens.
First announced by newly-minted president Thomas Jefferson a year earlier, the United States Military Academy (USMA) in West Point, New York, officially opened on July 4, 1802. In its early days, this now-prestigious school got off to a rocky start. There was no strict curriculum or length of study, and the students ranged in age from 10 to 37 years old.
oh and the Great State of Texas :
1845: Texas agrees to become a member of the United States.
