July 6, 1747 - John Paul Jones (left) is born at Kirkcudbright, Scotland. The son of a gardener, John Paul began his maritime career at age 13 when he joined the merchant service. Working his way up, he became captain of the brig John in 1768. Following an incident in 1773, when he was forced to kill a member of his crew, he fled to Virginia and added "Jones" to his name. With the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, he joined the new Continental Navy. After sailing with Commodore Esek Hopkins' squadron in early 1776, Jones was given command of the sloop Providence. Cruising off Nova Scotia, Jones displayed skill as a commerce raider capturing sixteen prizes during his first cruise. On June 14, 1777, Jones was given command of the new sloop-of-war Ranger and departed for Europe. Operating in the waters off Great Britain, he captured the sloop-of-war HMS Drake and raided the town of Whitehaven. In 1779, Jones took command of Bonhomme Richard and was given a small squadron of ships with orders to attack British shipping. Circling the British Isles, they attacked a British convoy on September 27, 1779. Bonhomme Richard engaged HMS Serapis, a 44-gun frigate, and captured the ship after a prolonged fight. Returning to France, Jones was hailed as a hero. After serving in an administrative capacity in Europe, he elected to join the Russian navy of Catherine the Great in 1788. Fighting in the Black Sea, he fell out with the other Russian commanders. Returning to Paris in 1790, he lived in retirement until his death two years later.

Photograph Courtesy of the US Senate