Hello and welcome to this day, a history podcast from Radiotopia. My name is Jody Avergan.

This day, April 24th, 1778. We are in the third year of the Revolutionary War. Fighting is taking

place across the colonies on land and at sea. The French are

secretly helping the Americans. The British are starting to feel the pressure, and the Americans

are lodging some pretty successful naval battles. Many of them, as you would imagine,

take place off the American shore. But starting in 1777, some American captains are getting

a little plucky.

They have taken their ships closer to England, mounting attacks on trading vessels and others in the English Channel.

And then on this day, in April of 1778, a captain by the name of John Paul Jones decide to up the ante.

He's not just going to cruise around off the coast of England.

He is going to attack the shore. And this, Jones's raid on the port of Whitehaven is the only

American attack on British soil during the American Revolution. And let's be honest, it was a little bit

of a half-brained idea, kind of half-failed, it kind of maybe mostly failed.

But let's talk about John Paul Jones, bringing the fight to the British here, as always,

with their full brains, not half-brained, Michael Hammer of Vander, of Vander and Kelly Carter-Jackson

of Wesley. Hello there. I am not promising you have my entire brain, but you've got a good

three-quarters of it.

Hello, Jody.

Hey there.

But you promise to never mount a bungled 2am raid on the port of Whitehaven?

I promise nothing.

No.

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