On this day in 1775, with the American Revolution only months old, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia passed a resolution calling for two battalions of Marines. That Nov. 10 decision is the date the United States Marine Corps still celebrates as its birthday. Today, Tuesday, Marines around the world are marking 251 years, one day before the nation pauses for Veterans Day.
A tavern, a captain and two battalions
The resolution created the Continental Marines, soldiers who would serve aboard ships and fight ashore, according to History.com. Samuel Nicholas became the first commissioned officer of the Continental Marines, and he is honored today as the Corps’ first commandant.
Marine tradition places the first recruiting at Tun Tavern, a Philadelphia waterfront tavern built as a brew house in 1685. A Marine Corps article from Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms says proprietor Robert Mullan became the first Marine recruiter. History.com adds an honest caveat: there is little hard evidence for the story, and another pub, the Conestoga Wagon, may have been the real recruiting spot. Either way, the original Tun Tavern burned in 1781, and Interstate 95 now runs through its old location, where a marker remembers it.
The first landing
The new Marines saw action within months. On March 3, 1776, Nicholas led about 220 Marines ashore near Nassau on New Providence Island in the Bahamas, History.com reports. The landing was unopposed, and the Americans captured the town and two forts, seizing cannons and mortars. It is remembered as the Marines’ first landing on a hostile shore, the start of a tradition that would later include hundreds of landings around the world.
Born twice
The Continental Marines did not last. After independence was won, the Continental Navy was demobilized and its Marines were disbanded in 1783. The Corps came back on July 11, 1798, when President John Adams signed a bill establishing the United States Marine Corps as a permanent force under the Department of the Navy, according to History.com.
How Nov. 10 became a celebration
On Nov. 1, 1921, Commandant John A. Lejeune issued Marine Corps Order No. 47. It directed that a message on the Corps’ history be read to every command on Nov. 10 that year and every year after, Military.com reports. That reading still happens today.
Other traditions followed. The first formal Marine Corps Birthday Ball was held in Philadelphia in 1925, built around the unveiling of a memorial tablet at the Tun Tavern site. The first well-documented cake-cutting ceremony took place at Marine Barracks Washington in 1937. In 1952, Commandant Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. standardized the ceremony. By custom, the first slice goes to the guest of honor, and the second goes to the oldest Marine present, who passes it to the youngest, a symbol of experience handed to the next generation.
Marking 251 years today
This year’s birthday message from the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric M. Smith, honors 251 years of history and calls the Corps the nation’s “premier expeditionary force in readiness,” as published by the Marine Corps Association. The message notes that about 40,000 Marines are forward deployed around the world and closes by honoring them as “Soldiers of the Sea.”
The Marine motto, Semper Fidelis, means “Always Faithful” in Latin. That promise is also on display this week across the country. Upstormed News recently shared the story of a 100-year-old World War II veteran’s homecoming in At 100, Texas WWII Navy vet rates Honor Flight welcome ‘105 out of 100’.
From the Marine birthday to Veterans Day
Because the Marine birthday falls the day before Veterans Day, many Marines and their families celebrate the two together. Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, remembering the end of World War I fighting. According to VA News, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill in 1954 proclaiming Nov. 11 as Veterans Day. Congress moved the holiday to a Monday in October in 1968, then returned it to Nov. 11 in 1978. For a rundown of what’s open and closed tomorrow, see Veterans Day 2026: What’s closed, plus free meals and deals for veterans.
Why it matters for families
The birthday cake tradition offers families a simple lesson: the oldest generation hands something to the youngest. If you know a Marine, today is a natural day to say “Happy birthday” and ask what the Corps means to them. Children can learn a lot from a few minutes of listening. Tomorrow, Veterans Day is a good time to thank anyone who has served, in any branch.
For another story of American courage at sea, read Robert Smalls Steered a Ship to Freedom, Then Spent His Life Opening Doors.
Read more: “Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?” The True Story Behind a Famous 1871 Meeting
Is there a Marine or veteran in your family whose story you would like to share?
Sources: History.com, “7 Things You May Not Know About the U.S. Marine Corps” (accessed November 10, 2026); History.com, “This Day in History: November 10 – Birth of the U.S. Marine Corps” (accessed November 10, 2026); U.S. Marine Corps (MCAGCC Twentynine Palms), “Tun Tavern: Birthplace of the Marine Corps” (November 6, 2013); Military.com, “Why Commandant Lejeune Created Marine Corps Birthday Traditions — And How They Built Corps Pride” (November 7, 2025); Marine Corps Association, “A Message From The Commandant Of The Marine Corps” (November 10, 2026); VA News, “The history of Veterans Day” (November 11, 2023).
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