Late one April night in 1775, Paul Revere made what would become his famous midnight ride to warn of an impending British attack against the people of Massachusetts. For years, tensions had been building across the North American British colonies and were rising ever higher in New England. On April 19, 1775, they would explode at the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which kicked off the American War for Independence.
(George Washington was the calm, cool, collected leader the colonies needed.)