Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On this day in 1849, Pope Pius IX visited USS Constitution while the Ship was anchored at Gaeta, Italy.
Because a commissioned American warship was considered sovereign U.S. territory, he became the first pope regarded as having set foot on American soil—nearly a century before the first papal visit to the United States.
#ussconstitution #onthisdayinhistory #papalhistory #navalhistory #maritimehistory #americanhistory #onthisday #otd
On this day in 1849, Pope Pius IX visited USS Constitution while the Ship was anchored at Gaeta, Italy.
Because a commissioned American warship was considered sovereign U.S. territory, he became the first pope regarded as having set foot on American soil—nearly a century before the first papal visit to the United States.
#ussconstitution #onthisdayinhistory #papalhistory #navalhistory #maritimehistory #americanhistory #onthisday #otd
