On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia voted to "adopt" troops in Boston and New York City, forming the force that, in the centuries since, has become the US Army.
From it start as state militias joined together to fight the fearsome British redcoats, the US Army has gone on to become the strongest fighting force in the world.
The US Army, the largest branch of the US armed forces, is charged with land-based operations, drawing on some of the best technology in the world to do it.
On the US Army's 242nd birthday, you some photos of its storied history below.
Some of the first pictures of the US Army are of Union soldiers during the Civil War. Here's a photo of soldiers camping along the west bank of the Rappahonnock River at Fredericksburg, Virginia, during the Battle of Chancellorsville.
One of the most famous Army units was Teddy Roosevelt's "Rough Riders." They are pictured here after the Battle of San Juan in 1898.
The Army began acquiring fixed-wing aircraft in 1910. Here, Army planes fly over Manhattan in 1939.
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