Happy Corps of Discovery Kick-Off Day!

199 years ago today the Corps of Discovery set off on their journey across the continent to see just what the hell Jefferson had bought, and, fingers crossed, discover some of those mammoths Jefferson was so convinced were out there.  That didn't quite pan out, but they did make the journey to the coast of Oregon and back in two years and only lost one man. Quite the remarkable feat, given at one point in the expedition they survived on candle tallow and Lewis got shot in the ass about ten minutes outside St. Louis.

The real hero of the expedition, however, is my personal favorite George Shannon. He was the baby of the group and got lost twice. Two times.