On this day in 1878, George M. Cohan was born.

George M. Cohan, a successful actor, singer, dancer, playwright, composer, director, and producer, was probably America’s first superstar. He was, as one of his plays put it, “The Man Who Owned Broadway.” Yet aside from his success on the stage, George Cohan is perhaps best known for his greatest hit, “Over There,” a patriotic tribute to the men who had enlisted to fight in World War I.

The story goes that Cohan composed the song while traveling on a train from New Rochelle, N.Y., into New York City. It was 1917 and the headlines of the newspapers were filled with stories about the war and America’s involvement. Cohan said, “I read those war headlines, and I got to thinking and humming to myself, and for a minute, I thought I was going to dance. I was all finished with both the chorus and the verse by the time I got to town, and I also had a title.”

The song became an instant hit with its inspiring, encouraging message:

So prepare, say a pray’r,
Send the word, send the word to beware.
We’ll be over, we’re coming over,
And we won’t come back till it’s over
Over there.

These simple verses of encouragement became a powerful tool for the U.S. Army in recruiting men to enlist. For these words and his contribution to the war effort, Cohan was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1940.

George Cohan’s stirring song is a great reminder that we should never underestimate the power of an encouraging word. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 that we are to encourage each other. A word of encouragement at the right time can make a huge difference. Try it some time. See how you can change your home, your classroom, or your Sunday school with just a few positive words of encouragement!

Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up (Proverbs 12:25, NLT).

To Do

Decide to encourage one person—a friend, family member, or teacher—during the entire day. Write notes, IM, or send emails throughout the day.

Also on this day . . .

1878—John Wise flew the first inflatable airship in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

1890—Idaho became America’s 43^rd state.

1962—Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005).