To Mark Japan's Surrender at the End of World War II, This Navy Officer Raced Halfway Around the World With a Historic Flag in Tow

Commodore Matthew Perry may not have enjoyed the same level of prestige as his older brother Oliver Hazard Perry, who famously defeated the British fleet at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812—but that was about to change. In July 1853, the American naval commander was on the cusp of accomplishing something few other mariners had done. The smoke-blowing steam engine of the paddle frigate USS…