October 27, this Monday, is the original Navy Day, the day that was established in celebration of the United States Navy. Although the observance was officially replaced by Armed Forces Day in 1949, the celebrations of Navy Day continue, especially among the members of the Naval Forces themselves.

Research undertaken in the 1970s revealed that the true birthday of the U.S. Navy is October 13, and the birth date of this branch of the Armed Forces was officially changed. The birthday is celebrated on that day. However, the entrenched celebration from before still holds credibility, and October 27 is still celebrated as Navy Day without the birthday reference. Here is some historical context:

In 1922, 50 years before Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt authorized recognition of October 13 as the official birthday of the U.S. Navy in 1972, the Navy League of the United States sought to designate a day to celebrate the Navy. It chose October 27, the birthday of former President Theodore Roosevelt.

It was a fitting choice to bring Roosevelt into the mix, for up until that time, there had been no greater proponent for the Navy, which he once said was “the right arm of the United States and is emphatically the peacemaker.” A student of naval history, he published his definitive history of the naval war of 1812 when he was just 23 years old. Roosevelt eventually served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy before his presidency.

As President, he famously dispatched the Great White Fleet, so named because the warships were painted a brilliant white to draw maximum attention, on an around-the-world cruise as a show of American naval might. In addition, he was a pioneer of sorts in ordering American warships to trouble spots when it was in the national interest.