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On Nov. 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress formally approved the formation of two battalions of Marines that would be used as landing forces along with the Naval fleet.
The Marines launched their first amphibious raid on the Bahamas in 1776 under the direction of Captain Samuel Nicholas, the Marine Corps first commissioned officer, according to Military.com.
Following the end of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Marines were disbanded. The Marine Corps was reinstated in 1798 when tensions with Revolutionary France resulted in conflict. Marines landed in Santo Domingo, and took part in many operations against the Barbary pirates along the "Shores of Tripoli".
There are currently more than 200,000 active-duty and reserve Marines, organized into three divisions stationed at Camp Lejeune, Camp Pendleton and Okinawa, Japan, Military.com said.
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