Maj. George Washington (Eric Forster of Butler) and guide Christopher Gist (Bob Shaner of Leechburg) react to a musket shot fired by a "French Indian" (Robin Herne of Pittsburgh, obscured by smoke) in a reenactment as part of the commemoration of the anniversary of Washington's 1753 mission to demand French withdrawal from the Ohio Country. Washington was not hit by the shot.

FORWARD TWP — More than half of the countries on Earth have a democratic government, which might not have been the case if an event 265 years ago in Butler County had played out differently.

That's the word from retired county Judge Martin O'Brien, who invites all county residents to celebrate the poor shooting skills of a Native American who fired at and missed Maj. George Washington on Dec. 27, 1753, near the current township municipal building.

Of course, Washington went on to become the nation's first president and took great pains to hold the 13 colonies together with the idea of creating a larger democracy.

O'Brien, who is a longtime member of the Washington Trail Association, said the idea of citizens making decisions and not a king or queen was unheard of in the mid-18th century.

But Washington was resolute in his pursuit of this new form of government.

“Without him and his personality and ability, I don't think the U.S. would have survived and I think we would have a bunch of little independent states,” he said.

Read more about George Washington's brush with death in Butler County in Thursday's Eagle.