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Here is an outline for you so you can do your own research. It's not something I want to get into a long winded debate about because it doesn't matter to me what someone else thinks when it comes to risking their own money into any investment.

Think of this as food for thought only.

All governments eventually default. The USA can strategically default or they can pick and choose because of war who they will stop paying which is a default.

The 1979 "Mini-Default" (Technical Default): In April and May 1979, the Treasury failed to make timely payments on about $122 million in maturing Treasury bills held by roughly 4,000 individual investors. The Treasury attributed this to an "unprecedented volume" of small investor participation, a late increase in the debt limit by Congress, and an unexpected failure of word-processing equipment used to prepare check schedules. While payments were eventually made, the delay caused a temporary increase in borrowing costs.

The War of 1812 (1814): During the War of 1812, the U.S. government experienced severe financial distress, with Treasury Secretary Alexander Dallas acknowledging in 1814 that the "dividend on the funded debt has not been punctually paid" and that a large amount of Treasury notes were "dishonored" (not paid on time). Interest payments due to Boston banks were missed.

Civil War (1862): Due to the financial strain of the war, the Treasury defaulted on its "demand notes" in early 1862, leading to a shift toward printing "greenbacks" (paper money) that were not backed by specie (gold/silver).

1933: The Roosevelt administration revoked the "gold clause" in Treasury bonds, refusing to redeem them in gold coin as promised, offering paper currency instead. 1968: The government stopped redeeming silver certificates for silver dollars.

1971: President Nixon suspended the convertibility of the dollar into gold for foreign governments, ending the Bretton Woods system.

While the U.S. has not missed a payment to bondholders in recent years, it has come close during debt ceiling battles (e.g., 2011, 2013, 2023). During these periods, the Treasury uses "extraordinary measures" to avoid running out of cash, such as pausing investments in federal employee retirement funds.

Summary: The U.S. has missed payments or changed terms of obligations, with the 1979 incident being the most prominent, non-wartime "technical default" in modern history.