The song “Dixie” is forever associated with the South before and during the Civil War. Ironically, it was written by an Ohioan named Daniel Decatur Emmett. He meant it to evoke a the positive effects of slavery, although it may have been a parody. It was first sung as Read more…
Gladiators were usually either slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war. Some might even be free men who joined for the adventure and/or fame. New gladiators were called novicius. They were brought to the training school (ludus). The owner was called the lanista. He had to determine what category the Read more…
Today is the anniversary of one of the worst maritime disasters in history. The crew of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis would have been proud that they had contributed to the ending of WWII and the saving of many American and Japanese lives, but what they had done was Read more…
Today is the anniversary of the ramming and sinking of John F. Kennedy’s PT-109 in 1943. A PT (patrol torpedo) boat was a wooden, speedy boat used against enemy shipping. Their attacks on Japanese warships were close to suicidal. What follows was my examination of the accuracy of the movie Read more…