John McRae was born in Canada on Nov. 30, 1872. He graduated from college and became a doctor. He served in the Second Boer War. In 1904, he became a member of the Royal College of Physicians. He specialized in pathology. When Canada entered WWI, he volunteered, even though Read more…
Not all pirates were men. Two of the most infamous were Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Much of our information about this fascinating duo comes from “A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates” by Capt. Charles Johnson (which some think was a pseudonym Read more…
William the Aethling was the heir to King Henry I of England. He grew up a spoiled brat and was said to be “destined to be food for the fire”. In 1120, he accompanied his father on a diplomatic mission to France. On Nov. 25, 1120, he was returning Read more…
It was common for colonists and Native Americans to have feasts for giving thanks. Sometimes they came together for the meal. There was one near Jamestown in 1619. In the case of the first Thanksgiving, it was common for the Pilgrims to give thanks, but in a religious manner. Read more…
Operation Galvanic was the invasion of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll. Tarawa was in the Gilbert Islands. It is 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. Adm. Chester Nimitz felt the island, with its airfield, needed to be taken before attacking the Marshall Islands. Tarawa would be the start of the island-hopping Read more…
JFK was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963. President Lyndon Johnson appointed the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination. The commission determined that Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy, he acted alone, and there was no conspiracy. These findings were controversial and even today most Americans think the commission got it wrong. Read more…
There have been 3,515 Medals of Honor awarded since its inception in the Civil War. All of the recipients were brave men (and one woman). If we were to rank their acts, William Deane Hawkins would be in the top 10%. Hawkins was born on April 9, 1919. At Read more…
One of the most famous characters in French literature is the Man in the Iron Mask. Voltaire first broached the story of the older illegitimate brother of Louis XIV (the product of a liaison between Queen Anne and Cardinal Mazarin). According to Voltaire, he was locked up in an Read more…
The first mention of the Amazons is by Homer in “The Iliad”. He refers to them as the Androktones (“killers of men”). Homer says they were fighting on the side of the Trojans in the Trojan War. The warriors were led by Queen Penthesilea. She was killed by Achilles in Read more…
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first battle of the Vietnam War for America. It took place from Nov. 14-15, 1965. Although Lt. Col. Harold Moore’s 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry was surprised when it landed at Landing Zone X-Ray and had to survive attacks from more numerous North Read more…