“Truth is the first casualty in war” is a phrase used to describe government lies to the public to justify war and to boost morale during the war. But it’s not just the government pronouncements that you need to be skeptical about. Military reports and press releases often include exaggerations Read more…
Beer is one of the oldest man-made beverages. It may have first been produced in Ancient China as early as 7,000 B.C. Archeologists have found beer residue in pottery from that time period. It was more like mead than beer and had rice, honey, or fruit as ingredients. The Read more…
Here is a story from Herodotus. In the 6th Century B.C., the city of Babylon rebelled against Persian rule. When Darius I approached the city to restore control, the city gates were closed to him and he had to begin a siege of the city. The Babylonians were confident Read more…
Charles Jackson French was born in Arkansas. He learned to swim in the Red River when he was 8. In 1937, at age 18, he enlisted in the Navy. He served four years on the USS Houston. After getting out, he reenlisted after Pearl Harbor. He was on board Read more…
Even before WWII began, the British military analysts determined that destruction of German dams in the industrial Ruhr Valley would cripple industrial production. When the war began, the mission was green lit. Bernard Wallis, assistant chief designer for the Vickers company, was given the task of designing a bomb Read more…
Murals on the walls of archeological excavations show Roman women working out in two- piece outfits. These outfits went out of style after the fall of the decadent Roman Empire. It took more than 1,700 years for European females to get back to that look. On July 5, 1946, Read more…
The most famous battle in American History is the Battle of Gettysburg. On the first days of July in 1863, the Union Army of the Potomac under Gen. George Meade defeated the Army of Northern Virginia led by Gen. Robert E. Lee. The climactic attack was Pickett’s Charge. 15,000 Read more…
On July 1, 1863, the Civil War came to the sleepy town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. On that day Confederate soldiers looking for shoes ran into Union troops outside the town. In the ensuing fighting, the Rebels pushed the Yankees through the town to high ground outside the town. The Read more…
John Burns is the most famous sexagenarian that fought in the Civil War. John was born on Sept. 5, 1793. He fought in the War of 1812 (the Battle of Lundy’s Lane) and in the Mexican War. He moved to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. When the Civil War broke out, he Read more…
The Battle of the Somme is the epitome of the senseless slaughter of the Great War. It started on July, 1, 1916. Here are some interesting facts about the worst day in the history of the British army. The battle was preceded by a week-long artillery bombardment of 1.7 million Read more…