On June 30, 1908, a tremendous explosion occurred over a remote part of Siberia in Russia. It was equivalent to a 20-megaton explosion. It was 1,000 times the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The area was called Tunguska and it was so off the beaten path that the Read more…
Once upon a time, King Numitor was ruling the city of Alba Longa. Alba Longa was a city in central Italy. Numitor got overthrown by his younger brother Amulius. Numitor was exiled to a farm. His daughter Rhea Silvia was consigned to the Vestal Virgins to keep her Read more…
Most Americans think Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation set the slaves free. It is more complicated than that. The proclamation actually said that all slaves in Confederate controlled territory would be free as of Jan. 1, 1863. The only problem was the Union obviously did not have control of those areas Read more…
Clement Vallandigham was a Presbyterian minister turned lawyer. As the Civil War approached, he became an ardent anti-abolitionist. He supported states’ rights, even though he lived in the Ohio. When the war broke out, he was against it and criticized Pres. Lincoln’s continuing the war. He was the most Read more…
In 1988, Vice President George Bush surprised the world when he chose a little-known Senator from Indiana named Dan Quayle. The lightweight was partially chosen to bring youth and vigor to the ticket. Quayle was clearly in over his head and the press piled on from day one. The Read more…
Jack Broughton graduated from West Point in 1945. For the next 33 years, he was a fighter pilot. He flew 114 missions in the Korean War. He commanded the Thunderbirds. Later, he was deputy commander of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing in the Vietnam War. The wing flew F-105 Read more…
In June, 1958, Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter were married. They were high school sweethearts. They lived in Virginia, but they got married in Washington, D.C. thinking this would make their marriage legal. Richard was white and Mildred was of mixed race, but was legally considered black. In Virginia, Read more…
Yang Kyoungjong was a Korean who had been drafted into the Japanese army in 1938. He fought in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol in Siberia in 1938. The Soviets defeated the Japanese and he was taken prisoner. He was put in a labor camp. In 1943, the Red Army Read more…
In 1763, the French and Indian War ended with Great Britain victorious. France was forced to cede New France (Canada) to the British. Most of the Indian tribes sided with the French because of their fur trade relationship and because clearly the British colonists were a bigger threat to Read more…
Benedict Arnold could have had cities named after him. Before he became a traitor, he was one of the top three generals in the Continental Army. He helped capture Fort Ticonderoga, he led an epic campaign to Quebec, he fought an amazing naval battle using a makeshift gleet, and Read more…