Marco Polo was born in Venice around 1254. His father left his pregnant mother to go with Marco’s uncle to trade with China on the Silk Road. He met his father for the first time when he returned when Marco was 15 years old. In 1271, he and his Read more…
When King Philip of Macedonia invaded Greece in 338 B.C., he defeated an Athenian/Theban army at the Battle of Chaeronea. Resistance ceased as all the other Greek city-states submitted to Philip’s victorious army. All except Sparta. When Philip arrived outside Sparta, he halted his army and awaited the Spartan Read more…
Charles was a major player in the Hundred Years War. At times he sided with the English, and at other times he sided with the French. His unscrupulous machinations got him the title Charles the Bad. His death probably brought a smile to many of his enemies. According to Read more…
Vlad III was born on Nov. 8, 1431 in Transylvania (part of modern Romania). Vlad was the son on Vlad II Dracul. The “Dracul” referred to his membership in a military fraternity called Order of the Dragon created by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund to face the Ottoman Empire. Vlad Read more…
Lafayette “Lafe” Pool was born to a Texas farm family in 1919. When he graduated from high school, he attempted to enlist in the Navy. His twin brother was taken, but he wasn’t because of an eye injury. He went to college, but in 1940 he joined the Army. Read more…
Will Rogers was born in Indian Territory in what is today Oklahoma. The date was Nov. 4, 1879. He considered himself to be a Cherokee American. He liked to say: “My ancestors didn’t come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat.” A good student, he dropped out Read more…
The biggest Presidential election upset occurred on Nov. 2, 1948. The incumbent was Harry Truman. He had succeeded Franklin Roosevelt and was attempting to be elected on his own. Success seemed inconceivable. His approval ratings were so low that the Democratic Party tried to dump him. Party leaders asked Read more…
Draco was a celebrated reformer in Athens. His strict code of laws gave us the word “draconian”. There is a famous anecdote that has a citizen reproaching Draco for the strictness of his laws. “How do you justify the death penalty for stealing a head of cabbage?” Draco: “I Read more…
On the night of Oct. 30, 1938, America was invaded by Martians. Over the next couple of hours, the aliens killed millions and conquered Earth, but then germs (today it would be fast food) killed them because they had no immunity. Naturally, many people listening to news reports on Read more…
The first use of Native Americans as code-talkers was in WWI. The Germans were intercepting and decoding Army messages. An officer overheard two Choctaw Indians talking in their language and had an idea. They and several other Choctaw were assigned to deliver messages in their language. Machine gun became Read more…