PEARL HARBOR RADAR – *** Here’s an anecdote from my WWII page. On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Privates Joseph Lockard and George Elliott were operating an experimental radar station near Pearl Harbor. They were off duty at 7 A.M., but since their ride had not arrived, Elliott was Read more…
Sutlers were civilian merchants who sold provisions to the soldiers. They were also known as victualers. The occupation went back to the French and Indian War and sutlers could be found in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Most of them followed the armies and sold out of Read more…
The Earl of Oxford attended Queen Elizabeth’s court one day and as he bowed low before the monarch, he broke wind. He was so embarrassed that he stayed away from the court for several years. When he finally returned and approached the Queen to bow again, she said: “My lord, Read more…
I was just clued in to a fascinating video on the wars of the 20th Century. The wars are covered in chronological order. You’ll probably be surprised how many wars mankind was involved in last century. Or maybe you won’t. Each war is represented by a single war movie. Each Read more…
Foraging was common in the Civil War. It is defined as “living off the land” by confiscating civilian food and supplies to supplement the army’s logistics. It differs from looting which can be defined as the stealing of non-military items. Foraging is sanctioned by military traditions, but looting is not. Read more…
After Becket’s martyrdom, legends grew about him. Supposedly, he turned water into wine twice while dining with the Pope. But accidentally since he would not have wanted to be pretentious. He was known for not only wearing hair shirts to torture himself, but he also wore hair underpants. In one Read more…
A plantation is a large farm that mass produces a cash crop using a large labor force. The first were the latifundia in the Roman Empire which produced wine and olive oil. Later, the Spanish and Portuguese created plantations on Atlantic islands. Most were sugar cane plantations. It was quickly Read more…
President Lincoln was the first President to “pardon” a turkey, but it was not for Thanksgiving. Lincoln got a turkey as a gift for Christmas dinner. His ten year old son Tad fell in love with the bird which he named Jack. One day, he barged into a cabinet meeting Read more…
In November, 1862, Lincoln replaced George McClellan with Ambrose Burnside as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Burnside developed a plan to take Lee by surprise by crossing the Rappahannock River and swiftly advancing on Richmond. Easy, peasy. Unfortunately, the bureaucracy raised its ugly head and things moved the Read more…
In the 1880’s, Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud began experimenting with and researching a new miracle drug called “cocaine”. In 1884, he published his findings in a report entitled “Uber Coca”. Freud sung the praises of this “magical substance.” He touted it as a cure for digestive ailments, asthma, fatigue, pain, Read more…