His mother was an American socialite who was introduced to Lord Randolph Churchill at a regatta by future King Edward VII. His mother had a snake tattoo on her wrist. She remarried twice, both men were twenty years younger. He was a poor student and failed his entrance exam to Read more…
On December 8, 1814, a British fleet reached Ship Island 60 miles east of New Orleans. British rowboats armed with small carronades and carrying British soldiers ran off a motley American flotilla. The British crossed bayous to put an army on the east bank of the Mississippi River, south of Read more…
Long before Benedict Arnold, there was Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. Gaius grew up in a patrician family. When he reached adulthood he became an officer in the Roman army. In 493 B.C., a Roman army was laying siege to the Volscian city of Corioli. A relief army arrived and at Read more…
Roman military history is a popular subgenre in military history. Many books have been written about this period. Unfortunately, most of the original sources have been lost to history. For instance, Livy wrote a History of Rome from its beginnings to 9 B.C.E. Only 35 of his 142 books Read more…
The B-17 bomber was called “Ye Olde Pub”. It was on its first mission. The target was a German aircraft factory in Breman, Germany. The date was May 25, 1943. Its pilot was 2nd Lt. Charles “Charlie” Brown. Bremen was defended by 250 anti-aircraft guns. “Ye Olde Pub” managed Read more…
In 1966, the US began a bombing campaign in the Vietnam War called Operation Rolling Thunder. Most of the bombs were dropped by F-105 Thunderchiefs (called Thuds) fighter-bombers. The pilots faced some of the best air defenses in history. By late 1967, over 325 had been shot down by Read more…
The Peloponnesian War was a war pitting Athens and Sparta. Although Athens was the cultural heart of ancient Greece, it had provoked the war. By 415, both sides had suffered defeats and celebrated victories. A tenuous peace was in place, but everyone knew the war would be revived soon. Read more…
In 295 B.C.E., Rome was faced with the chilling prospect of four peoples combining against it. The situation was so dire that Rome had five men who were given imperium. In other words, the Romans had five armies in the field led by five generals. Quintus Fabius and Publius Read more…
Publius Clodius Pulcher was one of the most notorious Roman politicians. He was born in 93 B.C. to an important patrician family. In 73 B.C., he accused Cataline of sex with a Vestal Virgin. Cataline was found innocent and Clodius was forced to leave Italy. He went to join Read more…
She was born probably in 1822 in Maryland. Her name was Arminta Ross. Her mother called her “Minty”. Both her parents were slaves. Three of her sisters were sold away. When the master came to sell away one of her sons, she threatened to split his skull and he backed Read more…