One of the most consequential battles of the Revolutionary War occurred on Oct. 7, 1781. It was part of Britain’s southern campaign. Lord Cornwallis had been sent to this theater because it was believed that the southern colonies were rife with Loyalists (Tories) just waiting to help the British. Read more…
On Sept. 26, 1777, the British occupied Philadelphia after defeating Washington’s army at Branywine and Paoli. Washington was itching for some payback and decided to roll the dice with the Battle of Trenton as his template. When he learned that Gen. William Howe had divided his army between Philadelphia Read more…
Our story of early Rome begins in a region of Italy called Latium. It was probably named from the Latin word “latus” which means wide, as in flat land. Latium was divided by the Tiber River. North of the river to the Arno River was Etruscan territory and the south Read more…
The famous “called shot” was probably also a media creation. It supposedly occurred on Oct. 1, 1932. In a 1932 World Series game in Chicago, the crowd and the opposing team were extremely hostile. When Ruth came to the plate, the noise was deafening. Ruth took the first two Read more…
On Sept. 28, 1781, Washington and his Continental Army arrived at Yorktown, Virginia and began the siege. Here is the chronology of the siege: August 1 – Cornwallis arrives at Yorktown after his pyrrhic victory at Guilford Courthouse (March 15). He expects to get reinforcements for Henry Clinton’s army in Read more…
Edward the Confessor died on Jan. 5, 1066. Being very religious meant he thought sex was a sin. Not surprisingly, he had no son to succeed him. This led to the medieval dread of a power struggle to replace the dead monarch. The English nobles comprising the witan chose Read more…
In 1940, Franklin Roosevelt was gifted a Scottish Terrier puppy by a cousin. He named the dog Murray the Outlaw of Falahill after a Scottish ancestor. Thankfully, the little dog was nicknamed Fala. FDR and his pet became fast friends. After Fala had a health scare because he was Read more…
To win a war, you must have a good strategy and use good tactics. The Greek word “strategos” is the Greek word for “general”. Their word “taktos” meant “ordered or arranged”. We now use strategy to refer to the overall plan to win a war. Tactics refers to the Read more…
Angela “Geli” Raubal was found dead in a Munich apartment on Sept. 19, 1931. She was Adolf Hitler’s neice and companion. Hitler had met her in 1925 when she was 23 years-old and he was 42. Geli was the daughter of a maid that Hitler hired. He became infatuated Read more…
Today is Constitution Day! The greatest governing document in history was signed on Sept. 17, 1787. It is the oldest and shortest (4,400 words) constitution in the world. 70 delegates were selected by the states. 55 attended the convention. 42 attended the last session. 39 signed it. 8 were also Read more…