In 1860, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was concerned about the possibility of a civil war. Being an abolitionist, Longfellow wanted the North to stand up to the South. He wanted to write an inspiration poem in favor of fighting for the Union. The result was “Paul Revere’s Ride”. He did Read more…
What would happen if you combined soccer hooliganism with street gangs and political parties? You would get something like the Nika Revolt of 532. The revolt occurred in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The Emperor Justinian I is considered the greatest Byzantine emperor. He had taken the Read more…
This post is going to be different. For Christmas, my wife got me “The History Buff’s Guide to World War II” by Thomas Flagel. I’m going to share some of the interesting stories and facts about WWII on this site. Just skimming through the book last night, I was intrigued Read more…
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Alexander Hamilton. You know, the guy in the play. Here are some interesting facts about this fascinating Founding Father. Alexander was born an illegitimate child on Nevis Island in the West Indies. His birth year was either 1755 or 1757. His father Read more…
Dull Knife and his band of Northern Cheyenne had participated in the Battle of the Greasy Grass (Little Big Horn), but they did not go on the run after the defeat of Custer. Big mistake. That winter of 1876, his village was surprised by vengeance-minded soldiers and badly beaten. Read more…
Jean Lafitte was born around 1780. Little is known of his childhood. When he was in his twenties, he began a life of crime, specifically piracy. He established a warehouse in New Orleans where he would sell goods taken by his older brother Pierre. Pierre was a pirate in Read more…
Most of us have an image in our mind of Davy Crockett swinging Old Betsy with a pile of dead Mexicans at his feet. Our mind’s eye doesn’t take us past that image, but we know the outcome. He ends up dead, as did all the Texicans who gave Read more…
On Dec. 16, 1944, Hitler launched his massive offensive in the Ardennes Forest. He committed his best remaining ground forces in the west to the attack. It took the Americans by surprise and created a bulge in the line that gave the battle its name. The tanks and infantry Read more…
The recent 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre has brought a lot of coverage of this forgotten event. You would assume it will now be covered in high school classrooms in the future. But that is not guaranteed. A similar incident that occurred two years later and was Read more…
Let’s put this claim in perspective. In the first half of the 19th Century, liquor was considered to be nutritious, it calmed the nerves, and helped with digestion. It could be used to wash down bad food. In 1830, it is estimated that Americans on average drank 5 gallons Read more…