Operation Galvanic was the invasion of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll. Tarawa was in the Gilbert Islands. It is 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. Adm. Chester Nimitz felt the island, with its airfield, needed to be taken before attacking the Marshall Islands. Tarawa would be the start of the island-hopping Read more…
JFK was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963. President Lyndon Johnson appointed the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination. The commission determined that Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy, he acted alone, and there was no conspiracy. These findings were controversial and even today most Americans think the commission got it wrong. Read more…
There have been 3,515 Medals of Honor awarded since its inception in the Civil War. All of the recipients were brave men (and one woman). If we were to rank their acts, William Deane Hawkins would be in the top 10%. Hawkins was born on April 9, 1919. At Read more…
One of the most famous characters in French literature is the Man in the Iron Mask. Voltaire first broached the story of the older illegitimate brother of Louis XIV (the product of a liaison between Queen Anne and Cardinal Mazarin). According to Voltaire, he was locked up in an Read more…
The first mention of the Amazons is by Homer in “The Iliad”. He refers to them as the Androktones (“killers of men”). Homer says they were fighting on the side of the Trojans in the Trojan War. The warriors were led by Queen Penthesilea. She was killed by Achilles in Read more…
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first battle of the Vietnam War for America. It took place from Nov. 14-15, 1965. Although Lt. Col. Harold Moore’s 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry was surprised when it landed at Landing Zone X-Ray and had to survive attacks from more numerous North Read more…
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first battle of the Vietnam War for America. It took place on Nov. 14-15, 1965. The movie “We Were Soldiers” depicts the battle. Bruce Crandall was not well-known until the movie made him famous. Greg Read more…
The USS William D. Porter was a destroyer commissioned on July 6, 1943 with a crew of rookies commanded by Lt. Commander Wilfred Walter. Little did they know, they would attempt to assassinate the President. In November, 1943, the “Willie Dee” was assigned escort duty for the battleship Iowa. Read more…
Here’s an excellent video for Bruce Springsteen’s song about the Wall, which opened to the public on Nov. 13, 1982. Videos can be interesting additions to lessons.
When I was in elementary school, I can remember my teacher telling a story about the young Christopher Columbus watching a ship leave the harbor. He noticed that as it got further away it disappeared, but with its sails staying in sight longer than the hull. Eureka! Columbus deduced Read more…