Joseph Bonaparte was the older brother of Napoleon. Due to Napoleon’s nepotism, he became King of Naples (where he was popular) and later King of Spain (where he was not). He was dethroned and when his brother was defeated an shipped off to exile on the island of St. Read more…
In 1964, the U.S. sent its first combat troops to South Vietnamese to prop up the non-communist government. No significant contact with the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army occurred until the following year. American forces were taking losses from surprise attacks, so payback was necessary. The idea was Read more…
When I was a teenager and reading on the Civil War, I learned that the word “hooker” came from Union General Joseph Hooker. (Then I looked up what a hooker was.) Tee hee! Well, it turns out that etymology was false. Historian Norman Eliason found it in print as Read more…
After the Japanese surrender, Gen. MacArthur ordered the arrest of numerous Japanese generals and politicians for war crimes. When G.I.s surrounded his house, Hideki Tojo shot himself in the chest. But he missed his heart. When the soldiers, with reporters, broke into the house, Tojo was lying on the Read more…
George Patton was born on November 11, 1885. Almost like he planned on being born on the future Veterans Day. Or Armistice Day as it was known until 1954. Here is one of my favorite anecdotes about this remarkable man. Here is a conversation that Gen. Patton had when he Read more…
Henry Wirz was one of the villains of the Civil War and one of only two men who were executed for war crimes after the war. Wirz was a Swiss immigrant at age 26. He settled in the South and when the war broke out he enlisted in the Read more…
Benjamin Banneker was one of the first African-American intellectuals in America. He was born on November 9, 1731. His father was a freed black and his mother was the daughter of a white indentured servant. He was self-educated. He created an irrigation system for the family farm and built Read more…
Milo of Croton was the strongest man in Ancient Greece. He got that way by carrying a newborn calf on his shoulders every day. As the calf grew into a fully grown cow, Milos gradually got stronger. To maintain his strength he consumed 20 pounds of meat, 20 pounds Read more…
On Nov. 5, Brits get together to commemorate the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. They build a bonfire which they dance around. They sing chants and shoot off fireworks. They shout this poem: Remember, remember the firth of November / The gunpowder treason and plot / I know of no Read more…
One of the greatest poets of the Great War was born on March 18, 1893. He came from a middle class family. In grade school he became interested in poetry. He was influenced by the Bible and Romantic poets like Wordsworth and Keats. When the war broke out he Read more…