I thought it would be appropriate to do a post on an event that was mentioned a lot yesterday as the news covered the storming of the Capitol. It was correctly pointed out that this was not the first time that people of ill-intent had broken into the building. That Read more…
The greatest mountain man was born on this day in 1798 in Bainbridge, NY. Jedediah Smith went west at age 24 to become a fur trapper. He joined William Ashley’s Rocky Mountain Fur Company. One his first expedition, up the Missouri River, he distinguished himself in a battle with Read more…
One reason the Allies chose Normandy as the D-Day invasion site was it would be a surprise. That element of surprise was crucial and needed to be maintained. Fortunately, the Germans (specifically Hitler) were fixated on the Allies doing what they would do – invade the closest place to Read more…
On Jan. 4, 1903, probably the first filmed killing of an animal occurred. The famous victim was Topsy the elephant. Topsy (named after a character in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”) had been smuggled into America from Southeast Asia by a circus in 1875. The circus was a rival of Barnum Read more…
I just got done spending hours adding content to the site, so now might be a good time to reintroduce the site. History Anecdotes for Teachers (HAFT) started as a way for me to share all the anecdotes I told in my Social Studies classes over my 39 year career. Read more…
In Feb., 1942 the French ocean liner SS Normandie was being converted into the troop ship USS Lafayette in New York harbor. On Feb. 9, a fire broke out and the ship was badly damaged. Although, officially proclaimed an accident, the Office of Naval Intelligence suspected sabotage. Questioning of Read more…
I am a big George Washington fan. He was a great leader and without his leadership, we would not have won independence and probably would have gone the route of Canada. But he was not a great general. He lost most of his battles and the two that saved the Read more…
In 738 B.C., the Romans adopted the ten-month lunar calendar from the Greeks. Those months were Martius (named for Mars – the god of war), Aprilius (named for aperio which means “to open” – a reference to flowers blooming in spring), Maius (named for the goddess who was in charge Read more…
Benedict Arnold was not always a traitor. In fact, he was quite a hero before he went over to the dark side. His resume included several noteworthy accomplishments. He helped Ethan Allen captured Fort Ticonderoga. He followed this up with a proposal to capture Quebec. He pointed out to Read more…
The Ancient Romans were known for their relative cleanliness in comparison to other ancient peoples, and especially in comparison to medieval man. They had the public baths for bathing. These popular sites were cheap enough for even the poor to visit weekly, if not daily. Plus, the baths offered Read more…