An interesting historical story.
Robert Smalls was born on April 5, 1839. Smalls was born a slave in 1839. His master hired him out as a deckhand on local ships and he eventually rose to pilot of a cotton transport called the Planter, based in Charleston harbor. When the Civil War broke out, Read more…
On April 2, 1801, the British fleet destroyed the Danish navy. Out of this battle came a famous phrase. In 1801, Great Britain was interested in preventing a Franco-Dutch alliance. Denmark had a powerful fleet, which if joined to the French fleet, might have changed the naval balance of Read more…
Pompeii and Herculaneum were covered by volcanic ash in 79 A.D. It was not until the 18th Century that they were uncovered by archeologists. Originally, the Pompeii site was no secret as some of the taller buildings protruded a bit, but in 471 and 512 had further eruptions that Read more…
On February 15, 1942, the port of Singapore fell to the Japanese. It was a terrible blow to the British Empire as 80,000 British, Indian, and Australian soldiers were taken prisoner. Naturally, the Allies wanted revenge. In walked a civilian named Bill Reynolds. The 61-year-old had used a Japanese Read more…
On March 29, 1849, a slave mailed himself to freedom. Henry Brown was a slave in Richmond, Virginia. He was married with three children, but his master broke his promise and sold his family away to the deep South. After that, he would pray to God and one day Read more…
Perhaps the most daring commando raid of WWII took place on March 28, 1942. The British planned Operation Chariot to help win the Battle of the Atlantic. The port of St. Nazaire was near the mouth of the Loire River in France. It was not only a major base Read more…
In 1199, Richard the Lionheart was besieging a castle in France because he heard it contained great wealth (it didn’t) and he was in need of money. On March 26, he was out scouting the castle when one of the defenders fired a crossbow at him from the Read more…
On March 25, 1931, nine black youths ages 13-19 were arrested for rape in Alabama. The Scottsboro Boys became famous as a case of racial injustice that shone a light on the treatment of blacks in the South. The nine had been traveling on a train as hoboes when Read more…
Jimmy Stewart was one of the top actors in Hollywood when he became the first major star to enter the military before WWII. Stewart came from a military family. His two grandfathers had fought in the Civil War and his father had been in the Spanish-American War and WWI. Read more…
Everyone has heard the story of Pocahontas saving John Smith’s life (which may not be true), but few know what happened to the famous Indian maiden. First, she did not marry John Smith, that would have been creepy considering the age difference. But she did marry an Englishman. Pocahontas, Read more…