An interesting historical story.
“Bloody Sunday” is an event in the Irish War of Independence. It occurred on November 21, 1920. It consisted of three separate incidents. In the morning, Irish Republican Army gunmen were sent by Michael Collins to assassinate members of the Cairo Gang. The gang consisted of British undercover agents Read more…
From November 14-16, 1965, the U.S. Army fought the first battle of the Vietnam War. A battalion was helicoptered into the Ia Drang valley to sneak up on a North Vietnamese regiment, but knocked over a hornet’s nest of three regiments. The three days of combat were intense and Read more…
The Great War ended on Nov. 11. It must have sucked to be the last American killed in the war. Especially since the death made no difference in the outcome. Germany was decisively defeated at this point and had agreed to a cease-fire called the Armistice. It was agreed Read more…
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…
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…
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…
The most famous cartoonist of WWII was Bill Mauldin. He was born on October 29, 1921. He enlisted in the National Guard and three days later his division was federalized. The 45th Infantry Division served in Sicily and Italy. He was a cartoonist in the press corps. Later he Read more…