An interesting historical story.
In honor of his birthday on July 11, 1767, here is the most famous anecdote about John Quincy Adams. Anne Royall is sometimes called America’s first female reporter. For a long time, she wanted to interview the President, but he refused. She did some snooping and discovered he liked Read more…
Jane Gray should have had the regular life of a noblewoman, but she became a political pawn and died at age 16. She was born the daughter of a duke, but she had connections to the Tudor family. She was great-granddaughter of Henry VII and grandniece of Henry VIII. Read more…
After Hannibal destroyed a Roman army at the Battle of Lake Trasimene, the Romans appointed Fabius Maximus as dictator. Fabius became known as Fabius the Delayer because of his tactics. These Fabian tactics involved avoiding battle with Hannibal. Fabius’ army tailed Hannibal’s army and picked off small Carthaginian units Read more…
This is the anniversary of one of the supposed crackings of the Liberty Bell. According to legend, the bell got a serious crack when it was rung to honor the death of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall. In 1751, the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly commissioned the bell for 100 Read more…
After the assassination of Lincoln, a large net was thrown and many people were accused of being involved in the conspiracy to kill Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State William Seward. Some of the fish that were thrown back included Booth’s brother Junius (who was in Read more…
William Kidd never left a crewman on a deserted isle. He never made anyone walk the plank. He did leave a buried treasure, but that was about the only thing that was classic pirate. The fact is, although he is infamous, he was a poor example of a pirate. Read more…
Today is the anniversary of the birth of America’s greatest showman – P.T. Barnum. Here is the story of the greatest attraction in his circus. On Feb. 3, 1882, the most famous elephant in the world was sold to American showman P.T. Barnum. Two-year-old Jumbo was captured in the Read more…
One of the most famous military units in the Ancient World was the Sacred Band of Thebes. It was created around 378 B.C. by Gorgidas. He had the genius idea of taking advantage of the homosexual relationships common among Greek soldiers. What if you paired off companions on the Read more…
Before America celebrates its greatness tomorrow, let’s take time to remember that our country is not perfect. In 1983, the U.S. was outraged when a Soviet jet shot down a Korean airliner killing 269. Five years later, the U.S. was on the other side of a similar tragedy. With Read more…
On July 2, 1881, Pres. James Garfield was looking forward to a summer trip to New England. He and his teenage sons headed for the railway station in the morning. He was accompanied by Secretary of State James G. Blaine. He had no body guards. At 9:20, Charles Guiteau Read more…