An interesting historical story.
His parents died at age 10. Two years later he moved to Lisbon, Portugal to become a page to the queen. He went to the page school and learned about cartography, astronomy, and navigation. He first went to sea as a soldier. He fought for Portugal in Malaysia and Morocco. Read more…
Charles Manson was born to an unwed 16-year-old. She was an alcoholic criminal who once traded her baby to a waitress who wanted a child for a pitcher of beer. His uncle had to track him down. His mother went to prison when he was 5 for stealing a car Read more…
The most famous train robbery in British history occurred on August 8, 1963. It was the robbery of the Royal Mail train on its run from Glasgow to London. The robbery had been planned for a long time and involved 16 men, most of them career criminals. Their leader Read more…
It was the first battle in American History where all branches of the current military participated: Navy, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Signalman First Class Douglas Munro became the only member of the Coast Guard to ever earn the Medal of Honor. He led a rescue mission of a Read more…
There were five cities on the list of potential targets: Hiroshima, Kokura, Yokohama, Nigata, and Kyoto. Secretary of War Henry Stimson removed Kyoto because he argued it was a cultural center (and he had spent his honeymoon there). Nagasaki took its place. Tokyo was not on the list because it Read more…
On this day in 1305, William Wallace was captured by the British. The following is part of my review of the movie “Braveheart” on my blog The War Movie Buff (https://warmoviebuff.blogspot.com/2011/04/67-braveheart.html ). As history teachers, movies can be a good supplement to our lessons, provided they are reasonably accurate. In Read more…
This post is for my Western Civilization and World History teachers who want something entertaining and educational to enhance their Roman history units or on a “rainy day” or for a substitute to show. “Hannibal: Rome’s Worst Nightmare” fits any of those situations nicely and it’s available free on You Read more…
He was the sixth of eleven kids from a poor upper-class family. He was sent to sea under his uncle at age 12. His uncle famously said that perhaps a cannon ball would take off his head and thus solve his financial straits. He took to life at sea, but Read more…
In Feb., 1839, Portuguese slave hunters kidnapped hundreds of Africans and brought them to Cuba for sale. Two Spanish plantation owners bought 53 at auction. They were loaded on a ship called the Amistad (“friendship”) and sailed for the Caribbean island where they had their plantations. The cargo consisted Read more…
He was the illegitimate son of Sir Thomas Chapman. Chapman had an affair with the governess to his children and then left his wife for her. They lived as man and wife under the name Lawrence. They moved around a lot and all five sons were born in different parts Read more…