Louis XIV was the greatest French king and probably the one with the best life ever. He became king at age 5, but he did not have to rule until age 23 when his chief minister died and was not replaced. He always ate alone. He never used a fork. Read more…
John Reynolds graduated in the middle of his West Point class of 1841. He first achieved recognition serving under Gen. Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War. His artillery battery played a key role in the victory at Buena Vista. He started the Civil War as a Brigadier General and was Read more…
In the First Punic War, after victories in naval battles at Mylae and Ecnomus, the Romans decided to invade North Africa and attack the city of Carthage. The army was led by Rome’s best general – Regulus. Regulus defeated the Carthaginian army at Adys, but his peace terms were too Read more…
In 193 A.D. in Ancient Rome, the Praetorian Guard assassinated the Emperor Pertinax and then auctioned off the throne to the highest bidder. A wealthy senator named Didius Julianus offered the high bid – the equivalent of $1,000 per guard. When word arrived of the death of Pertinax, a general Read more…
Cambyses was the Persian Emperor who conquered Egypt. He may have been a great conqueror, but he was a cruel despot. Once when a judge was found guilty of corruption, he had him flayed alive. He ordered that the skin be used to cover the judge’s bench and then he Read more…
I was just clued in to a fascinating video on the wars of the 20th Century. The wars are covered in chronological order. You’ll probably be surprised how many wars mankind was involved in last century. Or maybe you won’t. Each war is represented by a single war movie. Each Read more…
After Becket’s martyrdom, legends grew about him. Supposedly, he turned water into wine twice while dining with the Pope. But accidentally since he would not have wanted to be pretentious. He was known for not only wearing hair shirts to torture himself, but he also wore hair underpants. In one Read more…
A plantation is a large farm that mass produces a cash crop using a large labor force. The first were the latifundia in the Roman Empire which produced wine and olive oil. Later, the Spanish and Portuguese created plantations on Atlantic islands. Most were sugar cane plantations. It was quickly Read more…
The Malmedy Massacre occurred during the Battle of the Bulge. Part of the 1st Panzer Division, led by Lt. Col. Joachim Peiper, was the spearhead of the left wing of the German offensive. There was a lot of pressure to push forward as fast as possible Read more…