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Sub at Sea
The painting is called “Sub at Sea” by Adolf Bock. It is a u-boat in the Atlantic in WWII. U-boats like this one sank 175 warships and 2,825 merchant ships in the Battle of the Atlantic. The most successful u-boat Read more…
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NOW I’VE SEEN BOTH SIDES
In his book Utopia, Thomas More wrote that before they married, couples should see each other naked so they would avoid disappointment. One day, a friend named Sir William Roper asked More for the hand of one of his daughters Read more…
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BURNING THE CAPITOL
In 1814, during the War of 1812, British Admiral Cockburn (yes, that was his name) was determined to embarrass the Americans by attacking their capital. He was also interested in revenge for the sack of York in Canada. He brushed Read more…
Anecdote
BUT IT STILL MOVES
In 1632, Galileo published his Dialogue on Two Chief World Systems which supported the Copernican theory that the sun was the center of the Universe and the Earth moved around it. The book caught the attention of the Inquisition which Read more…
Picture
WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY
This is a picture of the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. An American fleet led by Oliver Perry defeated a British fleet for control of the lake. It did not look good in the early part Read more…
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JOHN POISONS A JILTER
King John liked to sleep with any woman who he was attracted to. He fell in lust with the beautiful daughter of Robert Fitz-Walter, a prominent noble. Maud the Fair was not interested in his advances, so he had her Read more…
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TEDDY GETS SHOT
Teddy Roosevelt was scheduled to give a speech in Milwaukee during the 1912 campaign when he was shot when leaving his hotel to go to the venue. His speech was on fifty pages and they were folded in half. The Read more…
Anecdote
King John and the Prostitute
John, besides being a rotten king, was a terrible human being. He attempted to sleep with any woman who caught his eye, even the wives of his nobles. Once while visiting the castle of Eustace de Vescy, he noticed that Read more…
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TURN OF THE CENTURY BATHING SUIT
This is a picture of a bathing beauty from around 1900. Yes, that is what she swam in. Or rather waded in since few women knew how to swim back then. Note the amount of her body that is covered Read more…
Anecdote
P.S. I DIE TOMORROW
Frederick the Great was known for the strict discipline in his army. When his army was on the march, he ordered that all fires and lights be extinguished by a certain hour. One night he was walking through his Read more…