Jean Lafitte was born around 1780. Little is known of his childhood. When he was in his twenties, he began a life of crime, specifically piracy. He established a warehouse in New Orleans where he would sell goods taken Read more…
Most of us have an image in our mind of Davy Crockett swinging Old Betsy with a pile of dead Mexicans at his feet. Our mind’s eye doesn’t take us past that image, but we know the outcome. He Read more…
On Dec. 16, 1944, Hitler launched his massive offensive in the Ardennes Forest. He committed his best remaining ground forces in the west to the attack. It took the Americans by surprise and created a bulge in the line Read more…
The recent 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre has brought a lot of coverage of this forgotten event. You would assume it will now be covered in high school classrooms in the future. But that is not guaranteed. Read more…
Let’s put this claim in perspective. In the first half of the 19th Century, liquor was considered to be nutritious, it calmed the nerves, and helped with digestion. It could be used to wash down bad food. In 1830, Read more…
On Dec. 28, 1835, the United States Army suffered one of its worst defeats at the hands of Native Americans. The battle marked the start of the Second Seminole War, the longest and most costly of America’s Indian wars. Read more…
The U.S. Military Academy was founded in 1802. It was located at West Point on the Hudson River in New York. It soon gained a reputation for hard partying. In 1817, Sylvanus Thayer was appointed Superintendent with the understanding Read more…
After WWII in Europe ended, Gen. George Patton’s main motivation was to continue his war in the Pacific. But Gen. MacArthur did not want to share the spotlight, so Patton’s fighting days were over. He did not fit peacetime Read more…
Task Force 38 had faced a lot of “divine wind” (kamikazes) during the Philippines campaign, but on Dec. 18, 1944 it faced an actual wind. This storm was officially Typhoon Cobra, but it is better known as Halsey’s Typhoon. Read more…
Deborah was born on Dec. 17, 1760 in Plympton, Mass. She was the great-great granddaughter of William Bradford. She was one of seven kids. When she was five, her father did not return from a sea voyage. It was Read more…