Anecdote
OLD IRON JAW
One of the toughest men ever to grace planet Earth was born on Jan. 1, 1920. Basil Plumley enlisted in the Army on March 31, 1942 at age 22. He became a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne. He made Read more…
Anecdote
THE DEATH OF A MARTYR
Today is the anniversary in 1170 of the death of the most famous martyr of the Middle Ages. Once upon a time, there were two bosom buddies who loved to party. Then one day, one of them became King Read more…
Anecdote
WAS KING JOHN THAT BAD?
King John is one of the most famous “bad” kings of England. So bad that no future king dared to name a possible heir John. Even though it is the most common name in England. But does he deserve Read more…
Anecdote
A DISASTER IN AFGHANISTAN
Today in 1979, the Soviets were in the process of invading Afghanistan to restore the communist government. This began their Vietnam – an occupation that became a quagmire. They would have been wise to have studied previous attempts to occupy Read more…
Anecdote
THE UNREAD NOTE THAT HELPED AMERICA GET ITS INDEPENDENCE
Here’s the story I used to tell my students. Washington’s attack on Trenton should not have come as a surprise. The vaunted Hessians should have been prepared and should have easily defeated the daring risk that Washington took. If Read more…
Anecdote
CHRISTMAS MYTHS AND FACTS
Jesus was born on Dec. 25. Very unlikely. The date was proposed by the scholar Hippolytus of Rome in the early 3rd Century. He assumed Jesus was conceived on the spring equinox, March 25. He then added nine months and Read more…
Anecdote
MADAME C.J. WALKER
Today is the birthday of one of the most amazing African-American women in American History. Sarah Breedlove was born on Dec. 23, 1867 on a La. cotton plantation to sharecroppers. She was the first of their children to be Read more…
Anecdote
MESSAGE TO McAULIFFE
The Battle of the Bulge famously occurred at Christmastime of 1944. The most remembered moment came when the Germans had Bastogne surrounded and decided to demand surrender. The American general’s response became the most famous one word quote in American Read more…
Anecdote
HIS NAME WAS MUDD
Samuel Mudd was born on Dec. 20, 1833. His father was a wealthy plantation owner who gave his son a plantation of his own with slaves when he reached adulthood. He grew tobacco, but his main job was doctoring. Read more…
Anecdote
THERE WERE FOUR FLIGHTS
The Wright Brothers were based in Dayton, Ohio, but they experimented with gliders and powered flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina because they needed the windiness. On Dec. 14, 1903 (the 121st anniversary of the first hot air balloon Read more…