From November 14-16, 1965, the U.S. Army fought the first battle of the Vietnam War. A battalion was helicoptered into the Ia Drang valley to sneak up on a North Vietnamese regiment, but knocked over a hornet’s nest of Read more…
The Great War ended on Nov. 11. It must have sucked to be the last American killed in the war. Especially since the death made no difference in the outcome. Germany was decisively defeated at this point and had Read more…
Joseph Bonaparte was the older brother of Napoleon. Due to Napoleon’s nepotism, he became King of Naples (where he was popular) and later King of Spain (where he was not). He was dethroned and when his brother was defeated Read more…
In 1964, the U.S. sent its first combat troops to South Vietnamese to prop up the non-communist government. No significant contact with the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army occurred until the following year. American forces were taking losses Read more…
When I was a teenager and reading on the Civil War, I learned that the word “hooker” came from Union General Joseph Hooker. (Then I looked up what a hooker was.) Tee hee! Well, it turns out that etymology Read more…
After the Japanese surrender, Gen. MacArthur ordered the arrest of numerous Japanese generals and politicians for war crimes. When G.I.s surrounded his house, Hideki Tojo shot himself in the chest. But he missed his heart. When the soldiers, with Read more…
George Patton was born on November 11, 1885. Almost like he planned on being born on the future Veterans Day. Or Armistice Day as it was known until 1954. Here is one of my favorite anecdotes about this remarkable man. Read more…
Henry Wirz was one of the villains of the Civil War and one of only two men who were executed for war crimes after the war. Wirz was a Swiss immigrant at age 26. He settled in the South Read more…
Benjamin Banneker was one of the first African-American intellectuals in America. He was born on November 9, 1731. His father was a freed black and his mother was the daughter of a white indentured servant. He was self-educated. He Read more…
Milo of Croton was the strongest man in Ancient Greece. He got that way by carrying a newborn calf on his shoulders every day. As the calf grew into a fully grown cow, Milos gradually got stronger. To maintain Read more…