Anecdote
MATA HARI
On Oct. 15, 1917, the most infamous WWI spy was executed. She had been born 41 years earlier in Holland as Margaretha Zell. She married a Dutch soldier and they moved to Malaysia. It was there that she learned Read more…
Anecdote
THE BULL MOOSE GETS PINKED
In 1912, Teddy Roosevelt was running for President for the Progressive Party, better known as the Bull Moose Party. The ever-energetic Teddy was travelling the country giving numerous speeches. On Oct. 14, Roosevelt was in Milwaukee for a speech. Read more…
Anecdote
MOLLY PITCHER
Revolutionary War heroine Mary Hays was born on Oct. 13, 1754 (or 1744). She may have been a servant before she married William Hays. When William Hays joined the Continental Army, she went along as a camp follower. Read more…
Anecdote
THE CHINESE FOG OF WAR
The ancient Chinese are credited with inventing biological warfare. In the 7th Century B.C., the fumigation of homes to kill pests gave the military the idea for chemical agents. Historians have uncovered hundreds of recipes for them. One was Read more…
Anecdote
CLEVELAND’S SECRET OPERATION
With Presidential health in the news lately, here is the first in my series on Presidents who had health problems. After Grover Cleveland had been elected for the second time, he noticed a small bump on the roof Read more…
Anecdote
“AMERICA’S ACE OF ACES”
One of the greatest fighter pilots in American History was born on Oct. 8, 1890. He was born Eddie Rickenbacher to Swedish immigrants. He later changed the spelling to Rickenbacker to be less German-looking. He added the middle name Vernon Read more…
Anecdote
NAPOLEON VERSUS THE RABBITS
In 1807, after signing the Treaties of Tilsit which ended a war between France and Russia, Napoleon proposed a celebratory rabbit hunt. He put his chief of staff Alexandre Berthier in charge. Berthier found a rabbit farmer in the Read more…
Anecdote
THE WAR OF THE CURRENTS
In 1882, Edison attempted to parlay his invention of the light bulb by creating the Edison Electric Light Company to provide direct current to homes and businesses. The problem was direct current lost voltage over distance so the power Read more…
Anecdote
FACTS ABOUT TECUMSEH
Tecumseh was born in what is today Ohio in 1768. He was the son of a chief in the Shawnee tribe. His name meant “shooting star” or “blazing comet”. During his childhood, villages he lived in were attacked several times Read more…
Anecdote
CHER AMI
A hero emerged on this day in October 4, 1918. Cher Ami became one of the most famous animals associated with the Great War. The AEF used carrier pigeons to send messages. 600 pigeons were donated by British pigeon fanciers. Read more…