One of the greatest upsets in sports history occurred on June 29, 1950. In 1950, the World Cup was hosted by Brazil. The squad from England was the favorite. Oddly, it was their World Cup debut, having sat out the first three tournaments in a pay dispute with FIFA. Read more…
Harold Hardrada was the King of Norway who was killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. Before attempting to lay his claim to the throne of England, he and his Viking army had found employment with the Byzantine Empire. They were tasked with conquering Sicily. One city Read more…
Sophocles was one of the greatest playwrights in history. He wrote “Oedipus Rex”, for one. When Sophocles got old, his kids sued him because they felt he was incapable of taking care of his own finances. In the trial, Sophocles read from his latest play, “Oedipus at Colunnus”, and he Read more…
Darwin was visiting a family when the children decided to play a prank on him. They glued together parts of a butterfly, a beetle, a centipede, and a grasshopper. They eagerly brought the specimen to him for him to identify it. Darwin: “Did you hear it humming?” Grinning, the Read more…
Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Here are some interesting facts about this crucial moment in American History. The battle was actually fought on Breed’s Hill. Col. William Prescott had been ordered to fortify the higher Bunker Hill, but for some reason he proceeded to a Read more…
On June 15, 1775, George Washington was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. Although John Hancock had hopes for the job, Washington was the logical choice. He had the reputation of having the most military experience in the 13 Colonies, having fought in the French and Indian War. At the Read more…
Diogenes was a cynical philosopher who could be pretty provocative. Once he was invited to the home of a friend. When they approached the door, he asked the man what the inscription above the doorway meant. The friend told him it meant: “Let nothing enter here except what is good.” Read more…
America was so ill-prepared for WWI that we had to borrow tanks from the French. Those tanks were pretty good. They were Renault FT light tanks. These revolutionary tanks had traversable turrets and the engine in the rear. It had either a 37 mm. cannon (male) or an 8 mm. Read more…
Socrates was famously hen-pecked. Here are two of his statements about marriage: When he was asked whether a man should get married or remain single. Socrates: “Let him take which course he may, he will repent it.” “By all means marry. If you get a good wife, Read more…
When Pershing brought the A.E.F. to France, he was adamant about it fighting as an American army, not as reinforcements for the British and French. The American divisions were scattered throughout the Western Front to train with the British and French. The French commanding general, Gen. Petain, hoped that they Read more…