Without John Glover, the Revolution would not have succeeded. He was that important. Glover was a successful shipowner and merchant before the war. He was given command of a regiment of seamen and fishermen from Gloucester and Marblehead in Massachusetts. They became known as the Glover’s Marbleheaders. Gen. Washington Read more
There have been several strange little wars throughout history, including the Soccer War and the War of Jenkin’s Ear. If you want to make the history books, and this website, you need a catchy name. The Guerra de los Pasteles (Spanish name) or the Guerre des Patisseries (French) started Read more
Joseph Glidden patented barbed wire on November 24, 1874. It was one of the most important inventions in the settling of the West. In 1873, Henry Rose was having trouble with a “breachy cow” so he invented a strip of wood with nails on it that he attached to Read more
Edward Thach’s career came to an end on Nov. 22, 1718. The Governor of Virginia had enough of his piracy and decided that despite the “protection” from the Governor of North Carolina, Blackbeard needed to be stopped. He sent two ships under Royal Navy Lt. Robert Maynard to end the Read more
“Bloody Sunday” is an event in the Irish War of Independence. It occurred on November 21, 1920. It consisted of three separate incidents. In the morning, Irish Republican Army gunmen were sent by Michael Collins to assassinate members of the Cairo Gang. The gang consisted of British undercover agents Read more
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 three regiments. The three days of combat were intense and 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 agreed to a cease-fire called the Armistice. It was agreed 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 an shipped off to exile on the island of St. 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 from surprise attacks, so payback was necessary. The idea was 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 was false. Historian Norman Eliason found it in print as Read more