Akbar the Great was a Mughal emperor who expanded Mughal territory in India. He did this through warfare, which he was very good at. Indian warfare made use of war elephants. Indian generals loved the “shock and awe” aspect of elephants. Akbar had thousands of elephants and around a Read more
Would your pet dog go on a bombing mission in a war? Would it help you escape to another country? There once was a German shepherd who did those things and got a medal for it. When Czechoslovakia was invaded by Hitler’s Germany in 1938, an airman named Vaclav Read more
Are you familiar with the St. Bernards who rescued hikers in the snowy Alps? One of the things you know about them is actually a myth. This is the story of the most famous St. Bernard dog who was not even a St. Bernard. And the two most Read more
In 390 BC, Rome suffered a terrible defeat in the Battle of Allia. The Gauls followed up their victory by capturing Rome. They sacked the city, looting and burning. The survivors took refuge on the Capitoline Hill, which the Gauls surrounded. The Romans held out. One night, the Read more
Tanks were first used in battle in WWI, but before then, armies had nature’s tanks. A long, long time ago, someone had the bright idea to use elephants in battle. That person knew that elephants scared horses and men. Horses feared the sight, sound, and smell of the elephants. Read more
Pal was a black Newfoundland dog that weighed 130 pounds. He was beloved by his family and the kids in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, one day Pal accidentally scratched the face of a little girl with his paw. His family feared he would be euthanized, Read more
The Ancient Romans believed in divination. This was the belief that you can determine the will of the gods by observation. In particular, they observed birds. A priest called an augur would watch the flight of birds to decide whether a proposed action should take place. The founding Read more
The most famous mascot in the history of the U.S. Army was an eagle. In 1861, a Chippewa Indian chief chopped down a tree to get two eaglets in a nest. One eaglet died in the fall, but the other became Chief Sky’s pet. He traded him for a Read more
By 1777, there was no love lost between the Patriots and the Redcoats. The British had recently routed Washington’s army at Brandywine and had taken the city of Philadelphia. The commander of the Continental Army felt he needed to do something to stop his losing streak by surprise attacking Read more
John Barry was born on March 25, 1745, in Ireland to a Catholic tenant farmer. His family was evicted from its farm by a British landlord. They moved to the coast and John fell in love with the sea. At 15-years-old, he became a cabin Read more