Charles Manson was born to an unwed 16-year-old. She was an alcoholic criminal who once traded her baby to a waitress who wanted a child for a pitcher of beer. His uncle had to track him down. His mother went to prison when he was 5 for stealing a car Read more
The most famous train robbery in British history occurred on August 8, 1963. It was the robbery of the Royal Mail train on its run from Glasgow to London. The robbery had been planned for a long time and involved 16 men, most of them career criminals. Their leader Read more
It was the first battle in American History where all branches of the current military participated: Navy, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard. Signalman First Class Douglas Munro became the only member of the Coast Guard to ever earn the Medal of Honor. He led a rescue mission of a Read more
There were five cities on the list of potential targets: Hiroshima, Kokura, Yokohama, Nigata, and Kyoto. Secretary of War Henry Stimson removed Kyoto because he argued it was a cultural center (and he had spent his honeymoon there). Nagasaki took its place. Tokyo was not on the list because it Read more
On this day in 1305, William Wallace was captured by the British. The following is part of my review of the movie “Braveheart” on my blog The War Movie Buff (https://warmoviebuff.blogspot.com/2011/04/67-braveheart.html ). As history teachers, movies can be a good supplement to our lessons, provided they are reasonably accurate. In Read more
This week marked a milestone in the history of this site. I have completed all the basic sections with the recent addition of the areas of anecdotes prior to 1870. This means American History teachers now have access to stories from Exploration, Colonization, the Revolution period, Early America, Manifest Destiny, Read more
Columbus was probably born in Genoa, Italy. His birth name was Cristoforo Colombo. In his teens, he went to sea. At age 25, his merchant ship was sunk by pirates. He floated to shore on a piece of wood and made his way to Lisbon where he studied math, astronomy, Read more
This post is for my Western Civilization and World History teachers who want something entertaining and educational to enhance their Roman history units or on a “rainy day” or for a substitute to show. “Hannibal: Rome’s Worst Nightmare” fits any of those situations nicely and it’s available free on You Read more
He was the sixth of eleven kids from a poor upper-class family. He was sent to sea under his uncle at age 12. His uncle famously said that perhaps a cannon ball would take off his head and thus solve his financial straits. He took to life at sea, but Read more
On Nov. 4, 1922, the greatest archeological find in history was made by British archeologist Howard Carter. On that day, he uncovered a stairway that led to a seal indicated it was the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun, the “Boy King” who ruled from 1333-1324 B.C. He had taken Read more