Johan von Robais was born in what is today Germany on June 19, 1721. At age 16, he went to France to become a mercenary. He was a born leader and rose to colonel by age 26. However, his rise from this point was blocked by the fact that Read more
Jeremiah was the son of Irish Catholic immigrants who settled in Maine. His father owned two sawmills in the town of Macchias. He was 21 at the time of Lexington and Concord. A few weeks after, two British merchant ships escorted by the schooner HMS Margaretta came to Read more
Whipple went to sea young and became a merchant ship captain at a young age. Whipple was a privateer in the French and Indian War. In six months, he captured 23 French merchant ships. On June 9, 1772, he led 50 Rhode Islanders in the capture and burning of Read more
James was born on a Virginia plantation which made him the slave of John Armstead, later Col. John Armstead of the Continental Army. He was inherited by his master’s son William in 1779. William allowed him to enlist in the Continental Army. James was a patriot because he had refused Read more
Three colonial militiamen changed history. David Williams (25 years old), Isaac Van Wert (20), and their leader John Paulding (22). They were on duty near the Hudson River in New York looking for cattle rustlers. Nothing was happening so they were playing cards. Along came a man dressed as Read more
Lydia was an Irish immigrant who settled in Philadelphia. She and her husband were Quakers and thus pacifists. They gave birth to nine kids, but only five survived. Their oldest, Charles, enlisted in the Continental Army. When the British captured and occupied Philadelphia, Gen. William Howe took over the Read more
Would you move through a minefield with explosives that are waiting for you to step on one? Boom and you are dead. In World War 2, there were soldiers who were paired with dogs that were trained to find mines under weeds, gravel, and even mud. They would clear the Read more
Dogs have been used in war since ancient history. The earliest mention was in a history of King Alyattes, King of Lydia, around 600 B.C. In 525 B.C., at the Battle of Pelusiam, Persian Emperor Cambyses put dogs, cats, and other animals in the front to get the Egyptians Read more
Tich was a mutt (probably a terrier and dachshund mix) that was adopted by the British battalion in Egypt in World War 2. They nicknamed him “The Desert Rat” and he became their beloved mascot. His unit fought in North Africa. Rifleman Thomas Walker became his master. Tich followed Read more
James Symington was the founder of the canine unit for the Halifax Regional Police. Trakr was a German Shepherd who came to the unit from Czechoslovakia in 1995 as a puppy. Trakr was part of the confiscation of over a million dollars of contraband, found missing persons, and helped make Read more