He was born on May 17, 1749 in England. He was the 8th of 9 kids born to a Reverend and his wife. He was orphaned at age 5 when both parents died. He was raised by siblings after that, but got a good education. As a child, he was Read more
Montgomery Meigs went to West Point with Robert E. Lee. When the South seceded, Lee joined the Confederate army and Meigs never forgave him. When Meigs became Quartermaster General for the Union Army, he was in charge of military burials. In 1863, Lee’s wife Mary was not able to pay Read more
In 1683, the Ottoman Turks laid siege to Vienna. During the siege, the Turks attempted to tunnel under the walls. Viennese bakers, working nonstop to feed the citizens, heard the digging and alerted the city. Later, an army led by King John III of Poland, lifted the siege. In Read more
The Japanese fleet had no idea how successful the Pearl Harbor attack would be, but it was safe to assume some of its planes would be hit and unable to return to their carriers. The pilots were told to fly to Niihau island and wait for a submarine to Read more
Jacob Brown was born on May 9, 1775. Raised a Quaker, he would later overlook their pacifist beliefs. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1790. After teaching for a few years, he settled in upstate New York and became prosperous and a leading member of his community. Read more
The most famous air ship disaster occurred on May 6, 1937. The Hindenburg was the largest dirigible ever made. Since it was German, it was called a “zeppelin”. It was designed to make long flights and the year before, it had made 10 trips to the U.S., uneventfully. On Read more
Elizabeth Cochran (she later added an e to Cochran) was born on May 5, 1864. The was the 13th of 15 children. Her father was a factory owner and county judge. When he died when she was 6, he did not leave a will and the family was plunged into Read more
Manfred von Richthofen was born on May 2, 1892 in Kleinburg, Germany (today Poland). His family was from the lower nobility and he inherited the title Freiherr (“free lord”) which was equivalent to a baron. He was sent to military school at age 11. He enlisted in the army at Read more
I saw this story and thought it must be fake, but after researching it, I found that it is true and amazing. Louis Curdes wanted to fly, so he joined the Army Air Force in 1942. He was stationed in North Africa where he was in a P-38 Lightning Read more
In American History classes, teachers tend to talk about Eisenhower and Montgomery as simply the generals that helped win WWII. We don’t have time to talk about personalities or personal dynamics. Personalities and personal dynamics can influence history. Here’s the story behind the relationship of the most famous American general Read more