After the Battle of Cannae, Hannibal dominated Italy, but he was unable to capture the city of Rome. His government was reluctant to send him reinforcements. However, his brother Hasdrubal took it upon himself to help his brother out. He marched his army from Spain, crossed the Alps like Read more
Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. Don’t recognize the name? If you have seen “Braveheart”, you have seen Hollywood’s version of the battle. Don’t use the movie as a history lesson! As teachers, we can use films as a supplementary resource to give a Read more
Happy Birthday, Frances Cleveland! Born on this day in 1864, she went on to become the youngest First Lady. The future First Lady was born Frank Clara Folsom on July 21, 1864. (No she did not have a sex change operation, she was named in honor of an uncle.) “Uncle Read more
Hitler had the luckiest day of his life on July 20, 1944. Yesterday, we learned about a world leader who had a very unlucky day which led to a world war. Today, we will learn about a world leader who had a very lucky day which meant a world Read more
Today is the 2nd anniversary of the creation of this web site, so I am going to share my favorite anecdote of all time. It is a story that changed my life. I first heard it in 6th grade at St. Rose Elementary School in Syracuse, New York. It was Read more
Today is the anniversary of one of the most famous political scandals of the 1960’s. If not for it, we might have had a second Kennedy brother become President. On July 18, 1969, Sen. Edward Kennedy attended a cookout at a cottage on Chappaquiddick Island. He was one of Read more
Today is the anniversary of the flight that created one of the most famous nicknames in American History. Douglas Corrigan became enamored with flying when he took a ride in a plane for $2.50. He was 18 years old. He became an airplane mechanic Read more
Today is Henry Johnson’s birthday. Here is the story of his famous incident. HENRY JOHNSON – When on outpost duty on May 4, 1918, he heard wire cutters being used, so he and Needham Roberts went to investigate and both were wounded by grenades. The outpost was being attacked by Read more
Today is the anniversary of one of the most bizarre wars ever fought. On July 14, 1969, two Central American countries went to war over soccer. Soccer can get pretty intense, but it usually does not lead to war. In 1969, El Salvador and Honduras were competing for a Read more
“The Sun King” loved to eat. Supper, anyway. His breakfasts and lunches were moderate, but around 10 P.M. he and his retinue pigged out. These banquets usually consisted of four different soups, a whole pheasant, partridge, chicken, or duck (stuffed with truffles), a large salad, mutton and ham slices, Read more