An interesting historical story.
America had Jesse James. Australia had Ned Kelly. And England had Dick Turpin. All three were popular heroes who were noted for their “rob from the rich and give to the poor” Robin Hoodish careers in crime. Unlike Robin Hood, all three men were actual historical figures and the Read more
I still enjoyed teaching, even after 39 years, because I looked forward to telling anecdotes. But I also enjoyed telling jokes. I started each class with one of my story jokes. And occasionally I was able to squeeze one into a lesson. The joke below was told as part of Read more
One of the most remarkable small unit actions in American History occurred on the night of June 15, 1966. In the Vietnam War, small units of soldiers or Marines would sometimes be dropped off in the jungle to scout for enemy formations. This could be dangerous if the unit Read more
It is believed that Dolley Madison mentioned hosting an Easter egg roll and Abe Lincoln apparently hosted a private party. Here is the chronology for what is now officially held the Monday after Easter Sunday. 1872 – the first public Easter egg roll was held on Capitol Hill in Read more
The relationship between the American media and the military has often been adversarial. However, while the news media pats itself on the back for reporting the truth in war (e.g., the My Lai Massacre), we also have examples of the media “enhancing” stories (sometimes with Pentagon collusion). America went Read more
Abigail Adams is considered by historians to be in the top three First Ladies. She is one of only two women who were mothers of a President and wives of a President. The other is Barbara Bush. Abigail was one of the best educated First Ladies relative to women Read more
Cartoon characters can go to war to boost morale or for propaganda purposes. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Popeye, but the biggest star was Donald Duck. Disney was happy to make cartoons supporting the war effort. It was determined to go with Donald over Mickey Mouse because of Donald’s Read more
The largest example of sex slavery and government condoned human trafficking took place before and during WWII. Starting in 1932 in the Chinese city of Shanghai. The Japanese army, with the knowledge of the government, instituted a policy of providing women for the Japanese troops to decrease the wanton Read more
The Pax Romana ended in 180 with the death of Marcus Aurelius, the last of the Good Emperors. The next emperor was far from good. Commodus has a bad reputation among historians. The public knows he was a bad emperor because of the movie “Gladiator”. While not as dastardly Read more
One of the greatest warriors of the Middle Ages died an embarrassing death by way of a crossbow bolt fired by a peasant. Not exactly the way Richard the Lion-heart envisioned his death. King Richard I of England had lived the life of a legend. The second son of Read more