In 193 A.D. in Ancient Rome, the Praetorian Guard assassinated the Emperor Pertinax and then auctioned off the throne to the highest bidder. A wealthy senator named Didius Julianus offered the high bid – the equivalent of $1,000 per guard. Read more
The Korean War Memorial was initiated by the Korean War Veterans Advisory Board in 1986 after Congress passed a law calling for a memorial. Pres. Reagan appointed veterans to the board. It was constructed with private contributions. Pres. George H.W. Read more
During the Middle Ages, in some areas of Europe, it was considered bad luck to meet a priest first thing in the morning. A popular joke had a woman making the sign of the cross when she encountered a priest Read more
The Battle of Cedar Creek occurred on Oct. 19, 1864 in the war-ravaged Shenandoah Valley. Confederate Gen. Jubal Early initiated the action with an attack on a Union camp. The Yankees were taken completely by surprise and beat a hasty Read more
One of the most famous units in Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was the Louisiana Tigers. They had a reputation of being terrors on the battlefield … and in camp. The nickname originated with a volunteer company raised by Maj. Read more
On their wedding night, Napoleon and Josephine retired to her bedroom only to find Josephine’s dog in his usual place in the middle of the bed. When Napoleon approached the bed, the dog growled and Josephine explained that the dog Read more
There were at least four major snow ball fights (“snow balling”) between Confederate units in the Civil War. The biggest occurred on Jan. 29, 1863 after two feet of snow blanketed the Rappahannock Valley in Virginia. It started when the Read more
King George II of England liked to go out at night in disguise to sample the ladies of the realm. One night, in disguise, he visited a house of prostitution. During his visit his pocket was picked and when it Read more
The picture is of a famous incident in Daniel Boone’s life. His daughter Jemima and two other teenage girls had been captured by a Shawnee war party. Boone and others tracked the Indians for two days and ambushed them, rescuing Read more
Agrippina was the wife of Emperor Claudius. She had a son named Nero from her first marriage. She was determined that her son would be the next emperor. When Claudius began to have second thoughts of his step-son succeeding him, Read more