Anecdote
AUDIE MURPHY’S MEDAL OF HONOR FEAT
Audie Murphy had a rough childhood. He was born on June 20, 1925 in rural Texas. He was the 7th of 12 kids. His father was a sharecropper who abandoned his family when Audie was a young boy. He Read more
Anecdote
THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD
James Marshall was a skilled carpenter when he went into business with John Sutter. Sutter had a fort that was frequented by settlers coming to California. Sutter dreamed that his land would become a little kingdom, with him as Read more
Anecdote
THE MARINE CORPS’ ACE OF ACES: JOE FOSS
Joe Foss was born in rural South Dakota on April 17, 1915. He grew up in a farmhouse that had no electricity. At age 12, he met Charles Lindbergh on his tour with the Spirit of St. Louis. At Read more
Anecdote
FACTS ABOUT THE BATTLE OF RORKE’S DRIFT
On Jan. 11, 1879, the British invaded Zululand after the Zulu king refused an ultimatum used to provoke a war. On Jan. 22, the British suffered a terrible defeat in the Battle of Isandlwana. Over 1,300 Brits were killed. A Read more
Anecdote
A PRESIDENT DEFENDS HIS DAUGHTER
President Truman’s daughter Margaret wanted to be a professional singer. It turned out that she was not very good at it. On Dec. 6, 1950, she gave a concert at Constitutional Hall. The next day, the Washington Post’s music Read more
Anecdote
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WINSTON CHURCHILL
His mother was an American socialite who was introduced to Lord Randolph Churchill at a regatta by future King Edward VII. His mother had a snake tattoo on her wrist. She remarried twice, both men were twenty years younger. He Read more
Anecdote
FACTS ABOUT THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS
On December 8, 1814, a British fleet reached Ship Island 60 miles east of New Orleans. British rowboats armed with small carronades and carrying British soldiers ran off a motley American flotilla. The British crossed bayous to put an army Read more
Anecdote
CORIOLANUS
Long before Benedict Arnold, there was Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. Gaius grew up in a patrician family. When he reached adulthood he became an officer in the Roman army. In 493 B.C., a Roman army was laying siege to the Read more
Anecdote
THE BATTLE OF ASCULUM
Roman military history is a popular subgenre in military history. Many books have been written about this period. Unfortunately, most of the original sources have been lost to history. For instance, Livy wrote a History of Rome from its Read more
Anecdote
THE GERMAN FIGHTER ACE WHO SAVED A B-17 BOMBER
The B-17 bomber was called “Ye Olde Pub”. It was on its first mission. The target was a German aircraft factory in Breman, Germany. The date was May 25, 1943. Its pilot was 2nd Lt. Charles “Charlie” Brown. Bremen Read more