In 1702, the new governor-general opened the New York Assembly in an elegant hoop dress and elaborate headdress. The only problem was she was a he. Lord Cornbury had been appointed to the position because he was the cousin Read more
In the late 16th Century, Protestant Britain and Catholic Spain were at each other’s throats. Spain was the leading power, but the British were constantly nipping at the hem of its robe. War broke out in 1585 as Spain Read more
The architect of the Pearl Harbor attack was assassinated on April 18, 1943. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was the head of the Japanese navy and the man most responsible for Japanese successes in the war in the Pacific. He was Read more
Masada (“strong foundation or support”) is a plateau near the Dead Sea in Judea in Israel. It is 1,300 feet high. The mesa covers 840 acres. It was turned into a fortress by Herod the Great from 37 – 31 Read more
The governor’s election of 1872 created a lot of tension in Louisiana. It was marked by a lot of corruption and voter fraud. The Republicans supported black enfranchisement and the Democrats were doing their best to maintain white supremacy. Read more
The Immortals were the elite fighting unit of the Persian Empire. Most of what we know of them comes from the historian Herodotus. They were created when Cyrus the Great was emperor. Credit goes to a female named Pantea Read more
Robert Smalls was born on April 5, 1839. Smalls was born a slave in 1839. His master hired him out as a deckhand on local ships and he eventually rose to pilot of a cotton transport called the Planter, Read more
On April 2, 1801, the British fleet destroyed the Danish navy. Out of this battle came a famous phrase. In 1801, Great Britain was interested in preventing a Franco-Dutch alliance. Denmark had a powerful fleet, which if joined to Read more
Pompeii and Herculaneum were covered by volcanic ash in 79 A.D. It was not until the 18th Century that they were uncovered by archeologists. Originally, the Pompeii site was no secret as some of the taller buildings protruded a Read more
On February 15, 1942, the port of Singapore fell to the Japanese. It was a terrible blow to the British Empire as 80,000 British, Indian, and Australian soldiers were taken prisoner. Naturally, the Allies wanted revenge. In walked a Read more