The National Socialist German Workers Party created an organization for young boys in 1922. In 1926, it was named the Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls was added. After the Nazis took power in 1933, both organizations Read more
In 1199 (the 100th anniversary of the First Crusaders capture of Jerusalem), French knight Hughes de Payen and eight others swore at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem that they would protect pilgrims to the Holy Land. Read more
In 1942, the first female concentration camp guards began working at Auschwitz and Majdenek. By the end of the Holocaust, 3,500 women worked as guards. Most were recruited via ads in newspapers. You had to be single and 21-45 Read more
A dirt-poor farmer from Tennessee was the most decorated doughboy of WWI. Alvin York grew up in a two-room log cabin. He was one of eleven children. He grew up wild and loved to drink and party. His life Read more
On August 9, 1944, the U.S. Forestry Service authorized the creation of a baby bear symbol for firefighting efforts by the public. WWII was underway and there were fewer firefighters because many joined the military. The public was enlisted Read more
The Battle of Britain was the first major military campaign fought entirely by air forces. The battle actually got its name before it even began. On June 18, 1940 Winston Churchill made a speech that included the lines: “The Battle Read more
The St. Albans Raid was the most Northern action of the Civil War. Lt. Bennett Young of the Confederate army had escaped from a Union prison camp and made it to Canada. He came up with the idea of Read more
The song “Dixie” is forever associated with the South before and during the Civil War. Ironically, it was written by an Ohioan named Daniel Decatur Emmett. He meant it to evoke a the positive effects of slavery, although it Read more
Gladiators were usually either slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war. Some might even be free men who joined for the adventure and/or fame. New gladiators were called novicius. They were brought to the training school (ludus). The owner was Read more
Today is the anniversary of one of the worst maritime disasters in history. The crew of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis would have been proud that they had contributed to the ending of WWII and the saving of many Read more