Anecdote
THE SOCCER WAR
Today is the anniversary of one of the most bizarre wars ever fought. On July 14, 1969, two Central American countries went to war over soccer. Soccer can get pretty intense, but it usually does not lead to war. Read more
Anecdote
LOUIS XIV’S APPETITE
“The Sun King” loved to eat. Supper, anyway. His breakfasts and lunches were moderate, but around 10 P.M. he and his retinue pigged out. These banquets usually consisted of four different soups, a whole pheasant, partridge, chicken, or duck Read more
Anecdote
THE SKINNYDIPPING INTERVIEW
In honor of his birthday on July 11, 1767, here is the most famous anecdote about John Quincy Adams. Anne Royall is sometimes called America’s first female reporter. For a long time, she wanted to interview the President, but Read more
Anecdote
THE “NINE DAYS’ QUEEN”
Jane Gray should have had the regular life of a noblewoman, but she became a political pawn and died at age 16. She was born the daughter of a duke, but she had connections to the Tudor family. She Read more
Anecdote
THE OLD FLAMING OXEN TRICK
After Hannibal destroyed a Roman army at the Battle of Lake Trasimene, the Romans appointed Fabius Maximus as dictator. Fabius became known as Fabius the Delayer because of his tactics. These Fabian tactics involved avoiding battle with Hannibal. Fabius’ Read more
Anecdote
THE LIBERTY BELL
This is the anniversary of one of the supposed crackings of the Liberty Bell. According to legend, the bell got a serious crack when it was rung to honor the death of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall. In Read more
Anecdote
THE LINCOLN ASSASSINATION TRIAL
After the assassination of Lincoln, a large net was thrown and many people were accused of being involved in the conspiracy to kill Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State William Seward. Some of the fish that Read more
Anecdote
CAPTAIN KIDD
William Kidd never left a crewman on a deserted isle. He never made anyone walk the plank. He did leave a buried treasure, but that was about the only thing that was classic pirate. The fact is, although he Read more
Anecdote
JUMBO THE ELEPHANT
Today is the anniversary of the birth of America’s greatest showman – P.T. Barnum. Here is the story of the greatest attraction in his circus. On Feb. 3, 1882, the most famous elephant in the world was sold to Read more
Anecdote
THE SACRED BAND AND THE BATTLE OF LEUCTRA
One of the most famous military units in the Ancient World was the Sacred Band of Thebes. It was created around 378 B.C. by Gorgidas. He had the genius idea of taking advantage of the homosexual relationships common among Read more