“The commander of the 70 impounded ships had his men destroy the vessels rather than see them awarded to the victors.” ALTHOUGH THE GUNS of the First World War fell silent on Nov. 11, 1918, it was not until the signing of the Treaty of Versailles more than seven months later that conflictofficially ended. Yet mere days before the inking of…
Category: Historical Study
Military History: Leaflet Propaganda Campaign Proved Inept
The United States and its allies dropped some 2.5 billion propaganda leaflets during the Korean War. But after the 1953 armistice which halted the fighting, the Pentagon discovered that few enemy troops ever read the messages, let alone understood them. One reason was that pilots rarely dropped the leaflets in the right places. There were also too many types of…
Military History: The Russo-Japanese War Brought Rapid Fire Weapons to the World
The 1904 conflict foreshadowed bloodier events The Russo-Japanese War commenced 112 years ago this February, lasting 18 months before a U.S.-brokered truce mercifully put it to rest. The war killed upwards of 125,000 people, and sharply limited Russian influence in Northeast Asia. Japan gained control of Korea and a long-term foothold for influencing events in Manchuria and…
Brush-Up on Your History: Failed Constitutional Amendments That Would Have Changed How America Wages War
The U.S. has mulled a few constitutional amendments, including some radical ideas about the government and warfare. What if war were unconstitutional? Yes, it sounds like something John Lennon would say, but it was actually an attempted amendment to the Constitution in 1927. Alternatively, what if the U.S. was unable to supply equipment, aid, or…
The Long History of “Little Green Men” Tactics and How They Were Defeated
In both Crimea and the subsequent fighting in the Donbas region of Ukraine, Russia’s signature tactic has been the use of so-called “Green Men,” soldiers without identifying insignia whose identity as Russian soldiers the Kremlin denied. Ukraine, Georgia, and even NATO members like Estonia now fear that they could be the next target for Russia’s…
Brush-Up on Your History: The Four Forgotten Men Who Secretly Put Adolf Hitler in Power
In 1929, Adolf Hitler was a strange combination of has-been and never-was. The fame and following he’d garnered after his failed 1923 coup d’etat–and subsequent jailing and publication of his autobiography (Mein Kampf)–had severely waned. His Nazi party had a paltry number of seats in Parliament and showed no signs of picking up steam. The…
Profiles in Courage: Gisella Perl, The “Angel of Auschwitz”
Forced to work for the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele at Auschwitz, Gisella Perl risked all to save as many lives as she could. This is her incredible, heartbreaking story. We have previously shared the story of Stanislawa Leszczyńska, a midwife at Auschwitz who delivered almost 3,000 babies while imprisoned in the concentration camp. But while…
Brush-Up on Your History: How the Assassination of Julius Caesar Changed The World
Caesar’s death paved the way for the Roman empire after a bloody cycle of civil wars, and secured him the hallowed immortality he always craved Spurinna was a haruspex. His calling was vital, if a little unusual, requiring him to see the future in the warm entrails of sacrificial animals. At the great festival…
World War Two History: Meet the U.S. Army’s EOD Pioneers
“More than 2,000 men served in the U.S. Army’s elite bomb disposal teams during the war. Yet American UXB squads received very little media coverage owing to their secrecy and small numbers.” WHEN PEOPLE THINK about Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians, many envision soldiers in blast suits with remote-controlled robots, tracking down IEDs like something out…
World War Two History: This ‘Addams Family’ Star was a True American Warrior!
Waif to Warrior: Going From Child Star To “Chindit” In WWII America John was a child of Vaudeville; he became a professional entertainer at the age of four. He was an immediate hit on stage and when silent films came out, John was cast to co-star with the likes of Charlie Chaplin then later as…