It was perhaps the politest “battle” in human history.  Upon entering Guam’s harbor on June 20, 1898, instead of experiencing the expected whizz of bullets and the booms of a cannonade, U.S. Navy Capt. Henry Glass and his crew aboard the re-commissioned cruiser  USS Charleston were greeted on the beaches by curious residents who mistook … Lire la suite

ONE OF THE THINGS I’VE REALIZED when it comes to studying the war is that once a narrative becomes entrenched, it’s difficult to get people to see it any other way. Take U.S. Fifth Army commander Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, for example, and the fall of Rome on June 4, 1944.  In the decades … Lire la suite

From the sands of Normandy to the beaches of Iwo the breadth and depth of World War II films worth watching can simply be staggering. Add streaming sites into the mix, and it can be overwhelming, if not time consuming, to decide on what to watch for the night. So, how about letting HistoryNet make … Lire la suite

Is there anything sweeter — literally or figuratively — than biting into the plastic-wrapped chemical compound of luxuriously spongey cake with vanilla cream that is a Twinkie? Perhaps not. But the original Hostess delicacy was once something else entirely. The preservative-filled dessert that many once believed could withstand nuclear war got its start as a banana cream … Lire la suite

There is something about sailing the open seas that comes with the stereotype of being a rum-soaked scalawag. One of the most popular sea shanties of all time is that which we’ve come to know as “What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?” The original music reportedly comes from an Irish tune called ‘Oró Sé do … Lire la suite

final homecoming THE TRAIN PULLED INTO the station in Franklin, Tennessee, on December 16, 1948. It was 9:13 in the morning on a gray, overcast day. The temperature was in the 60s, warm for that time of year. On board were the remains of Technical Sergeant Lee Gordon Allen Jr.—“L. G.,” as he was known … Lire la suite

Four men who served in the Vietnam War are in line to have U.S. Army bases named in their honor, according to a list released by the commission established by Congress in 2021 to rename bases named after Confederates.  Of the nine forts due to be renamed, nearly half would be renamed after Vietnam veterans … Lire la suite

Astoria, Oregon, spreads along the bank of the Columbia River, 10 miles upstream from the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1811 as an outpost of John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company, Astoria, named for the industrious German immigrant who had founded the enterprise, was the first American settlement west of the Rockies. When the fur trade’s … Lire la suite

The Levi and Catharine Coffin House in Fountain City, Ind., may seem off the beaten path for Civil War aficionados, but that was not the case for thousands of enslaved people in antebellum America, for whom it was a symbol of incredible hope—appropriately labeled the “Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad” in the 1840s. … Lire la suite