The 1325 War of the Bucket traces its origins to 1075, when a power struggle between the papacy and the Holy Roman empire degenerated into warfare. Although the initial war between the papal (Guelph) and imperial (Ghibelline) factions was settled in 1122, conflict persisted over the next four centuries among the city-states of northern Italy. … Lire la suite

The final resting place of explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance—one of the greatest maritime mysteries of modern times—has been found. More than a century after Endurance was crushed by sea ice and sank in the Weddell Sea, stranding its crew on ice floes for more than a year, the famed ship has been located—nearly … Lire la suite

For 11 years, Janna Hoehn has been on a personal mission. A dedicated volunteer researcher, the 30-year resident of Maui has devoted herself to preserving the memory of all veterans inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall by locating their photographs for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s Wall of Faces. Now Janna is on the … Lire la suite

Pierre Fauroux was born in 1921. He graduated from the French Military Academy at St. Cyr in 1942, when France’s Vichy government was dominated by Germany. In 1943 he escaped from France via Spain and joined the Free French movement based in Britain. Trained by the British in special operations, he parachuted into France in … Lire la suite

Wildcat: The Untold Story of Pearl Hart, the Wild West’s Most Notorious Woman Bandit, by John Boessenecker, Hanover Square Press, New York, 2021, $28.99 Perhaps no other historical Western figure has been obscured by as much misinformation and myth as Pearl Hart. But as the title of this biography suggests, award-winning author and Wild West … Lire la suite

Every unit sent to Vietnam deserves an official historian like Don Snedeker, who has served in that capacity for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment for more than 30 years. Snedeker’s previous book, The Blackhorse in Vietnam, is a comprehensive history of the regiment from the time it arrived in-country in September 1966 to spring 1972 … Lire la suite

George Smith Patton IV, asked what it was like to grow up in the shadow of a World War II icon, replied in a 1977 interview: “I’ve never worried about it. I’ve been too busy.” Born in Boston on Dec. 24, 1923, he was the fourth in his family to bear the George Smith Patton … Lire la suite

The fellow in Olaf Carl Seltzer’s 1928 watercolor Barkeep looks tough enough to handle rowdy patrons. (Gilcrease Museum) PLEASE DON’T SHOOT THE PIANIST; HE IS DOING HIS BEST. That saying entered Western lore from an unlikely source—Oscar Wilde. The celebrated Irish poet and playwright did a lecture tour of the United States in 1882 that … Lire la suite

Under the leadership of Eleanor Holmes Norton and Cory Booker, the U.S. Congress has begun debating the possibility of awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the nearly 200,000 Black people who served in the U.S. military service during the Civil War. Their efforts reinforce that Black Civil War military service, even 100 plus years ago, deserves … Lire la suite

History is full of dramatic conflicts where the capricious tide of events could have turned the outcome in either direction. A mistimed cavalry charge, a careless tactical blunder, a change in the wind direction. What if Napoleon hadn’t wavered at Waterloo? How close did the Normans come to losing the Battle of Hastings? What would … Lire la suite