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
When Russia began its “special military operation” into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, numerous Western countries pledged to support the latter with a variety of weapons. Among the least expensive but most effective was a British contribution commonly known as the NLAW, representing its status as a “Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon.” 21st-Century Antitank weapon … Lire la suite
“What have the Romans ever done for us?” John Cleese pondered in Monty Python’s “Life of Brian.” Well, nothing because according to one TikToker, ancient Rome wasn’t even real. Sorry to inform you, Edward Gibbon. The supposedly history-themed TikToker, whose handle is @momllennial_, garnered outrage — and views — after she claimed in a Nov. … Lire la suite
Simón Bolívar, the vaunted “Libertador” of South America, was in serious trouble. Outflanked on the left by Spanish royalists at Vargas Swamp in New Granada (present-day Colombia), his troops had withdrawn in disorder, threatening Bolívar’s patriot army with collapse. The situation called for immediate action. Without hesitation James Rooke led his battalion of 2nd Rifles … Lire la suite
No one can argue that Toyota vehicles are dependable, affordable, and abundant. But ask any veteran of the last 50 years and they’ll tell you these Japanese automobiles are vehicles of war. In fact, there was even a Toyota War fought in the late ’80s between Libya and Chad, named thus for the Toyota Hilux … Lire la suite
IN APRIL 1944, the United States War Department was consumed with thoughts of France. Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, was only weeks away, and American and British war planners were enmeshed in the details of executing the world’s largest amphibious invasion. While Washington and London’s attentions were focused on Overlord, a little-noticed decision made … Lire la suite
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