The Slave Who Stole A Confederate ship, Met President Lincoln & Bought His Master’s House
In 1862, Robert Smalls stole a Confederate ship, gave it to the Union Army, freed slaves, and met President Abraham Lincoln. After the war, he…
Ten Things to Know About Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson, America’s 28th president, was a man of many contradictions. He wanted to keep America neutral during WWI, yet he also declared war…
This German Officer Sacrificed His Life In A Minefield To Save An American Soldier
October 7, 1994, saw a strange sight over the Hürtgen War Cemetery in Hürtgen, Germany. The cemetery is the final home of 3001 bodies –…
How The Stringbag, an Outdated Biplane, Took Out the Bismarck
The German battleship, Bismarck, was one of the biggest vessels ever built in the first half of the 20th century. A marvel of advanced engineering…
10 Myths about the Nazis
Many myths have grown up around the infamous Nazi Party which led Germany into war, and plunged the world into global conflict. Some of these…
When Julius Caesar Was Kidnapped, He Laughed When He Heard Their Ransom Demands And Told Them To Ask More
Long ago a 25-year-old Roman author, poet, priest, and aristocrat was kidnapped by pirates. Rather than plead for his release, however, he ordered them to…
The Daring Bruneval Raid To Capture German Radar Technology
One of the most important raids in the Second World War was the British raid on Bruneval in occupied France. Its aim was to steal…
A Kiwi Victory: Minesweepers Moa and Kiwi Bag a Japanese Sub By Repeatedly Ramming It
During WWII the Japanese Navy changed its communication codes on a regular basis, this was a mammoth task as new codebooks had to be transferred…
Le Paradis – Where the SS Murdered 97 British Prisoners on May 27th 1940
In 1940, members of the British military were slaughtered – after they had surrendered to German forces. Two survived, but no one believed their story.…
This Gigantic Submarine Factory Couldn’t Even Be Destroyed By The 22,000 lb Grand Slam Bomb
Erich Friedrich Michael Lackner is considered to be one of the most influential engineers of the last century. He developed a revolutionary type of concrete…
The Battle of Ortona – When 2,600 Canadian Men Were Sacrificed for a General’s Pride
In December 1943, a group of largely untested Canadians went up against German forces in the Italian town of Ortona. The result was a bloodbath…
Red against Red – China’s Failed 27 Day Invasion Of Vietnam
In 1979, China invaded Vietnam because Vietnam had invaded Cambodia, whose rulers were backed by China. The conflict lasted a month and resulted in tens…