The Disney theme parks are billed as being the most magical places on earth. Millions of visitors flock to the parks each year to escape from the cares of everyday life. In […]
What Do Disney and the Pentagon Have in Common?
The Confidence of Never Meeting Your Intellectual Equal
One of the hallmarks of Abraham Lincoln’s personality was his humility. He frequently used self-deprecating humor to defuse difficult situations.
D-Day Shrapnel Makes Up 4% of the Sand on Omaha Beach
June 6, 1944, saw the greatest amphibious landing in the history of warfare. Over 150,000 Allied troops braved unrelenting enemy fire in order so they could regain a foothold on the continent […]
Two Hotheaded Boys and Two Patient Mothers
David and Leslie had a couple of things in common: each had volatile tempers, and both of them had mothers who believed those tempers could and should be controlled. David was known […]
Smoky and the Army Airborne
Originally posted on Pacific Paratrooper:
SMOKY At the beginning of of 1944, Smoky, a Yorkshire terrier, was found by an American soldier with a stalled jeep in the New Guinea jungle where…
Did a Manhole Cover Become the First Manmade Object in Space?
The eyes of the world were turned spaceward in October 1957 because the Soviet Union had just launched Sputnik, the first manmade object sent into space. Or was it? Just a few […]
The Famous Pilot Who Crashed His First Solo Flight
Manny wanted nothing more than to be a pilot, but it just didn’t seem to be in the cards. How he managed to get his wings and become one of the most […]
The U.S. Navy Uses Xbox 360 Controllers on its Submarines
At $2.6 billion, you would think there is nothing cheap about the Virginia-class submarines of the U.S. Navy. The massive subs are 114.9 meters (377 feet) long and displace 7,800 tons of […]
The Heroic Pigeon of WWI Who Saved Nearly 200 Lives
They called him a bird-brain, but it wasn’t an insult. He was known to fly from battle, but no one called him a coward. He spent the entirety of his military service […]
The Crazy Story of the Finnish Soldier Who O.D.’d on Speed, Stepped On a Mine, Skied 250 Miles, and Outmaneuvered the Soviet Army
Aimo Koivunen needed some help. As a soldier and proud citizen of Finland, he was committed to serving his homeland, but when faced with the overwhelming might of the Soviet enemy, there […]
The Wolves That Fought in World War I
War can bring about some uneasy alliances. In the right circumstances, opposing forces can sometimes be persuaded to stop killing each — for a little while, anyway. This happened on Christmas Day, […]
The Volcano That Triggered a Year Without Summer, Defeated an Empire, and Gave Birth to a Monster
In terms of volcano celebrity status, Mount Tambora’s name is rarely mentioned. If someone asks you to name a dramatic volcanic eruption, more than likely, it is Mount Vesuvius, Krakatoa, or Mount […]
“A Cacophony of Hell” — The Terrifying Crocodile Massacre at the Battle of Ramree Island
War can be terrifying enough when humans are the only combatants. Imagine how much worse it can be when nature takes sides. Such was the case during the Battle of Ramree Island […]
How Two Roosters Saved Greek Civilization
There are times when history’s balance hinges upon the inspiration of animals. Scotland’s greatest king was inspired by a tenacious spider, and the civilization of Ancient Greece owed its survival to a […]
How Long Did It Take to Invent the Can Opener?
War has been a blight on humanity for all of history, but it occasionally produces some good things. Such was the case when Napoleon’s problems with providing food to his troops led […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 