Month: December 2012
Get Out of Jail Free — How Allied Flyers Used Monopoly to Escape From German POW Camps
“The games containing these secret escape kits were unwittingly distributed to POWs as part of care packages right under the nose of German prison guards.” FOR CAPTURED flyers in World War Two, Monopoly was more…
Dying in a Winter Wonderland — Unearthing the Hidden Cause of Napoleon’s Stunning Reversal in Russia
Two hundred years ago today, the last of Napoleon’s Grande Armee staggered out of Russia frostbitten, starving and half dead. The ramshackle column of fewer than 50,000 scarecrows was all that remained of the seemingly…
Article Examines Nazi Involvement in the “Day of Infamy”
“Codes between the Nazi agent and the Japanese were worked out in advance.” UNLESS YOU’VE BEEN paying close attention to the coverage of the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor you likely missed this fascinating article from…
Bismarck, Berlin & Swastika – Towns That Changed Their Name in Wartime (and Others That Didn’t)
“Swastika was just one of several towns that were called upon to change their names in wartime.” SIX HOURS NORTH OF TORONTO, Canada lies a remote community with a most unfortunate name: Swastika. The municipality,…
Geronimo — How the Apache Outlaw Went From Public Enemy to American Legend
“Up to a quarter of the American army would be deployed to the southwestern United States to take part in his capture.” AT THE TIME of his surrender to American authorities in 1886, the Apache…
Get ‘Blitzed’ — Spitfire Ale and Other Historic Beers
On my way home from work this past Friday, I stopped by the local liquor store (as I often do before the weekend) to pick up a six-pack of beer. During my visit, I spotted…
