Category: Odd Facts
Savoring Victory — 18th Century Armies & Navies Couldn’t Fight Without Salted Provisions
“Although the use of salt provisions was problematic, they were vital in supplying Britain’s armed forces and sustaining its empire across the world.” By George Yagi FOR 18th CENTURY military commanders, salt often spelled the…
Saving ‘On War’ — Marie von Clausewitz’s Forgotten Battle to Preserve Her Husband’s Legacy
“Until recently, Marie’s role in preserving and shaping the legacy of the Western world’s most influential military theorist has remained understudied and often ignored.” By Vanya Eftimova Bellinger ON THE MORNING of 16 November 1831, General…
Unknown Soldiers – How Black Barrage Balloon Troops Kept the D-Day Beaches Safe
“Despite their achievements, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion is largely absent from the D-Day story.” By Linda Hervieux IN THE FALL of 1942, thousands of young American men descended onto a peaceful corner of northwestern Tennessee,…
Ghosts Stories — MHN Explores Some of History’s Most Haunted Battlefields
“Gettysburg isn’t the only battlefield that’s believed to be haunted by the ghosts of the fallen. In honour of Halloween, MHN has compiled this list of others.” ONE OF THE COUNTLESS HUMAN TRAGEDIES to unfold…
Operation Werwolf – Did the Nazis Really Plan for a Post-War Insurgency?
“Recruits learned infiltration, sabotage and demolition techniques and were trained to kill silently, evade capture and improvise their own explosives using ordinary household items.” JUNE 5, 1945 — The war in Europe had been over for…
Bon Appétit, Bonaparte! — What Did Napoleon Like to Eat and Drink?
“The simplest dishes were those he preferred; but he was not easy to please…” AT HIS BIRTHDAY PARTY at Joseph Bonaparte’s New Jersey estate in my novel Napoleon in America, the exiled French emperor is served…
