Category: Odd Facts
The Forgotten Armies of the Western Front – 1914 to 1918
(Originally published October 2012) EIGHT MILLION MEN fought in the British Army during the First World War. More than half of them (5 million) served in France and Flanders on the Western Front. [1] These…
Global Conflicts — The First ‘World Wars’ Came Long Before 1914
“World War One was not history’s only recorded ‘Great War’.” (Originally published in September, 2013) THIS COMING SUMMER, the world marks a grim milestone – the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World…
Foreshadows — How Earlier Conflicts Predicted the Horrors of WW1
“Many of the battlefield advances that would become so closely associated with the War to End All Wars were actually foreshadowed in earlier conflicts.” WHEN WAR ERUPTED IN EUROPE in 1914, many expected a short…
Explaining War Crimes – Why Have So Many Modern Armies Committed Mass Murder?
By Jonathan Harrison Few people in 1900 would have predicted that many of the world’s most advanced military forces would commit horrific crimes against civilians in the forthcoming century. However, the genesis of those crimes…
Napoleon Misquoted — Ten Famous Things Bonaparte Never Actually Said
By Shannon Selin Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most quoted people in history, and thus also one of the most misquoted. Here are 10 famous quips falsely attributed to the legendary Corsican conqueror. “God…
Hard to Swallow – A Brief History of Hardtack and Ship’s Biscuit
“Made using salt, water and wheat flour (which is rich in protein, vitamins and calories), hardtack could provide modest nutrition for a crew at sea or an army in the field for weeks, even months.”…
