Category: People
‘To Encourage the Others’ – Admiral Byng’s Execution Was a Grim Warning to Royal Navy Officers: ‘Do Your Utmost!’
“Byng’s death had a profound impact on the navy, as it did encourage others to fight and greatly contributed to Britain’s victory in the Seven Years’ War.” By George Yagi Jr. ON MARCH 14, 1757,…
The Heartthrob Assassin — How Women and Murder Went Hand-in-Hand for John Wilkes Booth
“Men admired him. Women found him irresistible. He had everything going for him. Until something festering inside him drove him to kill.” By E. Lawrence Abel ONE HUNDRED AND fifty-three years after John Wilkes Booth’s death, historians…
WW1 Doughboy Wishes Us All a Happy and Prosperous 1918
Some years back, Slate.com offered this charming New Years greeting – a 100-year-old water colour of a holiday season snow ball fight between American soldiers as they prepared to depart for the First World War. Painted…
Demolition Man — Remembering Robert de La Rochefoucald’s Most Daring Wartime Mission
“He’d sabotaged rail lines and power stations across France, killed countless enemy soldiers, and even escaped an enemy firing squad. But behind his outward-facing élan, he was racked by secret doubts.” By Paul Kix ROBERT…
‘Above and Beyond’ – Navy Pilot Makes Daring Bid to Save Downed Flier from Korean Hillside
“Time was becoming critical. I decided to make a wheels-up landing, pull him out of the cockpit and wait for the helicopter.” By David Poyer ONE OF AMERICA’S most modest heroes died this month. Silver-haired…
The Bereaved — Grace Darling Seibold and America’s First ‘Gold Star Mothers’
“Many observers believed that the sheer number of grieving mothers gathered so dramatically in public would actually help foster peace.” By April Smith ON FEB. 7, 1930, FIRST LADY LOU HENRY HOOVER reached into a silver bowl…
