The U.S government pays out $40 billion a year to war vets and their survivors. The bulk of these benefits ($22 billion) go to Vietnam War veterans, while $12 billion is earmarked…
With Triumphs Like These, Who Needs Defeats? — A Brief History of Pyrrhic Victories
“The term ‘pyrrhic victory’ is named for the ancient ruler of Epirus, King Pyrrhus, who went down in history for winning a string of major battles against Rome and Carthage but still…
The Battle for Nassau – Inside the First Overseas Mission for America’s Marines
“Less than a year into the revolution, a force of Continentals invaded and captured the island of New Providence in the Bahamas. Their target: a cache of military supplies that included 200…
The Battle of Seattle — Indigenous Warriors take on the USMC
“The battle, which was part of the larger Puget Sound War of 1855 and 1856, came amid native unrest following a series of lopsided treaties imposed upon local tribes by the genocidal…
The First Sky Soldiers – Meet History’s Earliest Airborne Units
“During the years between the World Wars, armies around the world began organizing their own specially designated paratroop units.” FEW HAVE PROBABLY heard of Gleb Kotelnikov — the genius behind the first modern backpack…
Peaceable Kingdoms – Countries Without Armies
ON MAY 23, 2003, the civilian head of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq issued Coalition Provisional Authority Order No. 2. The directive called for the immediate dissolution of the 450,000-man Iraqi military….
The Business Plot — Did American Billionaires Really Plan a Fascist Coup?
“A coalition of America’s wealthiest industrial magnates allegedly hatched a scheme to topple the Roosevelt Administration.” DONALD TRUMP ADDED a touch of levity to the U.S. Presidential election last November, albeit unintentionally. As…
Bloody First Contact – When Vikings Clashed with Native North Americans
“Almost as soon as the Norsemen hauled their long boats onto the beaches, fighting broke out with the local inhabitants.” MANY POINT TO the Jamestown Massacre of 1622 as the first clash between…