As Hurricane Sandy socks it to the eastern seaboard of North America, we put it to our Twitter followers to name some examples of instances in which severe weather changed the outcome of…
Left Holding the Bag — Some of History’s Best Known Scapegoats
“The pages of history are full of examples of military commanders who were unfairly accused, tried and sometimes even put to death for the incompetence, ignorance or failure of others.” “WE LOST. Someone’s…
Mightier Than The Sword — Meet Some of Warfare’s Most Influential Scribes
“Sun Tzu was by no means the only strategist to offer perspectives on how generals can win battles and wars.” SUN TZU, THE renown 6th Century BCE Chinese warrior and philosopher, was…
Those Brave Jackasses — Meet Some Heroic Wartime Donkeys
“The British army in the First World War actually promoted a donkey to the rank of Sergeant.” FOR THE FIRST 180 years of its existence as a sovereign nation, the United States…
Eureka Moments — Seven Everyday Inventions That Came From Warfare
“An array of peacetime products, ideas and amenities that civilians now use on a daily basis, were all pioneered during the major wars of the past 200 years.” HUMAN CONFLICT has driven innovation….
Big Shots – History’s Largest Cannons, Mortars and Super Guns
“Iraq’s ‘super gun’, while certainly mammoth, was just one in a long series of ultra-heavy artillery pieces that have appeared throughout history. Consider these other ‘big shots’.” FEW TODAY LIKELY remember the name…
Stoned in the Ranks – Drug and Alcohol Abuse Nothing New in Military Culture
“Substance abuse in the service is a centuries old phenomenon.” AN OUTRIGHT ban on drinking alcohol in combat seems to have had little impact on American soldiers’ consumption of booze, according to an…
Monumental Struggles — Five War Memorials That Sparked Controversy
“The $500,000 work of art raised eyebrows when it was unveiled.” WAR MEMORIALS ARE supposed to commemorate past conflicts. But what happens when the monument itself sparks a battle in its own right?…