Author: Major Dan

A Brief History On July 3, 1863, the Army of the Potomac fought a defensive battle against the Army of Northern Virginia at the Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg.  On the last day of battle, Confederate Major General George Pickett was one of three Confederate generals to lead the final assault on Union lines, lending his name to the battle, a battle that has become synonymous with futility.  Here we list 5 of the most valiant, and yet most futile fatal attacks in military history, with no significance to the order listed. Digging Deeper 1. Pickett’s Charge, 1863. When Confederate Commander General…

A Brief History On July 2, 1961, Ernest Hemingway, one of the greatest American writers and Most Interesting Man in the World, committed suicide by shooting himself with his favorite shotgun.  On August 12 on this website you will find a list of “10 Famous Suicides” and today we list another 10 suicides of a noteworthy nature, either because of whom the victim was or the circumstances.   Digging Deeper 1. Ernest Hemingway, 1961. Born in 1900, Hemingway served during World War I as an ambulance driver in Italy where he saw the horrors of female factory workers blown to pieces,…

A Brief History On July 1, 1916, the five month Battle of the Somme began with horrific results for the British Army, leaving 19,240 men dead on the battlefield and another 36,230 wounded on only the first day!  Known in Britain as The Battle of Albert (July 1 through July 13, 1916), the start to the Battle of the Somme was a portent of the slaughter to come. Digging Deeper With “only” 7000 total casualties the French do not remember this day as particularly noteworthy, lost in World War I, a war of many horrific days.  Nor do the Germans…

A Brief History On June 30, 1559, King Henry II of France engaged in a jousting tournament when his opponent’s lance pierced the face guard of Henry’s helmet, sending splinters into his face, eye, and brain.  Henry died of his injuries on July 10, 1559, becoming another casualty of the dangerous sport of jousting.  Practiced in Medieval times for armored knights to hone their war skills, these knights on large, powerful armored horses would charge each other head on with lances in an effort to unseat their opponent, at a closing speed of perhaps 50 mph (estimated by the author).…

A Brief History On June 29, 2017, we take a moment to reflect on the history of boxing, specifically, the history of the big boys, the top dogs, the Kings of the World, the Heavyweight Champions.  On June 28, we discussed former Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson and his bizarre personality, and while he was a pretty good boxer, he does not make this list.  Why only a top 5?  Once you get past the 5, the next 5 are not in serious contention for being Number 1, and we prefer to keep this list only about boxers that our readers…