A Brief History On April 5, 1943, B-17 Flying Fortress bombers of the American 8th Air Force proved once again that “Friendly fire is not friendly!” On several occasions, we have discussed incidents where one side in an armed conflict accidentally causes casualties to either their own people or the people of an allied nation. In this case, US bombs meant to attack a factory supplying engine parts for German warplanes hit a residential area of Mortsel, Belgium, killing 936 civilians, of which 209 were children under the age of 15. Digging Deeper The US aviators were convinced that daylight…
Browsing: April 5
A Brief History On Easter Sunday, possibly April 5, 33 AD, the Christian Bible reports the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Although this resurrection is the most well known, there are of course reports of others. Here is a list of 10 of the most notable reports of human resurrection. 10. The Son of the Widow of Zarephath, date unknown. As reported in the Bible(1 Kings 17:21), the prophet Elijah prayed over the body of the boy that God would “Let this child’s life come unto him again,” and the boy then lived again. 9. The Son of the Woman of…
A Brief History Earlier today, we noted how on April 5, 1614, Pocahontas married John Rolfe. In honor of the great historic union between not just two lovers, but people representing two culture (one English and the other Native American), we celebrate 10 of history’s most famous Native Americans, focusing on those north of what is today the border between the United States and Mexico. A potential future list could concern famous Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans. Digging Deeper 10. Squanto Known for helping Pilgrims cope with life in North America at the Plymouth colony, Squanto went to Europe several times…
A Brief History On April 5, 1614, a milestone in European and Native American relations was reached when John Rolfe, English colonist, married Pocahontas, Native American princess! Digging Deeper The English colony of Jamestown, Virginia was the location of one of American history’s most famous marriages. Pocahontas was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, a sort of chief of chiefs in the eastern Virginia area. In 1607, English prisoner of the local Native Americans, John Smith, was to be executed by having his head smashed with a club by Powhatan himself. Pocahontas famously (allegedly) laid her head on Smith’s head to…
A Brief History It is believed that on April 5, 1994, Nirvana front man, Kurt Cobain, killed himself with a shotgun blast to the head. He was only 27 years old and had been a brilliant musical success, his band having sold over 75 million albums worldwide. Digging Deeper Despite being rich and successful, Cobain was depressed and got into trouble with drugs, specifically heroin. Sadly, it seems drugs are at the root of many celebrity suicides and accidental deaths. Cobain had not always had it so good. He had dropped out of high school and had been kicked out of the house by…