Browsing: August 24

A Brief History On August 24, 1949, one of the most significant military alliances of modern times went into effect as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization became a Cold War reality.  Spearheaded by the United States as a coalition against possible invasion of European countries by the Soviet Union, our former ally during World War II, this Western alliance included 12 original countries pledging mutual support in the event of a Soviet or other attack. Today, the number of participating nations has ballooned to 28, including historical enemies such as Greece and Turkey and many former Soviet Bloc Eastern European…

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A Brief History On August 24, 2010, 72 bodies of illegal immigrants were found in a mass grave by Mexican military units that had just ended a shootout with the dreaded drug and crime cartel, Los Zetas.  They had been blindfolded and handcuffed before being shot in the back of the head.  Perhaps the most pervasive of the Mexican criminal gangs and drug-trafficking cartels, Los Zetas are known for their brutality and are quick to use force and terror instead of coercion and bribery. Digging Deeper The unfortunate illegal immigrants came to Mexico from even poorer countries in South and Central…

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A Brief History On August 24, 1349, the Black Death broke out in the Prussian town of Elbing in Northern Germany.  This horrifying illness became synonymous with death in the Middle Ages!  Beginning in the fifth century and ending with the death of Richard III in the fifteenth century, the Middle Ages in Europe are sometimes referred to as the Medieval period.  People in Medieval Europe had an average life expectancy of somewhere in the 30s-40s, far less than our own today.  This article presents 10 ways people died during this time period.  Some of the deaths were common; others rather unconventional. Digging Deeper 10.  Infection from a Dead Man’s Bite! A Viking earl by the name…

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A Brief History On August 24, 1349, 6,000 Jews were massacred in Mainz, Germany by being burned alive.  Blamed for so many ills, this time they were held responsible for spreading the bubonic plague.  Digging Deeper On this same date in 1391, at least 300 Jews were murdered in Palma on the Balearic island of Majorca (Mallorca).  All across Spain Jews were being massacred, and their only hope for survival would be to readily agree to being baptized in the Christian faith and to convert to Christianity.  Previously, Crusaders had traveled through Spain on their way to the Holy Land and had…

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