A Brief History On February 19, 1943, the Battle of Kasserine Pass started, the first major American engagement of ground forces with the Axis forces in the Western Theater of World War II. Unfortunately for the US Army, the performance of the soldiers and their equipment was a major disappointment, perhaps crushingly so, disheartening not only the US higher commanders (General Eisenhower) but also our British allies. General Omar Bradley (later a 5 star General) later said that Kasserine Pass was the worst performance by the US Army in all its history. Digging Deeper After World War II started in…
Browsing: February 19
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A Brief History On February 19, 1859, New York Congressman Daniel E. Sickles made history as the first person acquitted by reason of “temporary insanity.” The charge of murdering his wife’s lover was all the more historically significant because the victim was the son of Francis Scott Key, author of our National Anthem! Digging Deeper The theory behind the temporary insanity plea is closely aligned with the idea that in the throes of extreme emotion (passion) a person cannot think clearly and may do something out of his or her realm of control. While this condition certainly seems to be…
A Brief History On February 19, 2013, management and guests at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles finally found out why their water had been getting worse and worse over the past month. Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find guests complaining of low water pressure, slimy water, foul tasting water, and discolored water. It was no big surprise then when a dead body was found in the hotel’s water tank that was located on the roof of the hotel! It was that of 21-year-old Elisa Lam. She had been missing for about a month and presumably was in the water…
A Brief History On February 19, 1945, the most cracked battle in history of the United States Marine Corp (USMC) began with 30,000 Marines hitting a beach. Digging Deeper Digging deeper, and we mean digging deeper, we find the small Pacific Island of Iwo Jima fortified by about 22,000 Japanese soldiers who had spent the previous year creating an amazing array of tunnels and fortifications to prepare for the inevitable American assault. The battle that would follow would result in the only time in USMC history where Marine casualties would outnumber those of the enemy! Although only 216 Japanese would survive the battle as…
