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On April 11, 1951, President Harry Truman had had enough, and fired General of the Army (5 star general) Douglas MacArthur.  Firing the senior American general during a war, especially one that had been awarded the Medal of Honor (in World War II) and that was a national hero is not to be taken lightly; however, Truman had no choice and “Dugout Doug” was out. Sometimes during the emergencies of war even senior officers are found to be lacking in brains, skills, or character necessary to win the war.  When officers of exalted rank get fired, it is unusual enough…

On April 7, 1945, the Japanese Navy sent the most powerful (along with her sister ship, the Musashi) battleship ever built on a one way suicide mission.  The incredible amount of man-hours, money, and physical resources that went into that ship are staggering, yet the mighty Yamato never made a difference during its short life.  This incident was not the only mistake Japan made during the war, so here are 10 of them. Digging Deeper 10. Underestimating the Soviets. Although the war was already lost, the few days of fighting between Soviet and Japanese forces were a vivid example 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 February 20th, we covered how Ted Kaczynski (the “Unabomber”) blew up a computer store in 1987.   Today marked the end of his reign of terror as he was finally arrested on April 3, 1996.  A recluse who was anti-technology, he probably would not have been caught without his brother having turned him in.  Here are 10 civilian people who are known for bombing, good or bad.  (For our companion list of military bombers, please see this article). Please Note: This list is not a rogues’ gallery!  It includes good guys as well as bad guys famously…

A Brief History Leon Russell was born on April 2, 1942 as Claude Russell Bridges.  He is but one of a number of rock and rollers to have changed their names!  This article celebrates thirteen great performances in rock and roll history by stars who changed their names! Digging Deeper 13. Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz) 12. Freddy Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) 11. Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian) 10. Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges) 9. Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey) 8. Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone) 7. Conway Twitty (born Harold Lloyd Jenkins) 6. Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier)…