Browsing: March

A Brief History On March 8, 1889, the anniversary date of the Battle of Hampton Roads, the clash of ironclad warships USS Monitor and CSS Virginia, the inventor of the Monitor died.  John Ericsson, born in Sweden as Johan Ericsson, showed early brilliance in surveying and engineering, and moved to England in 1826 where he invented ways to improve steam engines. Digging Deeper Ericsson is best known for inventing America’s first screw propeller driven ship system, and of course, the USS Monitor, a revolutionary ironclad that boasted the first rotating gun turret, a design that has lasted through the years…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on March 7th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On March 7, 321, Roman Emperor Constantine I decreed that dies Solis Invicti (‘sun-day,’ or Day of Sol Invictus, Roman God of the Sun) would be the Roman day of rest throughout the Roman Empire. On March 7, 1274, Saint Thomas Aquinas died having not completed his masterpiece, the Summa Theologiæ, in which he defines evil as the absence or privation of…

A Brief History On March 7, 1799, French General Napoleon Bonaparte successfully captured the city of Jaffa in Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire.  Although considered one of the all-time military geniuses, Bonaparte blundered when he allowed his men to massacre more than 2000 Albanians that had surrendered. Digging Deeper Napoleon then encouraged civilians to leave the city in the hope that these refugees would spread the word of French terror and cause other cities in the area to surrender without a fight.  He was wrong! News of the massacre steeled the resolve of the Ottoman defenders and forced…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on March 6th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On March 6, 632, founder of the Islamic religion and Prophet, Muhammad, made his Farewell Sermon from Mount Arafat in what is now Saudi Arabia during his final Hajj. On March 6, 1836, the most celebrated defeat in American history ended in a massacre! On March 6, 1899, the German chemical and pharmaceutical firm, Bayer AG, (the people that brought us “Heroin”)…

A Brief History On March 6, 1943, the Battle of Fardykambos was fought between the Greek Resistance and the invading Italian Army.  The Resistance won the battle, with nearly an entire Italian battalion surrendering. Digging Deeper In the past we have talked about odd named wars and battles, but despite the funny sounding names, these conflicts are not funny.  The Greeks suffered 4 dead with another 13 wounded and the Italians lost 565 captured, 96 dead, and 79 wounded. Italy was on a path of conquest, and part of their plan was to seize Greece, which they invaded in 1940. …