A Brief History On October 2, 1864, US Army troops fought Confederate regulars and Home Guard troops at Saltville, Virginia, a Confederate victory that ended in a massacre of captured and wounded Union soldiers. Digging Deeper As hinted at by the name of the town, Saltville is the location of a major saltworks. Salt was vital to the Confederacy for preserving meat used to feed its army. Another notable aspect of the battle was African American US Army cavalry playing a major role in the battle. Union forces tried a dismounted attack on entrenched Confederate defenses, but CSA reinforcements arrived…
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A Brief History On October 1, 2021, the international exposition known as Expo 2020 was opened in Dubai, an expo delayed by the Covid 19 pandemic since its intended opening of October 20, 2020. Few places on Earth remained largely unaffected by the worst pandemic of recent decades, and many notable activities were greatly affected by the measures to limit the spread of the deadly virus. Digging Deeper Some other major disruptions included: The 2020 Summer Olympics were not held until July and August of 2021. Other sporting events were either cancelled or held without spectators. School closings affected about…
A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on October 31st. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper By statute enacted on October 31, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson was authorized to take possession of various territories ceded by France to the United States of America in what is known as the Louisiana Purchase. On October 31, 1864, the people of the United States got a big treat in their Halloween basket, the newly minted State of Nevada, the 36th state…
A Brief History Hello, everyone! I am Dr. Zar of History and Headlines and today, October 31, 2023, I wish all of you a Happy Halloween! Digging Deeper As a suggestion for something to watch on this Halloween, I recommend Our Paranormal Podcast #146, co-hosted by a former student of mine, Bryan Mersol. You can learn about paranormal investigating in the United States as some members of Your Paranormal describe their journeys to allegedly haunted locations all the way from Ohio to Nevada and back again. And yes, they also give me a shout out in the video, so it…
A Brief History On October 31, 1973, three Provisional Irish Republican Army members held prisoner in Dublin, Ireland were busted out of prison in a manner befitting an action movie! Digging Deeper The Provisional IRA was a group attempting to force a unification of Northern Ireland with the rest of the island, using violence as a main method of “persuasion.” The prisoners had been convicted and sentenced to prison for “offences against the state.” An aborted plan to break out the prisoners by blowing a hole in the prison wall was replaced by an even more spectacular plan of using…