A Brief History On September 14, 1814, while observing the Battle of Baltimore from a British ship, lawyer Francis Scott Key penned the poem, “The Defence of Fort McHenry,” the words that would be adapted as our (the USA) National Anthem. Commonly sung or played before sporting events and other special events, the tune is normally given the reverence reserved for those things that are greatly valued. Here we list times when the rendition of The Star Spangled Banner was performed in a way that drew criticism and ire from large chunks of the population. UPDATE: The performance of our…
Browsing: Military
Read More
A Brief History On September 9, 9 A.D., Germanic tribes under the leadership of Arminius dealt an army of three Roman Legions and their auxiliaries a crushing and total defeat at Teutoburg Forest in what is now Germany. Called a “turning point in world history,” “Rome’s greatest defeat,” and “one of the most decisive battles recorded in military history,” the Battle of Teutoburg Forest ensured that the Romans would never go East of the Rhine River and the Germanic tribes in the East would not be subjugated by Rome. Digging Deeper The Romans were led by Publius Quinctilius Varus, a…
A Brief History On September 7, 1776, American revolutionary Ezra Lee attempted to use a submarine called the Turtle in combat. The hand powered little one man sub did not perform as expected, and Lee was unable to attach his offensive explosive charge to a British warship. Twice in the past we have used this example and the B-32 Dominator to make a list of 10 Underperforming Weapons and 5 More Underperforming Weapons. Today we take this opportunity to list another 5 weapons that disappointed the people meant to use them. Digging Deeper 1. M-4 Sherman Tank, 1942. When the American Army…
A Brief History On August 31, 1939, German troops dressed in Polish uniforms pretended to attack a German radio station near the German-Polish border at Gleiwitz (Gliwice in Polish). Concentration camp inmates had been previously shot and dressed in German uniforms and left at the radio station to make it seem the Poles had attacked Germany, giving Germany the excuse for starting World War II in Europe. Actions taken against one’s own side under the guise of being an attack by an enemy is a ruse known as a false flag operation. These can be done on air, on land…
A Brief History On August 30, 1879, American Army and Confederate Army General John Bell Hood died of Yellow Fever, only six days after his wife and daughter died of that disease, leaving behind 10 orphaned children and a rich heritage as a fighting man. Digging Deeper Hood was born in Kentucky in 1831, and received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point from his uncle, Congressman Richard French. Nearly expelled for being assigned an excess of demerits, Hood graduated #44 out of 52 graduates of the class of 1853. The Superintendent of West Point during…