Browsing: Military

A Brief History On August 30, 1813, a force of about 1,000 warriors of a faction of the Creek Nation Native Americans known as the “Red Sticks” attacked Fort Mims in Alabama, killing almost all its defenders and many civilians as well.  What later became known as the Fort Mims Massacre was the worst slaughter of white settlers by Native Americans in the South and probably the second worst overall. (Only the 1791 Fort Recovery Massacre in Ohio known as St. Clair’s Defeat may have been worse.) Digging Deeper As explained above, the Red Sticks were a faction of the Creek.  Many Creek had assimilated with the white…

A Brief History On August 29, 1350, the English naval fleet under King Edward III defeated the Castilian fleet at the Battle of Winchelsea in the English Channel after the Castilian fleet had previously attacked and captured English trade ships.  Although not establishing naval dominance over the Spanish for good, this battle showed that the English took naval threats seriously and would meet the enemy head on to protect its ships and coastlines.  The Battle of Winchelsea precursed what would become a massive English victory against the Spanish Armada in 1588. Digging Deeper As mentioned in the introduction, the Battle of…

A Brief History On August 27, 1928, countries that were bitter enemies in World War I signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact to renounce war as a means to resolve disputes and conflicts between nations.  Within a year’s time, a total of 62 countries had signed. Digging Deeper To put 62 countries in perspective for the times, the 1928 Winter Olympics had 25 countries participating and the Summer Olympics 46. This particular treaty was named after Frank Kellogg, U.S. Secretary of State, and Aristide Briand, the French Foreign Minster.  Kellogg received the 1929 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in establishing the pact.  (History and Headlines Note:  The name “Kellogg”…

A Brief History On August 27, 1939, the first jet aircraft, the Heinkel He 178, made its first flight.  Since this airplane did not make it to regular production, many people may not be familiar with it.  Many pioneering events in aviation history are relatively unknown, at least to the lay public.  Here 10 such machines or deeds that represent firsts in aviation history are listed (Only fixed-wing, powered flights are being considered in this list.)   Digging Deeper 10. 1st Powered Flight, 1890. No, it was not by the Wright brothers!  They did, however, make the first “controlled” powered flight in 1903 for a…

A Brief History On August 26, 1346, at the Battle of Crecy, English archers proved the superiority of the English longbow over the combination of armored knights and crossbowmen fielded by the French.  There have been many weapons throughout history that did not need either gunpowder or explosives to be effective.  Here 10 such weapons are listed in no particular order.   Digging Deeper 10. Hands, Feet, Teeth, 1st Use Unknown. The absolute simplest weapons: hands, feet and teeth can be used to strike, kick or bite an opponent quite effectively, even killing him or it (if an animal). For example, just…