Browsing: Military

A Brief History On July 20, 1997, the famous American warship, the USS Constitution, better known as “Old Ironsides,” celebrated 200 years of service by embarking on a cruise under her own sails for the first time in 116 years! Digging Deeper The now restored heavy frigate was launched in 1797 to serve the fledgling US Navy, enforcing freedom with her armament of 30 24 pounder cannons and 20 32 pounder cannons.  With a crew of 450, the wooden sailing ship counted 30 “boys” among her crew. Highly successful in battle during the War of 1812, Old Ironsides earned her…

A Brief History On July 17, 1998, a conference of international delegates under the auspices of the United Nations adopted The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, a treaty to provide a permanent international venue to prosecute war crimes and related crimes. Digging Deeper Some countries refused to endorse the treaty, and others that initially agreed, withdrew their support or failed to ratify the treaty.  Countries that signed the treaty but later withdrew their signatures include the United States and Russia, while China and India did not sign in the first place. Without the largest and most powerful countries…

A Brief History On July 12, 1979, the island nation of Kiribati came into being as the Republic of Kiribati, a group of islands in the Gilbert Island chain of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean.  Prior to independence, Kiribati was a territory of the United Kingdom. Digging Deeper Consisting of a single island and 32 coral atolls, the nation is home to about 120,000 residents.  It is the main island and capital you may be familiar with, Tarawa atoll, which itself is divided into North and South Tarawa Islands.  Half the population of Kiribati lives on Tarawa. World War II…

A Brief History On July 8, 1874, about 300 newly recruited troopers of the North-West Mounted Police began the trek Westward to the vast prairie areas of Canada, what is now Manitoba and Alberta to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.  The Canadian government created this force to patrol and protect this area in the wake of violence that culminated in the Cypress Hills Massacre, a battle between White, Native, and mixed-race hunters, trappers, and traders. Digging Deeper An intriguing fact about the deployment of this new force was that each of the six divisions was given a particular color…

A Brief History On June 28, 1776, an incident that may have escaped your elementary school education occurred when one of General George Washington’s elite bodyguards was hanged for “mutiny, sedition, and treachery.” Digging Deeper Irish born Thomas Hickey, of unknown age, had immigrated to North America and served in the British Army during the French and Indian War, as an attendant to Major General William Johnson.  When the Americans declared Independence in 1776, Hickey joined the revolution as a private in the Continental Army, serving in George Washington’s personal bodyguard corps called the “Life Guard.” Hickey found himself in…