Browsing: Military

A Brief History On October 19, 1943, Allied aircraft sank the German ship, MS Sinfra, killing about 2,000 Italian soldiers that had surrendered to the Germans on Crete when Italy changed sides during World War II. Digging Deeper The Italians that had served alongside the Germans had the choice of continuing to fight alongside the Germans or to become POWs.  Many of the Italians on Crete chose to surrender.  An additional 250 surviving Italians were executed after being rescued, for “undisciplined behavior” during the sinking.  Many Italians were gunned down by Germans when the prisoners broke out of their holds…

A Brief History On October 12, 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt renamed the “Executive Mansion” the “White House,” giving America’s most famous home its name. Teddy was a man of many talents, adventures and firsts. Digging Deeper Born in 1858, Teddy went to Harvard and graduated in 1880, magna cum laude.  He spent 1883 to 1887 in Dakota Territory, ranching and befriending former Deadwood sheriff Seth Bullock. Political jobs included NY City Police Commissioner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and Governor of New York. He became Vice President in 1901.  Meanwhile, Teddy served with the “Rough Riders” in combat during the…

A Brief History On October 9, 1967, Ernesto “Che” Guevara was executed in Bolivia only a day after he was captured.  A Marxist revolutionary from Argentina, Che was a pal of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and was notorious for inciting communist rebellion in Latin American countries. Digging Deeper Amazingly, for some reason the image of Che emblazoned on T-shirts is common in America, causing one to wonder if the youngsters wearing those shirts have any idea who this guy really was. Despite being born into an upper-class family, young Ernesto showed   concern for the wellbeing of the poor and quickly showed…

A Brief History On October 8, 2024, we celebrated another National Hero Day, a day to recognize real life heroes, not the fictional kind. While entertainers and athletes of particular skill may be admired, true heroes are those that devote their time and efforts to the benefit of others, often at their own expense or even at risk to their own life. Digging Deeper Many men, women and even children can be and are heroes, and today, we list a few notable American heroes.  Who would you add to this list? In 1860, in Lake Michigan the steamer Lady Elgin…

A Brief History On October 3, 1683, Shi Lang, a naval commander representing the Qing Dynasty of China took the surrender of Tywan on the island of Taiwan.  Almost four centuries later, mainland China is still threatening Taiwan, with no sign of rapprochement Digging Deeper Ever since the Communists took over in 1949, the Chinese Nationalists that fled to Taiwan have claimed to be the legal government of China and the Communists have wanted to take over Taiwan. Rumors of Chinese plans to invade Taiwan remain, with China boasting 1.4 billion people and a military of just over two million…