A Brief History On August 23, 1244, the main central citadel of the city of Jerusalem, the Tower of David, fell to the invaders from the remnants of the Khwarezmian Empire, a vast polyglot land that included parts of what is now Iran and Afghanistan along with other areas in Central Asia. Afghanistan has a long history of war and fighting, and the people there have been battle hardened by centuries of conflict. In August of 2021, the lone military super power in the world, the United States of America, has found out the hard way that Afghanistan may be…
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A Brief History On August 9, 48 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar, known more familiarly to us as Julius Caesar or simply Caesar, won the Battle of Pharsalus in Central Greece against his arch enemy and former friend, Pompey, decisively winning the pivotal battle of the conflict known as “Caesar’s Civil War.” Caesar’s Civil War was fought from 49 to 45 BC, pitting Caesar and his allies against the political bloc known as “The Optimates,” led by Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (known as Pompey the Great or merely just as Pompey) and representing the Senate of Rome and those Romans opposed to…
A Brief History On Friday, August 6, 2021, the popular YouTube channel UsefulCharts published a video counting down the top ten greatest ancient dynasties of all time. Our nomination for the “Greatest Ancient Dynasty of All-Time” has to be the “Five Good Emperors” of Rome, specifically Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. After all, the Roman Senate bestowed the title “Optimus Princeps” or “The Best Ruler” on the second of these emperors, Trajan. Digging Deeper Ruling from 96 AD through 180 AD, their succession was of the “adoptive” variety, whereby each emperor would choose his heir by merit rather…
A Brief History On August 2, 1943, the US Navy patrol torpedo boat, PT-109, commanded by Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer in the Solomon Islands. Kennedy would go on to become President of the United States, partially based on his status as a war hero for his exploits concerning his command of PT-109 for which he achieved national hero status. Was that status deserved? (See our many articles about Naval “Oops” moments) Digging Deeper John F. Kennedy was born into a relatively wealthy Irish Catholic family in Massachusetts, his forbears having dabbled in…
A Brief History On July 26, 1739, George Clinton was born in a place then called Little Britain, Province of New York, British America. Not to be confused with the funky 20th and 21st Century American musician famous for “Atomic Dog” and other hits, this George Clinton went on to become one of our “Founding Fathers” and served not only as a military officer, but also as the 4th Vice President of the United States. Digging Deeper Before serving both as a privateer and militia officer during the French and Indian War, this George Clinton was appointed as Clerk of…