Browsing: Society

A Brief History On June 1, 1813, the commander of the USS Chesapeake, James Lawrence, lay dying, and uttered the immortal words, “Don’t give up the ship!”  Inspiring words are not always enough, for the Chesapeake was captured in that battle and was re-rigged as the HMS Chesapeake.  We list 10 of the greatest military quotations, whether they achieved their intended result or not.  (We cannot claim they are the 10 greatest, because of course that is strictly a matter of opinion.) Digging Deeper 10. James Lawrence, “Don’t give up the ship!” As described above, the last order by Capt.…

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A Brief History On May 31, 1962, the nation of Israel hanged Nazi Holocaust organizer Adolf Eichmann, one of history’s most evil people, for war crimes.  Eichmann had been living in Buenos Aires, Argentina and living the good life as a Mercedes-Benz supervisor until he was kidnapped by Israeli secret agents. Digging Deeper During World War II Eichmann had joined the SD (Security Service) and worked as the head of “Jewish Affairs” coercing Jews into leaving Germany or facing relocation to Jewish “ghettos.”  In 1941, the German “solution” to the “Jewish problem” was to move Jews to extermination camps and…

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A Brief History On May 31, 455, Western Roman Emperor Petronius Maximus was stoned to death by an angry mob, an ignoble end to a world leader.  Back on April 27 of this year History and Headlines featured “10 World Leaders That Met Gruesome Deaths.”  We teased about a sequel and here it is, 10 more leaders that did not end well.  Are there even more?  Tell us who else belongs on this list. Digging Deeper 10. Petronius Maximus, 455. Not a particularly good guy himself, Maximus was probably involved in the murders of other Roman leaders including the previous…

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A Brief History On May 31, 2005, the magazine, Vanity Fair, named Mark Felt as the infamous Deep Throat of the Watergate Scandal fame, ending decades of speculation as to the identity of that particular snitch.  Here we list 10 Infamous Snitches.  Wise old saying:  “As ye snitch, so shall ye be snitched.” (I made that up.) Digging Deeper 10. Judas, erstwhile apostle.  According to the Bible, Judas sold out Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver, later regretting his treachery and hanging himself.  His name is the synonym of traitor or “snitch” today. 9.  Bradley Manning, Soldier, Spy, Girl. …

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A Brief History On May 29, 1940, the F-4U Corsair made its first flight.  The Corsair would go on to great success in its combat career, shooting down 11 Japanese airplanes for every Corsair shot down.  Here we list the 10 best fighter airplanes of all time, from World War I to today.  As always, we welcome your opinions as to what other fighters deserve mention. Digging Deeper 10. Vought F4U Corsair, 1942. Built from 1942 to 1953, a longer production run than any other piston engine American fighter, 12,571 of these great planes were built.  Some were still flying…

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