A Brief History On March 7, 1799, French General Napoleon Bonaparte successfully captured the city of Jaffa in Palestine, then part of the Ottoman Empire. Although considered one of the all-time military geniuses, Bonaparte blundered when he allowed his men to massacre more than 2000 Albanians that had surrendered. Digging Deeper Napoleon then encouraged civilians to leave the city in the hope that these refugees would spread the word of French terror and cause other cities in the area to surrender without a fight. He was wrong! News of the massacre steeled the resolve of the Ottoman defenders and forced…
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A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on March 6th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On March 6, 632, founder of the Islamic religion and Prophet, Muhammad, made his Farewell Sermon from Mount Arafat in what is now Saudi Arabia during his final Hajj. On March 6, 1836, the most celebrated defeat in American history ended in a massacre! On March 6, 1899, the German chemical and pharmaceutical firm, Bayer AG, (the people that brought us “Heroin”)…
A Brief History On March 6, 1943, the Battle of Fardykambos was fought between the Greek Resistance and the invading Italian Army. The Resistance won the battle, with nearly an entire Italian battalion surrendering. Digging Deeper In the past we have talked about odd named wars and battles, but despite the funny sounding names, these conflicts are not funny. The Greeks suffered 4 dead with another 13 wounded and the Italians lost 565 captured, 96 dead, and 79 wounded. Italy was on a path of conquest, and part of their plan was to seize Greece, which they invaded in 1940. …
A Brief History On March 5, 2023, Americans celebrate yet another of those strange “National Days” that you may not be aware of, this time, honoring that fabled alcoholic beverage, Absinthe, known as “The Green Fairey.” Digging Deeper Created by French doctor Pierre Ordinaire in the late 18th Century and made with wormwood, anise, fennel, other herbs, and of course, plenty of alcohol, the libation was first intended as a medicinal elixir. Containing a trace amount of a chemical called thujone, Absinthe was reputed to be hallucinogenic, and was banned in the US and most of Europe by 1915. Not…
A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on March 5th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On March 5, 1496, in the wake of the tremendous news about the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World, King Henry VII of England granted “letters patent” to John Cabot, an Italian sailor and adventurer, along with his sons, to explore the world on behalf of the English Crown. On March 5, 1770, in an incident then known as “The…