A Brief History On August 12, 1914, World War I was merely two weeks old and apparently the German and Belgian armies did not yet realize the futility of using mounted cavalry in an age of rapid firing repeating rifles and automatic machine guns. Digging Deeper The Battle of Halen was fought in Belgium between the invading Germans, numbering 4,000 cavalry and 200 infantry against 2400 Belgian cavalrymen backed up by 450 bicycle mounted infantry.  The Germans intended to speed their way to the Belgian capital of Brussels, led by their silver helmeted cavalry, but the Belgians were smart enough…

A Brief History On August 10th or 11th, 991, a Viking invasion of England resulted in The Battle of Maldon, fought in Essex near the River Blackwater. Digging Deeper English King Aethelred, called Aethelred the Unready, was represented in the battle by Earl Byrhtnoth leading the English fighters against between 2000 and 4000 Vikings led by a man named Olaf, perhaps Olaf Tryggvason. English reaction to incursions of Vikings varied at the time from submitting to the invaders and paying tribute to military resistance.  In this case, fighting the Vikings did not go well for the English and victory was…

A Brief History On August 10, 1933, baseball legendary slugger Rocco Domenico “Rocky” Colavito Jr was born in New York.  An all-time fan favorite in Cleveland and popular in the other cities he played in, Colavito seems like a perfect match to be in the Hall of Fame, so why is he not enshrined? Digging Deeper Here are some of his credentials: 11 consecutive 20 home run seasons (5th AL player to do so), 3 times 40 home run seasons, led the league in RBI’s, home runs, and slugging once each, retired as 3rd highest AL homer hitting outfielder (371…

A Brief History On August 9, 1965, the city/state of Singapore was evicted from the country of Malaysia and became the only country that became independent against their own will. Digging Deeper Established as the British Crown Colony of Singapore in 1946, Singapore, a strategically positioned island near the Straits of Malacca, possesses a fine harbor and had a strong British presence since 1819.  An important Far East British possession, Singapore was fortified to the point where it was called “The Gibraltar of the Pacific.” After World War II, the world saw the gradual independence of many formerly colonized countries,…

A Brief History On August 8, 2017, country and pop music superstar Glen Campbell passed away.  Campbell had a Gold and Platinum singing career and a successful acting career as well, and the first song that put him in the public eye was “Universal Soldier,” reaching #45 on the charts. Digging Deeper Written by singer/songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie, an indigenous Canadian woman, her original rendition did not rock the airwaves, but when Scottish singer Donovan and American Glen Campbell covered the song in 1965 the tune became an anti-war icon. Other famous anti-war tunes such as Edwin Starr’s “War,”  PF Sloan’s…