A Brief History This article presents tables showing the battle records of the members of the Roman triumvirates.  In a number of these battles, the individuals listed below shared command with one or more other commanders or served as a subordinate to a superior commander. Digging Deeper The Battle Record of Marcus Licinius Crassus The Battle Record of Pompey The Battle Record of Julius Caesar The Battle Record of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus The Battle Record of Mark Antony The Battle Record of Augustus Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Which member of either triumvirate do you consider to have…

A Brief History On June 14, 1900, the United States expanded by officially adding the territory of Hawaii to its growing empire.  The Pacific region became an American area of interest during the Spanish-American War in 1898, with the US adding the islands of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to its territory.  Today we take a look at some places we would like to see become American someday, just as Hawaii (which I have visited and believe is truly paradise) was added over a century ago.  What country or territory would you add to this list?  (OK, Donald Trump,…

A Brief History On June 7, 2021, we have had the opportunity to read and review a great new historical examination of “the Roman campaign to crush the Jewish revolt,” as the book calls itself.  Conquering Jerusalem, by Stephen Dando-Collins, is just about 200 pages long, long enough to address detail while compact enough to keep the reader engaged.  (By the way, this reviewer has personally been to Jerusalem, a fascinating place.) Digging Deeper We found the text highly readable, while retaining academic accuracy and serious addressing of facts and events, the flow of the book is more like a…

A Brief History On Thursday, June 17, 2021, a limited number of you have a chance at watching a virtual screening of The Sparks Brothers at 7:00PM.  The film features many people praising Sparks for their influence, including Beck, Flea, Neil Gaiman, Mike Myers, Patton Oswalt, Jane Wiedlin, and more.  The Sparks Brothers is entertaining and funny and serves as an anthology of contemporary music over the past 50 years. Digging Deeper To reserve a spot for the online screening you must click on the link below which takes you to the redeem pass page.  You then log in or…

A Brief History On May 31, 1942, the Japanese Imperial Navy commenced an attack on the harbor (harbour for you British types) at Sydney, Australia, using three Ko-hyoteki-class midget submarines.  With a 2-man crew and armed with a pair of torpedoes, the little subs had the potential to create tremendous damage to any ship afloat.  Japan was not the only country to employ midget submarines during World War II, and midget subs were just one of many truly innovative attempts to adapt weapons for special purposes during that war that spawned so much in the way of technological progress.  Today…