A Brief History On August 22, 1485, King Richard III of England died from wounds received in the Battle of Bosworth Field, the last English King to die in battle. Long ago, kings and other nobility would lead their men in battle, but for the past few hundred years the trend has been for the rich and powerful to send other people into battle. Perhaps if our leaders were forced to actually lead they would consider war a bit more carefully! Digging Deeper Richard III was the last of the Plantagenet dynasty kings, a clan originally from France that included…
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A Brief History This article presents a timeline of American history since the Civil War. Please click on any of the dates to learn more about that date’s events. Digging Deeper I. Reconstruction – 1865-1877 On July 21, 1865, a real life showdown resulting in face to face gunplay happened for the first time, the first of the classic duels we have come to know as a Wild West gunfight. On November 10, 1865, the long sad saga of the Camp Sumter prisoner of war camp located in Andersonville, Georgia finally came to a conclusion of sorts when the Camp Commandant, Confederate Major…
A Brief History On August 21, 1968, the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery and courage in battle that can be earned by an American fighting person, was awarded posthumously to James Anderson, Jr., the first African American US Marine to earn the Medal of Honor. Digging Deeper Anderson was born Los Angeles in 1947 when the US military was still segregated. (The US military became desegregated per Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948 under President Truman.) A high school graduate, James went on to study at junior college for a year and a half before…
A Brief History On August 21, 2017, we look back on this past week, a week that has been incredible for the news cycle, most of the news bad! War, maybe nuclear war with North Korea? Gone from the news! (For now?) Replaced with stories about hatred and violence in the US and in Europe. President Trump’s message condemning violence became a liability instead of a political asset for him, and we learned his Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon, had been fired. Here we list some of the people who either inspired us or made us sick this past week. Digging…
A Brief History On August 20, 1882, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture made its debut in Moscow. Celebrating the defense of Mother Russia, the “Rodina,” as they say in Russia, against Napoleon’s Grand Armee in 1812, the stirring work is instantly recognizable by the cannons going off before the brass fanfare finale. Here we list 10 wonderful pieces of music that are immediately recognizable to most people, even if they do not know the composer or name of the work. (Note: The order of the list does not denote importance.) Good luck trying to narrow down your choices, as there are so…