A Brief History On July 26, 1861, Major General George McClellan was appointed the commander of the Army of the Potomac, a move President Lincoln hoped would instill professionalism and competence to that Army.  McClellan was outranked only by Winfield Scott, the 75 year old relic who was increasingly under fire from a public that demanded a quick and thorough victory. Digging Deeper Scott advocated a plan of siege and blockade called “The Anaconda Plan” by which the Confederate States would be squeezed and starved into submission.  As the Union Army and Navy at that time did not have the…

A Brief History On July 25, 1915, the somewhat appropriately named Lanoe Hawker became the first British aviator to shoot down 3 enemy planes in 1 day, earning himself the Victoria Cross.  Hawker went on to become the first “Ace” in British history, as a pilot that shoots down at least 5 enemy aircraft.  His total of 7 victories seems modest, but his career was shortened by being himself shot down and killed by the dreaded Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen in 1916. Digging Deeper Not just an “ace” fighter pilot, Hawker was also an innovator that experimented with various…

A Brief History On July 24, 1943, “Operation Gomorrah” began, the eradication of the City of Hamburg with “brimstone and fire from the heavens.”  Like its Biblical namesake, this operation was the purposeful destruction of a city and its inhabitants without regard for the virtues of any individuals or structures.  The entire place was a target to be razed to the ground, people included. Digging Deeper World War II had certainly already had tremendous acts of cruelty and depravity on a large scale by the time the decision to bomb Hamburg was made, but this attack marked a new Allied…

A Brief History Inferno (Italian for “Hell”) is the first part of Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy.  It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso.  It is an allegory telling of the journey of Dante through Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil.  In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine circles of suffering located within the Earth.  Allegorically, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul toward God, with the Inferno describing the recognition and rejection of sin. Digging Deeper: Inferno by Dante Alighieri, translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Canto I Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself…

A Brief History On July 20, 1304, the forces of King Edward I of England successfully took Stirling Castle during the First War of Scottish Independence.  Although the Scots would ultimately maintain their independence, key to the English victory was the intimidating-sounding “Warwolf,” allegedly the largest trebuchet ever made.  This mighty siege engine catapulted rocks or other projectiles that weighed up to 300 pounds and was capable of battering down the walls of any castle.    Digging Deeper Intimidated by the weapon, the Scots tried to surrender the castle, but Edward (known as “Longshanks”) wanted to see the effectiveness of…