A Brief History On August 30, 1813, a force of about 1,000 warriors of a faction of the Creek Nation Native Americans known as the “Red Sticks” attacked Fort Mims in Alabama, killing almost all its defenders and many civilians as well.  What later became known as the Fort Mims Massacre was the worst slaughter of white settlers by Native Americans in the South and probably the second worst overall. (Only the 1791 Fort Recovery Massacre in Ohio known as St. Clair’s Defeat may have been worse.) Digging Deeper As explained above, the Red Sticks were a faction of the Creek.  Many Creek had assimilated with the white…

A Brief History On August 29, 1756, the Prussian army of Frederick the Great attacked Saxony, starting the Seven Years’ War.  “Fred” was just one of many famous men who had a small wiener… wiener dog that is, also known as a dachshund!  We have already listed 10 women who had wieners.  Here we list 10 men who were not intimidated by the (surely false) adage that people resemble their pets (I, too, have a miniature wiener… DOG!). Digging Deeper 10. Andy Warhol, Strange Artist. This man could paint a can of soup and make it look good.  Obviously a man…

A Brief History On August 29, 1350, the English naval fleet under King Edward III defeated the Castilian fleet at the Battle of Winchelsea in the English Channel after the Castilian fleet had previously attacked and captured English trade ships.  Although not establishing naval dominance over the Spanish for good, this battle showed that the English took naval threats seriously and would meet the enemy head on to protect its ships and coastlines.  The Battle of Winchelsea precursed what would become a massive English victory against the Spanish Armada in 1588. Digging Deeper As mentioned in the introduction, the Battle of…

A Brief History On August 28, 1957, in an effort to stop the Civil Rights Act of 1957, Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina conducted a record 1-person filibuster of 24 hours and 18 minutes!  A segregationist, Thurmond is sadly only one of many U.S. politicians who have shown discriminatory tendencies and insensitivity toward women or to people belonging to other races or religions.  Here 10 such politicians are listed.   Digging Deeper 10. John McCain, Senator. (1936- 2018) The man who was nominated by the Republican Party for the 2008 presidential election said in 2004 (to reporters of all people), “I…

A Brief History On August 27, 1928, countries that were bitter enemies in World War I signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact to renounce war as a means to resolve disputes and conflicts between nations.  Within a year’s time, a total of 62 countries had signed. Digging Deeper To put 62 countries in perspective for the times, the 1928 Winter Olympics had 25 countries participating and the Summer Olympics 46. This particular treaty was named after Frank Kellogg, U.S. Secretary of State, and Aristide Briand, the French Foreign Minster.  Kellogg received the 1929 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in establishing the pact.  (History and Headlines Note:  The name “Kellogg”…