A Brief History On October 27, 1954, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. became the first African-American general (brigadier, or 1 star) in the U.S. Air Force.  In 1998, he was promoted by President Clinton to (full) general (4-star rank).  This accomplishment is all the more notable as he was the son of the first African-American general in the U.S. Army.  His father, Benjamin O. Davis Sr., made general in 1940, a time when the U.S. military was still segregated. Digging Deeper Born in 1912, Ben Jr. was granted an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) in 1932.  There, in 1936, he became the…

A Brief History Sometime in the year 62 B.C., the famous Roman General Julius Caesar decided to divorce his second wife Pompeia.  In regard to his reasoning, he famously said that any wife of his must be above suspicion.  Digging Deeper Actually he said, “my wife ought not even be under suspicion.”  This quote, however, later evolved into the expression: “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion.” So, what event brought about the doubt concerning Pompeia’s character?  Well, she had hosted an all-girls party known as Bona Dea (good goddess) to which Vestal Virgins had been invited and to which entry by males was prohibited. …

A Brief History On October 26, 1881, Tombstone, Arizona was the site of what became known as “The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” probably the most famous shootout in the history of the Wild West.  Plenty of movies have been made about the incident, including one in 1957 by that same name, all of which got various aspects of the incident wrong.  Like most depictions of the gunfight, the 1957 film shows a long-ranged massive shootout whereas the real incident featured fewer guns, fewer shots and a much closer range in a fight that lasted perhaps 30 seconds.  Unlike the depiction…

A Brief History On October 25, 1944, the U.S. submarine USS Tang (SS-306), commanded by ace submarine skipper Richard O’Kane, was sunk when a torpedo that it had fired malfunctioned, turned around, and struck the hapless submarine. Digging Deeper You may have read the History and Headlines article “There is No Such Thing as Friendly Fire!”  Friendly fire is the accidental coming of harm to one’s own troops through one’s own weapons.  As military instructors are quick to point out, however, no fire is “friendly fire,” as bullets, bombs and shells will kill you no matter who launched them in the first place.  Weapons of…

A Brief History Many of our readers are probably preparing for their Halloween parties this weekend.  As such, we have some recommendations for fun and interesting drinks to share with fellow revelers on October 31st!  The items featured in this article are non-alcoholic because we here at History and Headlines want your fun time to be safe as well. Digging Deeper First off, the millions of Harry Potter fans around the world will surely appreciate Pumpkin Juice. Universal Studios sells this “spicy sweet pumpkin beverage…attractively packaged with a removable, reusable pumpkin cap cover” on their official website. Speaking of witchcraft and wizardry, another…