A Brief History On August 20, 1940, Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the war-torn United Kingdom, delivered one of his most stirring wartime speeches, one that hailed the efforts of the Royal Air Force (RAF), known from then on and forever after as “The Few.” Digging Deeper All of Great Britain, but especially England, was being slammed by the might of Hitler’s Lufwaffe, and with almost all of the rest of Europe already under Axis control, the British were on their own.  Hitler and his Nazi troops , however, could neither eliminate the UK from the war nor invade the island of Great Britain…

A Brief History On August 19, 1940, the B-25 Mitchell was flown for the first time.  Although its service life did not extend as long as many other airplanes, this medium bomber was adapted for a huge variety of uses and configurations, making it one of the most versatile aircraft ever.  Here 6 (well, okay, actually 7) such multi-purpose aircraft are listed in the order the author finds most interesting or exciting.   Digging Deeper 6.  De Haviland DH.98 Mosquito. Entering service in 1941 as a high-speed unarmed bomber, the Mosquito was built mostly of wood, giving it a light airframe…

A Brief History On August 19, 1612, three women from Samlesbury in Lancashire, England were put on trial for witchcraft.  Just yesterday History and Headlines featured an article about another Lancashire witch trial.  In this article, we present to you the Samlesbury witch trials and also discuss a case of five witches who were executed on the same date in Salem, Massachusetts but in 1692. Digging Deeper Accused by a 14-year old girl of practicing witchcraft, three women in Samlesbury were brought to trial.  They were accused of cannibalism and of having murdered a child and were charged with “maleficium,” harm by means of…

A Brief History On August 18, 1587, Virginia Dare was born in the Roanoke Colony in what is now North Carolina.  Each year the current residents of Roanoke Island celebrate her birthday with an Elizabethan Renaissance Festival. Digging Deeper Whereas the date of death is often known for many famous people throughout history, their births were mostly insignificant and thus not recorded.  For Virginia the exact opposite is true.  As the first child born to English settlers on the North American continent, her birth is important.  This is largely where her story also ends.  In fact it is unknown if and when…

 A Brief History On August 18, 1920, the United States ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.  This move gave American women the right to vote, also known as women’s suffrage.  Women have always struggled to be treated as equals to men, both under the law and in common practice.  Here we list 10 of the laws, inventions or events that have helped bring equality to the sexes.  The emphasis is on American history.  Digging Deeper 10.  1st Co-ed College in the United States (Oberlin), 1837. Not only was this Ohio college the first to admit women on a regular…