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World War 2 History: 1939 Battle of Westerplatte— Poland's Alamo
At the start of World War Two, 209 Polish defenders in an ammunition depot held off thousands of Germans, a battleship and dive-bombers. Even when hope of relief evaporated, they fought on.
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World War 2 History: Finland Responds to Massive Soviet Air Raids Against Helsinki
In 1944, the Soviets launched massive bombing raids against Finland's capital city, sometimes referred to as the “Great Raids Against Helsinki”. Then the small Finnish bomber force struck back.
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Korean War History: Reckless, the Little Mare That Became a Marine War Horse
During the Korean War, a little mare was “drafted” into the US Marine Corps and emerged a beloved, decorated war hero who is still being honored to this day.
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World War 2 History: Soviet Submarine Captain Deadliest in History
Soviet Captain Alexander Marinesko, commander of the submarine S-13 during World War II, holds the questionable distinction of causing the most shipping deaths in history.
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World War 2 History: The Goodyear Blimp Goes to War
The United States was the only country that had a fleet of lighter-than-air airships during World War 2. These airships proved themselves extremely effective at protecting ocean convoys.
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5 Little-Known Historical WW1 Facts
Here are five obscure facts pertaining to World War 1, including aircraft losses, chemical warfare, tanks, Sherlock Holmes (sort of), and the first and last British soldiers killed in action.
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Cold War History: Gail Halvorsen, Uncle Wiggly Wings the Berlin Candy Bomber
An American pilot, moved by the quiet gratitude of a group of children during the Berlin Airlift, decided to share his candy with them. He would become known world-wide as the Candy Bomber.
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Leo Major: One-Eyed One-Man Army
To drive the Germans out of the city of Zwolle in the Netherlands, the Canadian Army was prepared to level it. French-Canadian Private Leo Major had other plans.
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World War 2 History: John Capes' Amazing Submarine Escape
HMS Perseus, a British submarine with 61 souls on board, sank in the Mediterranean in December 1941. One man, John Capes, escaped a watery grave against impossible odds.
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World War 1 History: The Sea Devil and His Sailing Ship Raider Sea Eagle
In the era of battleships and steamships, the sailing ship Sea Eagle, commanded by Count Luckner (nicknamed the “Sea Devil”), raided Allied shipping in two oceans.
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World War 2: Jumpin' Joe Beyrle Fought on Both the Western and Eastern Fronts
Sergeant Joe Beyrle parachuted into Normandy, France on D-Day and ended up fighting the Germans with a Soviet tank battalion as it approached Berlin.
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Britain Prepared to Depopulate Northern Germany With Anthrax During World War II
During World War II, Britain feared Germany would use chemical weapons. It was decided that using anthrax against huge swaths of the German countryside was feasible, economical and practical.
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World War 1 History: July 1915, Immigrant Bombs US Capitol, Shoots J. P. Morgan Jr.
Over a period of two days, Erich Muenter, a.k.a Frank Holt, a German immigrant, set off a bomb in the US Capitol building and shot J. P. Morgan Jr twice. And he still wasn't finished.
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Operation Northwoods: 9 US False Flag Attacks to Invade Cuba in 1962
The US Joint Chiefs of Staff contemplated committing attacks against American installations and cities that would be blamed on Fidel Castro to justify a full military invasion of Communist Cuba.
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"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life": A Hit at Funerals
In 2014, what song was chosen more than any other for funerals in the United Kingdom? "The Lord is My Shepherd" was second, but it was a Monty Python tune from 1979 that ruled them all.
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World War 1 History: Germany Declares Shotgun Inhumane
Shotguns were used in World War 1, but they were rare and usually single- or double-barrel break-action shotguns. The Americans brought a whole new meaning to military shotguns.
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World War 1 History: General Orders Artillery Strike on Own Troops
A French general, enraged that his decimated troops refused to continue bayonet charges against enemy barbed wire and machine guns, ordered artillery strikes on his own trenches.
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World War I: Churchill Predicted the German Invasion of France
Winston Churchill, at the age of 36, wrote a three-page memorandum in 1911 accurately describing the German invasion that would occur three years later when World War I erupted.
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World War I British Subs: The Scourge of the Baltic Sea
Overshadowed by the larger and more desperate U-boat war around the British Isles, the successes of the British submarine flotilla in the Baltic are largely forgotten.
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World War 2 History: Douglas Bader, Legless RAF Pilot
When a British Spitfire spiralled into the ground in France, German troops captured Douglas Bader, who, to their amazement, was a fighter pilot even though he had no legs.
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World War 1 History: Japanese Navy in the Mediterranean
During the Great War, the Japanese were allied with the Triple Entente. Though their casualties were miniscule, their navy patrolled half the world and even fought in the Mediterranean Sea.
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World War 1 History: Britain's Thankful Villages
Almost six million men from the British Isles answered the call to arms during the Great War. Only 52 villages received all their sons back from the war.
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World War II History: Destroyer USS Johnston Attacks Battleships and Cruisers
U.S. destroyer Johnston will go down in the annals of history for taking on destroyers, cruisers, and battleships during WWII.
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About History: Camaron—The Legend of the French Foreign Legion Is Born
When the French Foreign Legion was created it was filled with criminals, malcontents and trouble-makers, but, during the Battle of Camaron in Mexico in 1863, they became a legend.
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World War 1 History: Germany's Giant Strategic Bomber
In 1914, military aviation was in its infancy. By the end of World War One, just four years later, Germany had giant bombers larger than those they would use in World War Two.
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About World War 1: LZ 37, First Zeppelin Downed in Air-to-Air Combat
The first Zeppelin ever lost to the enemy in air-to-air combat was the German LZ 37. British Sub-Lieutenant Rex Warneford brought it down, but he didn't shoot it down.
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About World War 1: Gallipoli Saved by Turkish Minelayer Nusret
Just when it looked like the Allies might win the Battle of Gallipoli, the actions of a single Turkish minelayer, called Nusret, halted the armada.
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A Small Christmas Truce During World War II
During the Battle of the Bulge in WWII, Americans fought a German onslaught. On Christmas Eve 1944, a few American and German soldiers honored an unusual truce.
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About World War 2: The Sinking of the Rohna
In 1943, a transport was struck by a German-guided missile. Of the estimated 1,180 dead, some 1,050 were U.S. soldiers. To this day, the incident is still officially unacknowledged.
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World War 1: The Corpse Field of Loos
Britain's "New Army” was an army of volunteers organized by Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener. The first time New Army divisions fought was at the Battle of Loos. It didn't go well.
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A Brief Overview of the Italian Front in World War 1
The Italian Front has never garnered the attention paid other fronts in World War One. Italy tied down millions of Austro-Hungarian troops which otherwise would have fought against the Russians.
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About World War 1: World's First Heavy Bomber Is Russian
Well before any of the other belligerents in the First World War, the Russians produced the four-engine Ilya Muromets, the world's first heavy bomber. This article describes a strategic WW1 bomber like no other.
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After a Year: A Review of Virgin Mobile Service
My wife and I switched to Virgin Mobile, mainly to save money. After more than a year with Virgin Mobile, I have definitely formed some opinions.
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Just How Many Europes Are There?
What is Europe? This article identifies four of them-- Continental Europe, the Council of Europe, the European Union and the Eurozone.
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The Prime Minister's Dead Hand
Should Britain and its leaders be destroyed by a nuclear attack, one of their nuclear submarines will carry out the contents of the dead Prime Minister's Letter of Last Resort.
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Guy Gabaldon: U.S. Marine, Pied Piper of Saipan (WWII History)
While Sgt. Alvin York achieved fame in World War I for single-handedly capturing 132 German soldiers, unsung hero Marine Private Guy Gabaldon captured nearly 1,500 Japanese in World War II.
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World War 2 History: Koreans Fought on Both Sides in 3 Different Armies
Korean Yang Kyoungjong fought in the Japanese Army, the Soviet Red Army, and the German Wehrmacht until he was finally captured by the Americans in Normandy in June 1944.
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Night Witches: The All-Female WWII Night Bomber Regiment
The Soviet Union formed three regiments of female pilots. One of them, Night Bomber Regiment 588, was called "Nachthexen," or "Night Witches," by the Germans.
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U118 Submarine Washed Ashore at Hastings, England (1919)
After the war, the German U-Boat U-118 was being towed to France to be broken up for scrap. A fierce gale snapped the cable, and she ended up washed ashore in front of Hasting's finest hotels.
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About World War 1: August 8, 1918— Germany's Black Day
On August 8, 1918, the Germans were taken by surprise when the British attacked and punched a 15-mile wide hole in the front. On that day the Kaiser and his generals realized the war was lost.
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World War 2 History: The Messerschmidt and the Crippled B-17 Flying Fortress
German pilot Franz Stigler only needed to down one more B-17 to receive the Knight’s Cross, Germany’s highest military award, as he chased a crippled bomber. What he did entered the annals of history.
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Stalin's WWII Executioner Personally Killed Thousands
In 1940, the Russians murdered an estimated 22,000 Polish officers, policemen, and intellectuals. Vasili Blokhin, Stalin's chief executioner, personally shot 7,000 Poles during the Katyn Massacre. Read on for the full story.
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World War 1 History: U-Boat U-9 Puts World's Navies on Notice
At the start of World War 1, neither the British Royal Navy nor the German Imperial Navy took the lowly submarine seriously. Then, German U-boat U-9 attacked three British cruisers.
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Ig Nobel Prizes-- For Overlooked Achievements, From Herring Farts to Exploding Colons
In September of each year the Ig Nobel Prizes are awarded for achievements not quite up to the caliber of the Nobel Committee, or up to anyone's, for that matter.
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World War 2 History: US Carpet-Bombs a US General
US Lieutenant General Lesley J. McNair died from “friendly fire” when, during the carpet-bombing of German positions in Normandy, some US bombers released their bombs too soon.
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Wikipedia's Book Creator Tool: Create Your Own Wikipedia Book Of Articles
Wikipedia has a powerful tool called Book Creator. With this tool, you can build a book containing any articles you wish, simply by clicking a green plus sign at the top of the article, thus assembling your “wiki pages” into your “wiki book”. When you are finished you can create an e-book in...
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Rudolf von Eschwege: The WWI "Red Baron" of the Balkans
Rudolf von Eschwege was the only German fighter pilot on the Balkan Front. He was so successful that the British finally resorted to setting a diabolical trap for the “Eagle of the Aegean Sea”.
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About World War One: German Bullets vs. Allied Tanks
When tanks first appeared in 1916, the Germans were terrified. Bullets just bounced off the tanks' armor. From privates to generals, the Germans desperately sought ways to stop them.
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World War 1 History: Fokker Tells Germans to Do Their Own Dirty Work
Before Anthony Fokker created the Fokker Triplane, he solved the problem of shooting a machine gun through a propeller, but during tests, he told the German generals to do their own dirty work.
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World War 2 History: The Black Panthers—The Segregated 761st Tank Battalion
In World War Two, the 761st Tank Battalion (Black Panthers) comprised mainly of African-Americans, endured discrimination, saw extensive action in Europe, and performed magnificently.
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World War I History: High Wood, the Somme's 75 Acres of Hell
During the Battle of the Somme, the British and Germans fought for 64 days over a 75-acre patch of woods called High Wood. The British threw in cavalry, gigantic flamethrowers, and their new tanks.
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10 1960s TV Shows Set in World War 2
From combat to comedy, here are 10 old military TV shows that took place during World War II and aired in the '60s, including "Convoy."
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Smallest Wasp Is Smaller Than An Amoeba
One of the largest wasps has a body averaging two inches in length and lays its egg in a tarantula. One of the smallest wasps lays its eggs inside the egg of a one millimeter-long garden pest.
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Pavlov's WWII House in Stalingrad: They Shall Not Pass
For two months in 1942, Sergeant Yakov Pavlov and his men held off the German 6th Army’s relentless attacks against their four-story apartment building during the Battle of Stalingrad.
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Teddy Bear Paratroopers Invade Belarus
On July 4, 2012, hundreds of elite teddy bear paratroopers parachuted in broad daylight upon a defenseless and stunned Belarus citizenry.
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World War 1 History: Captain von Trapp Before the Sound of Music
Captain Georg von Trapp, leader of the world famous von Trapp family singers made famous by the Sound Of Music , was, in fact, an Austrian naval hero during World War I.
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Hungarian Right-Wing Extremist Discovers He's-- Gasp-- a Jew
Csanad Szegedi, a leading member of Hungary's radical right-wing Christian nationalist Jobbik Party, has discovered he is Jewish. Oops.
- 12
1999 Showdown in Kosovo: Russia vs. Nato, U.S. Versus Britain
In June 1999, NATO commander US General Wesley Clark ordered troops to seize Kosovo’s airport from the Russians by force. The British questioned this order, not wanting to start World War III.
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World War 2 History: George Takei, Star Trek's Mr. Sulu, Spent Years in Internment Camps
George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu in the Star Trek television series and movies, spent his formative years detained with his family in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II.
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Valve, the Billion Dollar Gaming Company With No Managers
Valve Corporation, a billion dollar company that exploded into existence with its ground-breaking first-person shooter Half-Life, has more than 300 employees and no bosses (except owner Gabe Newell).
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The Biggest POW Escape of World War II: The Cowra Breakout
The largest POW escape of World War II occurred near Cowra, Australia, when a thousand Japanese prisoners of war rioted and 359 escaped into the countryside.
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World War 2 History: Doctors Create Fake Epidemic to Save Thousands
During World War II, two doctors fooled the Germans into believing 12 Polish villages were infected by typhus. Germans feared typhus so much they would not enter the areas affected.
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1944 Warsaw Uprising: Why Warsaw Goes Silent Every August 1
Every August 1, sirens sound over Poland's capital, Warsaw, and people stop whatever they're doing to honor the 200,000 Poles killed during the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.
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World War 2 History: If Day, the “Invasion” of Manitoba, Canada
On February 19, 1942, German troops massed on the western edge of Manitoba's capital city, Winnipeg, as If Day dawned.
- 15
WWI History: Britain “Exposes” Germany's Corpse Conversion Factory
British propaganda in WWI accused the Germans of shipping their dead soldiers to a “corpse factory” where they would be rendered into oils, candles, nitroglycerin, and other products.
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The Story of Simon the Cat: WW2 Hero and Fearless Feline
In 1949, Simon the Cat was promoted to Able Seaman Simon and later received the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent to the Victoria Cross. Read his amazing story here.
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World War 2 History: Kamikaze Attack on the Battleship USS Missouri
The USS Missouri was struck by a kamikaze during WW2. What happened after that was controversial and unpopular. Here's what you need to know about the controversy.
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WWI: Germans Execute Captain Fryatt of the British Merchant Marine
In March of 1915, a passenger ferry captained by Charles Fryatt tried to ram a German U-Boat that had ordered it to stop. When the Germans captured Fryatt a year later, they executed him.
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World War 2 History: The Sinking of the Laconia and Its Effect on the War
A German U-Boat torpedoed the RMS Laconia and called other U-Boats to help pick up survivors. An American bomber attacked the surfaced subs, forcing them to abandon the rescue and dive.
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How a Submerged WWII Submarine Sank Another Submerged Submarine
Unlike the movies, where submarines attack each other deep below the surface, there is only one documented instance in history of a submerged sub attacking and destroying another submerged sub. It happened in WWII. Read on for the full story.
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World War 2 History: During the Sitzkrieg, the Soviet Union Was the Main Aggressor
During the six-month-long “Phony War," the Allies and Germany mostly watched each other (except for naval actions). However, during that time, the Soviets aggressively attacked her neighbors.
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World War 2 History: German Flak Towers, Indestructible Air Defense Castles
German flak towers were not just elevated anti-aircraft defenses; they were massive fortifications resembling castle towers bristling with anti-aircraft weapons. Not one was destroyed during the war.
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Military Excited About Peacock Mantis Shrimp's Fists of Fury
The peacock mantis shrimp has drawn the interest of the military because of the power of its tiny fists of fury which can punch holes through clam shells.
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World War 1 History: The Assassins of June 28, 1914
There was no lone assassin waiting to kill Archduke Franz Joseph, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, on June 28, 1914. There were seven on the streets of Sarajevo that day.
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World War 1 History: The Kettering Bug, the World's First Drone
The Germans launched their V-1 flying bombs during World War 2, but the very first pilot-less bomb was developed by the Americans during World War 1. Read on for the full history of how the Kettering Bug changed the world.
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Estonia's Electro Mobility Program—Nation-Wide Electric Vehicle Service
Estonia has started implementing its plan to have fast-charging electric vehicle (EV) stations nation-wide, including its largest islands.
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Fortress Switzerland
How has Switzerland remained neutral for almost 200 years? It’s not because they declared their neutrality; it’s because they have ensured that invaders would pay dearly for attacking it.
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World War 1 History: Front-Line Slang
The front-line troops in the trenches of World War 1, like soldiers in every war, devised their own slang to describe their world. Some terms will be familiar; some will not.
- 10
World War I History: Overview of the War on the Balkan Front
Although World War I was sparked by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in the Balkans, the fighting in Southeast Europe is not well-known. Were you taught about the Balkan front in school? I doubt it. Read on for a full overview of the war on the Balkan front.
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World War 1 History: 1916—German Merchant U-Boat Arrives in U.S.
Germany built the oversized U-Boat Deutschland as an unarmed merchant submarine that could carry cargo long distances and evade the British naval blockade of Germany during World War 1.
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WWII History: "England Game" (British Agents in Holland Controlled by Germans)
German military intelligence had many notable successes in WWII. One was the control of British agents sent into the Netherlands from 1942 to 1944 in what was called "England Game."
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World War 2: Operation Tannenbaum, Nazi Plan to Invade Switzerland
When World War II erupted, Switzerland declared its neutrality, but after France surrendered in 1940, Hitler started planning Operation Tannenbaum (“Christmas Tree”), the invasion of Switzerland.
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The Largest World War II German Battleship: The Tirpitz
After the Bismarck was sunk, the British breathed a sigh of relief but knew they would then have to reckon with her more heavily armored sister ship, the battleship Tirpitz.
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World War 2 History: Norway Blocks German Naval Attack on Oslo
When the Germans invaded Norway on April 9, 1940, the naval group assigned to capture the capital city of Oslo expected little resistance, but the old Oscarsborg Fortress spoiled their plan.
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The Medicare Drug Program Doughnut Hole Gap Is Bigger Than You Think
The Medicare Doughnut Hole for prescription drug coverage is larger than you think. Brilliant minds have concocted two different definitions of “cost”-- and guess who it doesn't favor.
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A Robotic Menagerie of Mules, Dogs, Cheetahs and Wildcats
With today's soldiers lugging equipment approaching 100 pounds, their effectiveness is being compromised. Research is underway to produce “robotic mules”, bearing burdens of up to 400 pounds each.
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The Second Happy Time: German U-Boats Feeding Off US Coast
When the British made life difficult for German submarines, the U-boats began patrolling US waters. They enjoyed so much success against the unprepared Americans that they called it the Second Happy Time.
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The Siege of Sarajevo
Starting in 1992, Sarajevo, the capital of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was under siege from 1992 to 1996, the longest in modern history—even longer than the Siege of Leningrad.
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USS Phoenix Survived Pearl Harbor, Sunk by the British as the General Belgrano
The USS Phoenix survived Pearl Harbor and the War in the Pacific and was later sold to Argentina. She was renamed ARA General Belgrano and sunk by the British during the Falklands War on May 2, 1982.
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World War 1 History: Russian Wolves, Business as Usual and War Horses
Three little-known stories about World War 1. The first is about wolves on the Eastern Front; the second is about the armaments business; the third is about horses in the war.
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How We Saved the Last Functioning Water Well in Cedar Rapids During Iowa's 2008 Flood
In 2008, Iowa experienced the worst flooding in recorded history. Cedar Rapids was its hardest hit city, losing all but one of its wells to the rising waters. This is how we saved the last well and the city's water supply.
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The Russian Tsar Tank: The Largest, Weirdest WW1 Tank Ever Built
In World War 1, the Russians created a tank that weighed 60 tons and resembled a giant backward tricycle. An advancing line of them would have been awesome had its prototype lived up to the hype.
- 15
Invaders Are Eating the International Space Station (ISS)
Microbes on the International Space Station are corroding and damaging components. Despite rigid procedures and processes, microbes will always be with us, but in the closed environments of space vehicles, the problem is exacerbated. Microbes were a major factor in the failure of the Russian MIR...
- 6
WWII: MV "Wilhelm Gustloff" Sunk, More Than 10,000 Aboard
The 25,000-ton "Wilhelm Gustloff" had a normal capacity of 1,500 passengers. When it was sunk by a Soviet submarine, as many as 9,400 of the 10,600 aboard perished. Only 1,252 survived.
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When the Secret Service Did Their Job and Prevented the Assassination of President Clinton
The Secret Service is in the news for all the wrong reasons. This is about the time they prevented an assassination attempt on President Clinton in 1996 based on last minute radio chatter.
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World War 2 History: Exercise Tiger, D-Day Practice Disaster
Exercise Tiger was a series of full dress rehearsals for the D-Day invasion. On April 28, 1944, the flotilla was attacked by German E-boats, killing 749 American soldiers and sailors. Read on for the full story of the attack.
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Estonia: Leading the Way in e-Government
Estonia has an Internet presence far out of proportion to its small size and population. This is due to its formation of an e-government, short for electronic government (AKA digital government, online government) which involves building a government with the Internet in mind instead of just...
- 15
World War 1 History: The Dutch-Belgian Wire of Death
To stop thousands of Belgians, spies, and smugglers from slipping over to the neutral Netherlands, the Germans constructed an electrified border. Up to 3,000 people were electrocuted. Read on for the full history of this "wire of death."
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World War 1 History: Maria Bochkareva—Commander of 1st Russian Women's Battalion of Death
Maria Bochkareva was the only woman allowed to join a combat unit in any army in 1914. She formed and commanded the 1st Russian Women's Battalion of Death in 1917 and led it into battle.
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NATO: The Way Out of Afghanistan
NATO needs to transport hundreds of thousands of vehicles and other equipment out of land-locked Afghanistan. There are tortuous routes through Central Asia and Russia in addition to the way through Pakistan.
- 10
World War One History: The Battle of Yser in 1914
In October 1914, as the armies on the Western Front tried to outflank each other, the Germans tried one last time to go around the Allies, but the Belgians stood in their way at the Yser River.
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World War 2 History: Admiral Graf Spee Deceived Into Scuttling in the River Plate Estuary
The Admiral Graf Spee was loose in the South Atlantic. Finally cornered in the port of Montevideo by British cruisers, she was deceived into scuttling herself instead of blasting her way out.
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Adolf Hitler: In His Own Words
This article analyzes some of Adolf Hitler's quotations regarding propaganda, leadership, and religion and how they reveal the man and his methods. Some readers may find these chilling in light of the current state of the world.
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China White-- Synthetic Heroin AKA Fentanyl-- Killing More Estonians Than Road Accidents
Estonia has the highest death rate related to drug overdoses in the EU. Many of those deaths are caused by a powerful synthetic heroin called “China White”, clinically known as Fentanyl.
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World War I History: The Medium Mark A Whippet Tank
In 1918, the British introduced the Whippet, a light tank armed with four machine guns. Only used for a short time, it proved to be a formidable weapon.
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Military Robots That Hunt For Food
A robot is being developed that will forage for food in order to complete lengthy, autonomous missions. Robotic Technology is developing the Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR) which will forage biomass to fuel a steam engine. Critics are concerned that “biomass” could include...
- 4
Iowa: Corn, Pigs and... Nuclear Weapons?
Iowa, land of corn and pigs, caucuses and... nuclear weapons. After World War II, Uncle Sam had to come to Iowa to get his nuclear weapons. They weren't made anywhere else until into the Fifties.
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Ten Movies I Grew Up With in the Sixties
Here are ten movies I saw as a kid growing up in the sixties and how I saw them then and how I see them now. Some stand the test of time, some stink and some are guilty pleasures.
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Syd Barrett: Pink Floyd's Crazy Diamond
Syd Barrett was a founding member of Pink Floyd, but he was only a member from 1965 until 1968 due to his drug-fueled descent into madness.
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Floating Lighthouses: Lightvessels and Lightships
From towed wooden ships to steel-hulled, diesel-powered platforms with helipads, floating lighthouses have been used for nearly 300 years in places where lighthouses couldn't be built.
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The Sinking of the MS Estonia
In 1994, the MS Estonia, sailing from Tallinn, Estonia, to Stockholm, Sweden, with 989 crew and passengers, sank in rough seas with a loss of 852 lives. Only 137 survived.
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My List of Ten Best Guitar Solos
This is my top ten list of what I consider to be the ten best guitar solos of all time in order of greatness. I take full responsibility for all inclusions and exclusions and the order they are in.
- 4
Latvia's Legion Day: Latvians Remembering Nazis or Comrades?
Veterans of Latvia's Legion, which fought for the Germans in World War II, parade each Legion Day, March 16, as government groups struggle to address accusations that this glorifies Nazism.
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World War 1 History: First Tank Versus Tank Battle
On April 24, 1918, three British Mark IV tanks (one male and two females) encountered three German A7V tanks. What ensued was the very first tank vs tank battle.
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UK Privatizing Police Forces
The UK government will open bids to private companies to assume police activities in at least two of its largest police forces. These police activities include: investigating crimes, detaining suspects, developing cases and responding to and investigating incidents, among others.
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Stanislav Petrov: The Man Who Saved Us From World War 3
Stanislav Petrov may not be known to many people, but he may have averted a nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the United States on September 26, 1983.
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Four-- No, Five-- Tools I Use When Writing Hub Pages
These tools are easy to install and start using, are free, and are high-quality applications: LibreOffice/OpenOffice, NotePad++, IrfanView and FreeMind.
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Estonians, Nazis and Communists
Estonia commemorates Estonians who fought under the Nazis. Her history is complicated by waves of occupation, killings and deportations inflicted by the Nazis and Communists during the last century.
- 12
Condos, Kittens, and How We Almost Killed George
We lived in a condo for many years with a no-pet rule, but then we brought two kittens home. Our lives changed forever, and we got to know our neighbor, George.
- 2
Chemical Weapons Must Not Be Used In A Warlike Manner
The Chemical Weapons Convention prohibiting chemical weapons from being used by belligerent nations has been signed by nearly all the countries in the world. Loopholes, however, could allow signatories to use some chemical weapons that could not be used in warfare against their own citizens.
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I Hit A Deer On Iowa Highway 1
I hit a deer commuting home one evening. I ended up in a ditch on the other side of the highway, but was unhurt. I had to watch the poor animal struggling and failing to get up for several minutes before it lay still. It was at the intersection of Highway 1 and Running Deer Road.
- 2
NATO and Russia Play With Missiles; Baltic States Shiver
NATO and Russia are tangling over NATO's plans to install a missile shield in Poland to protect the U.S. east coast from Iranian missiles. Russia threatens to install defensive and offensive missiles in the Kaliningrad Oblast. Meanwhile, fears escalate in the Baltic states-- Lithuania, Latvia and...
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Militarizing the U.S. Police
Police departments across the US are being militarized at an increasing pace. Military-grade equipment, supposedly to fight terrorism, is being used more and more for routine police activities.
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World War I History: November 11, 1918 (Armistice Morning)
The Armistice on November 11, 1918, did not end the hostilities of World War I until 11:00 AM. That morning, almost 11,000 men were killed or wounded or went missing.
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World War 2 History: My Dad was in Dad’s Army
My dad served in the Home Guard in World War II Britain before joining the Royal Air Force. He manned antiaircraft rockets when the German bombers raided Birmingham and later guarded German POWs.
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World War 2 History: Sitzkrieg, the Plan to Wait for Hitler
When Germany invaded Poland, only 23 German divisions were allocated to defend against 110 British and French divisions in the west. For eight months, the Allies waited for the Germans to attack.
- 2
One-Tenth a Cent Less Per Gallon of Gas-- Or Nine-Tenths More?
Why is the price of a gallon of gasoline priced to tenths of cents? Why is this deceptive pricing? Is anyone doing anything about it? Don't you have anything better to worry about? Do prices ending in "9" turn you on?
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Vaadin: A Java Web Application Framework
The Vaadin web application framework allows you to create Rich Internet Applications. Client-side components are automatically generated for the top five browsers.
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Turkmenistan's Burning Gates of Hell
There is a small village in Turkmenistan's Karakum Desert called Derweze (AKA Darvaza). Four miles away is a burning crater called the Gates of Hell. Read on for everything you need to know about this spectacular crater.
- 20
My Top Ten Great Reads
This is my personal selection of fiction and non-fiction books arranged in a top ten list of great reads. The list includes works by Isaac Asimov, George Orwell, Clive Barker and others.
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Winston Churchill in the Trenches: World War I History
Winston Churchill, future Prime Minister of Great Britain, spent six months in the trenches during World War I following the disaster at Gallipoli and his resignation as First Lord of the Admiralty.
- 5
Harz Mountains—Germany's Green Battery?
Germany’s Harz Mountains have long struggled economically. Their abandoned mines may provide an economical way of storing excess renewable energy-- the holy grail of green energy.
- 13
My Encounter With British Police In a Kinder/Gentler Time
This is about my encounters with the British police when I was younger and in a more more care-free time in Halesowen, England.
- 2
World War 1 History: The Battle of Mons—The BEF's First Major Action
The British Expeditionary Force's first battle of of the First World War was at Mons, Belgium, where 75,000 British soldiers stood in the way of 160,000 advancing Germans.
- 5
The Switch to Virgin Mobile
Describes my search for and initial experience with a smartphone plan form Virgin Mobile that isn't outrageously expensive and doesn't lock me into a contract.
- 8
Pro-Nazis Gather in Estonia
Commemoration rallies in Estonia described as Pro-Nazi gatherings are receiving tacit approval of the government. Russia demands action from international bodies.