The place to learn about the past and present,
Click for part 2 Battle of Saint-Denis, 1837 The Lower Canadian Rebellion was a toothless attempt to fight the British Army out of modern-day Quebec. The standout success for the Patriote insurgents, was when they fought off a British assault at Saint-Denis. The rebellion kicked off on November the 6th and the Patriots established the... Continue Reading →
Click for part 1 USS Hornet Sunk, 1829 A large US Navy sloop-of-war was lost in 1829, albeit in a maritime disaster rather than a military one. The USS Hornet was a 440-ton ship armed with 20 cannon and had a distinguished record as the first U.S. Navy ship to capture a British privateer in... Continue Reading →
"Modern American war is as easy to script as a B-movie" quipped one US Army officer, referring to the predictability of US victories against its enemies in the late 20th Century. Yet, it wasn't always smooth sailing for the Yanks. Presented, the worst US military disaster of every decade spanning the Declaration of Independence til... Continue Reading →
Four countries that didn't have a dog in the fight but, unknown to most, battled in the 2nd World War World War Two wasn’t called a ‘world war’ for nothing; a whole heap of nations got sucked into it. There was the ‘Big Six’ of course; there were the exiled governments of occupied countries like... Continue Reading →
Seven men who were famous for their colossal height, size and strength, including the 'Cape Breton Giant', 'Canadian Colossus' and 'Childe of Hale' Robert Wadlow is the tallest human being to have ever existed as verified by science, towering over all at 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m). Yet the same condition which made him... Continue Reading →
From a dog landing on someone's head to celebrating a goal, here are 15 tales of death striking from the oddest angles. Death is a fascinating topic for many; there is a deep, intrinsic fear of our mortality and of how fragile it can be. Alas, we are not all destined to die of old... Continue Reading →
It's a myth that since King William conquered, barely a single foreign attacker has set foot on British shores without some natives in connivance, but here are eight times Britain suffered seaborne raids you might not know about. Southampton and Portsmouth Sacked, Nearly Destroyed, 1338-9 King Edward III launched a military campaign in 1337 against... Continue Reading →
The lowdown of what Gloucestershire has given Britain, including literature, festivals, food 'n' drink, famous historical figures ...and a Michael Jackson song. My home county is supposably an innocuous corner of the land. A Liverpudlian housemate testily put it once: ‘Gloucestershire is known for NOTHING’. But is Gloucestershire - Glos for short - known for... Continue Reading →
The epic quest Keith Byrne, 10, and Noel Murray, 13, embarked on in 1985 when they managed to travel incognito to New York via ferries, trains and planes. A metallic clang echoed down a bleak Darndale street. The clang of a fizzy-drink can being punted along by a young boy. His hair, fair and ruffled,... Continue Reading →
Click for Part 1 Battles of Saratoga, 1777 Almost two years into the counter insurgency campaign to end the American Revolution, British General John Burgoyne set off from Quebec with mixture of 7,200 loyalist Americans and Germanic troops to meet two other armies with the aim of cutting off the particularly insurgent New England region from... Continue Reading →
History and Things 