In war, there are winners and losers. Sometimes an army is defeated because they simply faced a larger and more powerful foe. Other times they lose because of some bizarre set of circumstances no one could have foreseen, or because they were simply outwitted by a cunning adversary. Sometimes an army is even dealt a…
Author: Jeff Danelek
There can be no doubt that the twentieth century is one of the most remarkable in human history for its previously unparalleled rate of technological advances and scientific discoveries, a rate that continues to this day. In fact, there were so many new gadgets invented and discoveries made in the last century that it’s difficult…
We were all taught things in school—or, at very least, in the schoolyard—that we accepted on faith as historical facts, only to discover over time that the truth has a nasty way of interfering with the “facts” as we were taught them. This is especially true with history, which seems to be a breeding ground…
While literally hundreds of millions of miles of film and videotape has been shot over the last century, very little of it provides any impact or lasting memory. However, occasionally a piece of celluloid is produced that captures some significant historical event in real time, creating a type of time capsule that transcends the years.…
It takes a special person to become President of the United States. They must not only demonstrate leadership skills, decisiveness, and possess a bit of luck, but they also need the ability to keep from getting overwhelmed. As you’re about to find out, not everyone who’s called the White House home has had all of those…
Fame is a curious thing. Two people will devote their lives to working toward the same world changing goal, with one gaining global recognition while the other slides into obscurity. So what makes one person famous while the other remains an unknown? Good PR is often a part of it, of course. Other times people suffer from…
While the final outcome of most wars is generally decided on land, occasionally a sea battle can have a profound impact on history as well. More than one empire’s plans for further expansion has been waylaid by a catastrophic sea battle, and even entire kingdoms have been brought to their knees because of some fiasco…
Among the plethora of curiosities that make our world the mysterious place it is, one of the most interesting are so-called “spook lights.” These little balls of light, usually blue in color, appear at a particular locale and serve as the basis for many a spooky tale. What makes this phenomena so different from other…
We live in an age in which bad news and negativity reigns, making it easy to overlook the positive things that have taken place in our world over the last half century. Further, one doesn’t need to view the world through rose-colored glasses to see the many things that have transpired over the last few…
Each year automobile manufacturers produce tens of millions of automobiles, most of which will be bought and sold a number of times before ending up being crushed and recycled. Normally no one will notice that the vast majority of these vehicles ever existed, but once in a while an everyday automobile will end up playing…
While the subject of alien visitation is a fairly recent one, as science expands its knowledge of what lies beyond our planet, the question takes on increasing relevance. Though most people still consider the whole subject of UFOs mostly nonsense, there are reasons to take the prospect that we are not alone seriously, at least…
1800 did not look one thing like 1899, thanks to incredible advancements in both technology and society. It’s odd to think about it at first, especially since photos from that century are rare, and voice recordings are even rarer. But amazing things happened over those hundred years, just about every day. Here are ten of the most news-worthy stories of the bunch.
Ghosts aren’t real right? They’re simply figments of our overactive imaginations, good for spooky Halloween tales and little else. Except what if they’re not? Our resident paranormal expert offers up ten reasons why believing in spirits may not be the worst idea in the world.
With over 30,000 Americans dying on our nation’s highways each year–and close to a million world-wide–it’s inevitable that occasionally someone well known would “buy the farm” from behind the wheel (or as a passenger) in an automobile. The curious thing about such a demise is that in by dying such a sudden and tragic way,…
Our beloved blue planet gets pelted with debris from space all the time but, since most of it burns up or break apart in the atmosphere, it’s usually not a problem. Even when one does make it to the ground, they are rarely much larger than a small rock, minimizing the damage they’re capable of…
Though travel by air remains, statistically, the safest mode of transportation, that’s not to say it hasn’t proven to be a deadly form of travel from time to time. Normally we just note such tragedies and move on but, when the victim is a well-known politician, entertainer, or sports figure, we tend to take notice,…
In the short time that human beings have been flying, many have become well-known to the general public for their exploits in the sky. Not all the aviators listed here were necessarily the best pilots, and some were known for but a single flight, but all played a role in shaping the history of aviation.…
There’s no doubt that the big, lovable ape we know as “Bigfoot” is controversial, serving as fodder for both serious study and great hilarity, with people generally divided as to whether it actually exists or not. Mainstream science generally comes down on the side of the skeptics, maintaining that without a body, there is no…
New nations seem to pop up with alarming regularity. At the start of the 20th century, there were only a few dozen independent sovereign states on the planet; today, there are nearly 200! Once a nation is established, they tend to stick around for awhile, so a nation disappearing is quite uncommon. It’s only occurred a handful of…
The term “genocide” is one of those controversial terms that can lead to all kinds of problems. The problem is that the term has been so politicized, and frequently used to attack leaders or countries that one dislikes, that it has come to mean different things to different people. For instance, the term has frequently…
While today it is generally more common for an actor to entertain soldiers rather than be one, there was a time when even fame and stardom was not enough to keep some people out of war. As a result, during the Second World War a number of actors served in the armed forces—most through enlisting—with…
As a writer, I’ve always been fascinated with the many ways in which language can be used in curious and unique ways. One way is the palindrome, in which words or phrases are used in such a way that they read the same forwards and backwards. Common palindromes exist all around us, in words like:…
Throughout the history of warfare, it has sometimes proven necessary—and less costly—to lay siege to an enemy fortification, rather than assault it directly. The drawback with this, of course, is that it could take months, or even years, to get an enemy to capitulate, which is what made wars in the past so lengthy (think…
Being an imperial power doesn’t impress people the way it used to. A century ago, countries strived to be a dominating world power and were willing to fight wars to either acquire an Empire, or hold on to the one they already had. Nowadays, of course, in this “kinder, gentler” world, imperialism is considered politically…