Author: Jeff Danelek

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…

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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…

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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.…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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.

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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,…

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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…

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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,…

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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.…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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