Tarring and feathering is a brutal form of punishment used in the past to discipline people who had done something wrong. This practice has a strange and dark history, and it’s still unclear where it originated. Let’s explore the origins of tarring and feathering and why this punishment was doled out. What Was Tarring And …
The Strange History Behind Tarring and Feathering Read More »
Drug use was rampant during World War II. Soldiers, sailors, and airmen turned to drugs for one reason or another. Some used drugs to escape the horrors of war, while others used them to boost their performance on the battlefield. Drug use was not limited to soldiers in the armed forces. Many civilians also turned …
In the early 1990s, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar had a problem. He was on the run from the law and needed to find a place to hide. So, he did what any criminal mastermind would do- built his own prison. La Catedral was a self-built prison that sat on top of a hill in …
The History of La Catedral, Pablo Escobar’s Self-Built Luxury Prison Read More »
In February of 1945, the Japanese army suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of British forces in Burma. The debacle was so bad that the Japanese troops were forced to retreat and flee into the mangrove swamps of Ramree Island. What awaited them there was a horror beyond comprehension. This post will reveal the …
The Ramree Island Massacre: How Crocodiles Devoured 500 Japanese Soldiers in WW2 Read More »
We define different societies by the diverse ways they structure economic life and arrange daily life around those same economic activities. For example, in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, life depended on agriculture along the River Nile in Egypt and the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers in Mesopotamia. Accordingly, they established their villages, farms, and cities throughout …
In the summer of 1858, the people of London were in for a nasty surprise. The stench of rotting garbage and human waste was so putrid that it made Parliament members vomit and faint. This smell, known as the Great Stink, lasted for weeks and drove many residents from their homes. So what caused this …
Every schoolchild is familiar with tales of the ferocious Vikings who terrorized Europe for over two centuries from their first raids on Britain in the final years of the eighth century. Striking against coastal targets in their longships and making off with riches and slaves, they were soon pillaging much of Western Europe and voyaging …
World War One began on July 28, 1914, with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. By the time it ended in 1918, it was one of the most brutal conflicts in history. How well do you know WWI history? Take our quiz to find out! If you enjoyed this quiz, you should try some of …
What do you know about WWI? Test your knowledge with 10 questions Read More »
A famous saying attributed to Gorgo, the daughter of King Cleomenes I, a fifth-century BC king of Sparta. When asked by a woman from Attica, the region of eastern Greece dominated by the city of Athens, why Spartan women were the only ones in all of Greece who held such power within their polis or city-state, Gorgo …
Military historians who have observed the Second World War have long observed that the turning point in the conflict in Europe was the decision by Nazi Germany to invade Soviet Russia in 1941. Before this, the Nazis had conquered all before them. But, when their armies stalled outside Moscow and Leningrad in the winter of …
Why was the Italian Army so Ineffective During WW2? Read More »
