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During WW2 German prisoners of Wars in Canada were so well treated that they didn’t want to leave the country when released. Thousands of them eventually stayed or came back to Canada with one saying that the time in Canadian prison was “the best thing that happened to me.”

History, Military, Sensitive Subjects /

The Happiest Prisoners Prisoners look out from behind barbed wire at Sherbrooke, Que., in 1945. In the shadow of Mount Baldy, where lodgepole pine and trembling aspen compete for space in Alberta’s spectacular Kananaskis Country, all that remains of a Second World War prisoner of war camp are weedy building foundations, a rundown guard tower […]

During WW2 German prisoners of Wars in Canada were so well treated that they didn’t want to leave the country when released. Thousands of them eventually stayed or came back to Canada with one saying that the time in Canadian prison was “the best thing that happened to me.” Read More »

The US may have adopted the metric system if pirates hadn’t kidnapped Joseph Dombey, the French scientist sent to help Thomas Jefferson persuade Congress to adopt the system.

History /

Pirates of the Caribbean (Metric Edition) To save his own life, Joseph Dombey had an idea. As two pirate ships surrounded the ship he was on in the Caribbean Sea in 1794, Dombey scrambled below deck, disrobing as he went. He appropriated the outfit of one of the ship’s many Spanish sailors and prayed that

The US may have adopted the metric system if pirates hadn’t kidnapped Joseph Dombey, the French scientist sent to help Thomas Jefferson persuade Congress to adopt the system. Read More »

In 1944, the British hatched a plan to assassinate Hitler – Operation Foxley. Many, including Churchill approved of the plan. It never went through though because Hitler was an awful military strategist, and there was fear that whoever replaced him would be more adept at winning the war.

History, Law & Government, Sensitive Subjects /

Britain’s Plan to Kill Hitler By Having a Sniper Shoot Him During His Daily Walk To The Tea House In 1944, the British hatched a plan to assassinate Hitler – a project known as Operation Foxley. It could have shortened the war, saved millions of lives, and spared everyone so much pain and suffering. The

In 1944, the British hatched a plan to assassinate Hitler – Operation Foxley. Many, including Churchill approved of the plan. It never went through though because Hitler was an awful military strategist, and there was fear that whoever replaced him would be more adept at winning the war. Read More »

During WWII, the German army used a radar system called Wotan. The British scientist R.V. Jones figured out how the system worked by assuming that it used a single beam based on the fact that the Germanic god Wotan had only one eye.

History, Military /

Battle of the Beams The Battle of the Beams was a period early in the Second World War when bombers of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) used a number of increasingly accurate systems of radio navigation for night bombing in the United Kingdom. British scientific intelligence at the Air Ministry fought back with a variety

During WWII, the German army used a radar system called Wotan. The British scientist R.V. Jones figured out how the system worked by assuming that it used a single beam based on the fact that the Germanic god Wotan had only one eye. Read More »

Martin Luther King Jr. started a pillow fight in the hotel room with other civil rights leaders in the hour before he was assassinated

History, People & Society /

At 86, Andrew Young recalls horror of witnessing moment Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis In the hour before he stepped out onto the second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis and became the most famous martyr of the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. started a pillow fight. Andrew Young,

Martin Luther King Jr. started a pillow fight in the hotel room with other civil rights leaders in the hour before he was assassinated Read More »

During WWI, cotton was in high demand for the manufacture of uniforms and explosives. For bandages, doctors turned to using sphagnum moss. It can hold up to 22 times its own weight in liquid — twice as absorptive as cotton. The moss is also antiseptic, making the surrounding environment acidic

History, Military, Sensitive Subjects /

How Humble Moss Healed the Wounds of Thousands in World War I The First World War had just begun, and already the wounds were rotting on the battlefield. In the last months of 1914, doctors like Sir. W. Watson Cheyne of the Royal College of Surgeons of England noted with horror the “great prevalence of

During WWI, cotton was in high demand for the manufacture of uniforms and explosives. For bandages, doctors turned to using sphagnum moss. It can hold up to 22 times its own weight in liquid — twice as absorptive as cotton. The moss is also antiseptic, making the surrounding environment acidic Read More »

Check out Doug Hegdahl, a POW during the Vietnam War, who memorized the names, dates of capture, method of capture and personal details of 256 fellow POWs to the tune of “Old MacDonald Had A Farm.” He can still recite it to this day.

History, Military /

Doug Hegdahl Douglas Brent Hegdahl III (born September 3, 1946) is a former United States Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class(E-5) who was held as a prisoner of war (POW) by North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. After an early release, he was able to provide the names and personal information of about 256 fellow POWs,

Check out Doug Hegdahl, a POW during the Vietnam War, who memorized the names, dates of capture, method of capture and personal details of 256 fellow POWs to the tune of “Old MacDonald Had A Farm.” He can still recite it to this day. Read More »

Check out May Bradford, a Red Cross volunteer during WWI who wrote over 25,000 letters and notes, an average of 12 a day, for wounded soldiers who were too ill or too uneducated to write to their family. She also sat with the injured and dying and considered herself to be a surrogate mother to them.

History, Military /

A History of the First World War in 100 Moments: The soldier and the letter-writer – a lady with a notepad who gave comfort to the dying For several days early in 1917, May Bradford sat beside Corporal George Pendlebury in a British field hospital in France, comforting him and writing to his family as

Check out May Bradford, a Red Cross volunteer during WWI who wrote over 25,000 letters and notes, an average of 12 a day, for wounded soldiers who were too ill or too uneducated to write to their family. She also sat with the injured and dying and considered herself to be a surrogate mother to them. Read More »

Genghis Khan exempted the poor, teachers, artists, and lawyers from taxes, encouraged literacy, and established freedom of religion across his empire. He also forbade the selling of women and the hunting of animals during their breeding season.

History /

Mongol Empire Not to be confused with Mughal Empire. The Mongol Empire (Mongolian: Mongolyn Ezent Güren listen ; Mongolian Cyrillic: Монголын эзэнт гүрэн; Mongolian pronunciation: [mɔŋɡ(ɔ)ɮˈiːŋ ɛt͡sˈɛnt ˈɡurəŋ]; also Орда, ‘the Horde’ in Russian chronicles) existed during the 13th and 14th centuries and was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating from Mongolia, the

Genghis Khan exempted the poor, teachers, artists, and lawyers from taxes, encouraged literacy, and established freedom of religion across his empire. He also forbade the selling of women and the hunting of animals during their breeding season. Read More »

When Robert E Lee and the Confederate army surrendered, Union soldiers saluted them and gave them rations (the confederate soldiers were starving). Normally victorious armies would taunt defeated ones, but Ulysses S Grant respected the Confederates and ordered that they be treated well.

History, Military /

10 Facts: Appomattox Court House How much do you know about the final days of the war in Virginia? Here are some facts about the battle and the surrender to help shed a little light for newcomers and test the knowledge of veterans. Fact #1: Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Lt. Gen. Ulysses S.

When Robert E Lee and the Confederate army surrendered, Union soldiers saluted them and gave them rations (the confederate soldiers were starving). Normally victorious armies would taunt defeated ones, but Ulysses S Grant respected the Confederates and ordered that they be treated well. Read More »

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