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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

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.

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.

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.

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 »

In ancient Egypt, under the decree of Ptolemy II, all ships visiting the city were obliged to surrender their books to the library of Alexandria and be copied. The original would be kept in the library and the copy given back to the owner.

Library of Alexandria Map of ancient Alexandria. The Mouseion was located in the royal Broucheion quarter (listed on this map as “Bruchium”) in the central part of the city near the Great Harbor (“Portus Magnus” on the map). The Ptolemaic rulers intended the Library to be a collection of all knowledge and they worked to

In ancient Egypt, under the decree of Ptolemy II, all ships visiting the city were obliged to surrender their books to the library of Alexandria and be copied. The original would be kept in the library and the copy given back to the owner. 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.

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 »

Ancient Sumeria elected ‘Substitute Kings’ during eclipses to protect the king from a prophecy of death. Once a real king, ‘Erra-imitti’ suddenly died while eating hot porridge and his substitute, ‘Enlil-bani’ formerly a random gardener, stayed king for 24 years.

Enlil-bani Enlil-bāni,[nb 1] ca. 1798 BC – 1775 BC (short chronology) or 1860 – 1837 BC (middle chronology), was the 10th king of the 1st Dynasty of Isin and reigned 24 years according to the Ur-Isin kinglist.[i 1] He is best known for the legendary and perhaps apocryphal manner of his ascendancy. Biography A certain

Ancient Sumeria elected ‘Substitute Kings’ during eclipses to protect the king from a prophecy of death. Once a real king, ‘Erra-imitti’ suddenly died while eating hot porridge and his substitute, ‘Enlil-bani’ formerly a random gardener, stayed king for 24 years. Read More »

Adolf Hitler spent years evading taxes and owed German authorities 405,000 Reichsmarks, equivalent to $8 million today. Soon after he took power, he was declared free of tax obligations.

Hitler dodged taxes, expert finds Adolf Hitler spent years dodging taxes, accumulating enormous debts as he led his Nazi party to power, a German tax expert has revealed. He owed the authorities 405,500 Reichsmarks (6m euros; £4m in today’s money) by 1934, when as German chancellor his debts were forgiven. A retired Bavarian notary, Klaus-Dieter

Adolf Hitler spent years evading taxes and owed German authorities 405,000 Reichsmarks, equivalent to $8 million today. Soon after he took power, he was declared free of tax obligations. Read More »

Polish priest Maximilian Kolbe provided shelter to 2000 Jews during WW2. He was later sent to Auschwitz where he volunteered to sacrifice his life for a stranger.

Maximilian Kolbe Maximilian Maria Kolbe OFM Conv. (Polish: Maksymilian Maria Kolbe [maksɨˌmʲilʲan ˌmarʲja ˈkɔlbɛ]; 8 January 1894 – 14 August 1941), a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar, volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the German death camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II. He had been active in promoting

Polish priest Maximilian Kolbe provided shelter to 2000 Jews during WW2. He was later sent to Auschwitz where he volunteered to sacrifice his life for a stranger. Read More »

When Freud left Austria, he was required to sign a document testifying that he had had every opportunity ‘to live and work in full freedom’ and had ‘not the slightest reason for any complaint’. He signed it, adding a remark of his own: ‘I can most highly recommend the Gestapo to anyone.’

Why Freud Chose Nazi Germany Over America His aversion to America was by no means unconscious: given the choice between safe passage to the United States and increasing oppression at the hands of the Nazis, Sigmund Freud chose to stick with the Nazis. The father of psychoanalysis — born on this day, May 6, in

When Freud left Austria, he was required to sign a document testifying that he had had every opportunity ‘to live and work in full freedom’ and had ‘not the slightest reason for any complaint’. He signed it, adding a remark of his own: ‘I can most highly recommend the Gestapo to anyone.’ Read More »