History

History Meet the Battle of the Wabash or St. Clair's defeat. When an American army of 1000 men was slaughtered by a Native American force of near equal strength in 1791. Only 28 men escaped unscathed with a casualty rate of 97%, it remains the largest defeat in American history. January 29, 2021

History Slaveholders in the US knew that enslaved people were escaping to Mexico, the U.S. tried to get Mexico to sign a fugitive slave treaty, but Mexico refused to sign such a treaty, insisting that all enslaved people were free once they set foot on Mexican soil. January 29, 2021

History Georgy Zhukov, Marshal of the Soviet Union, was an avid fisherman in his retirement. When President Eisenhower, who considered him the most instrumental Allied leader in Hitler's defeat, learned this he had him sent a set of fishing tackle. Zhukov used it exclusively, for the rest of his life. January 27, 2021

History Irène Curie and her husband received a Nobel Prize for their discovery of artificial radioactivity, 30 years after Irène's parents received their Nobel Prize. She died due to overexposure to radiation, also just like her parents. Her children are still alive and are also prominent scientists. January 25, 2021

History US president Calvin "Silent Cal" Coolidge used to buzz for his secret service and then would hide under his desk while they frantically searched for him January 22, 2021

History In 1983 a Mexican pilot crashed landed in a small town in Ireland and the whole town came together to build a temporary runway for him to take off again and continue his flight. January 20, 2021

History The great smog of London in 1952 was so bad that pedestrians couldn't even see their feet. Some of the 4,000 who died in the 5 days it lasted didn't suffer lung problems - they fell into the Thames and drowned because they could not see the river January 15, 2021

History The famous photo of the Soviet flag being raised during the Battle of Berlin in 1945 was actually doctored. Photographer Yevgeny Khaldei added smoke to make it seem more dramatic, and also removed one of two watches from a Senior Sergeant's wrist, as it would have implied looting. January 14, 2021

History In the 1830s the Swedish Navy planted 300 000 oak trees to be used for ship production in the far future. When they received word that the trees were fully grown in 1975 they had little use of them as modern warships are built with metal. January 14, 2021

History Hermann Göring's brother strongly opposed the Nazi party, and forged his brother's signature so people could leave the country. Once, he joined Jews who had to scrub the streets, so the SS officer stopped the activity in order not to humiliate Hermann Göring. January 9, 2021

History One of the 2 co-owners/founders of Macy's died on the Titanic, along with his wife, because he refused to board rescue ships before women and children were helped. His wife chose to stay behind because she did not want to abandon her husband, so they both died together aboard the Titanic. January 8, 2021

History The entrance of the Lascaux cave in southwestern France, famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings, was discovered in 1940 by 18-year-old Marcel Ravidat and his dog, Robot. Robot fell into a hole, and Ravidat explored it with his friends, finding walls covered with depictions of animals. December 24, 2020

History Only around 2000 people attended Genghis Khan's funeral. They were then killed by the army in order to never reveal the location of his tomb. That army was later killed as well by Khan's funeral escort. November 21, 2020

History In 1917 when Shackleton found rescue from a doomed expedition he took to the Antarctic in August, 1914, he asked how the war turned out. The answer was "the war isn't over. Millions are dead. Europe is mad. The world is mad." November 21, 2020

History When Germany invaded Belgium in World War I, King Albert I took personal command of the Belgian Army. He led his army for 4 years, fighting alongside his troops, while his wife, Queen Elisabeth, worked as a nurse at the front. His 12 year-old son, the Crown Prince, also fought in the ranks November 17, 2020

History The Unforgettable Game: Kobe Bryant's Grandma Came to See Him Score 81 Points November 15, 2020

History The 'ancient city of Machu Picchu' is only 550 years old. The Tower of London predates it by almost 400 years. November 2, 2020

History In 1817 a woman posed as the fictional Princess Caraboo of Javasu. She fooled a small British town for months into believing she was a princess who had been captured by pirates, jumped overboard in the British Channel and swam ashore. She was later recognised as a cobbler's daughter from Devon. October 31, 2020

History In 1506, a 1000+ year old statue was unearthed. The main figure, Laocoön, was missing an arm. The pope commissioned a contest to find who would recreate the missing arm best. Michelangelo's version lost. In 1906 the original arm was found and in nearly the exact pose Michelangelo had sculpted. October 23, 2020

History When the Union abandoned a fort in Florida, they left behind a single soldier as caretaker. When the Confederacy marched on the fort, the lone soldier refused to surrender without a receipt for the fort. He received one, and the fort was taken without a shot fired. October 16, 2020