The not-so-subtle ultimatum that lay behind the atomic bombings of Japan
August 6th and 9th, 1945, were two days that changed the history of the world forever. In the space of three days, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively. A quarter of a million people died. Tens of thousands died instantly. Thousands more succumbed to burns and radiation poisoning. Many people think that this was enough to deter the Japanese from continuing the war effort.
But it wasn’t.
The Japanese didn’t officially surrender until August 15th, nearly a week after the second bombing. …
The end of the Age of Sail happened during a conflict few talk about
The Greek war for independence against the Ottomans kicked off in 1821. Weakness in the Ottoman system was starting to be felt and realized all across Europe and the Greeks decided it was their time to break free of Ottoman rule. At first, the rebellion seemed doom to fail. The Ottomans called in powerful allies from the Middle East that pledged thousands of men and hundreds of ships for the fight.
The uprising alarmed the Great Powers in Europe. It was clear that the Ottoman Empire was rapidly declining but no one wanted to deal with the aftermath of such…
Texas wasn’t the only state to be its own independent nation
Following months of disputes with neighboring territories and with the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, delegates from 28 townships in the Green Mountains met in secret in order to determine their own fate. The people were caught between British Quebec to their north, the powerful colony of New York to their south and the political hotbed of New England anchored by Boston to their southeast. Those living in the region were known as Green Mountain people and their will was upheld by their popular militia, the Green Mountain Boys.
The Thirteen Colonies were in turmoil and independent fervor…
A story of the Crimean War
The Charge of the Light Brigade is a famous poem written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It describes an ill fated cavalry charge by British soldiers during the Crimean War. The charge took place during a battle few have ever heard of and even fewer know the details of but the poem describes actual events that unfolded in a valley outside of Sevastopol.
The cavalry charge was real and so were the unneeded casualties that inspired Tennyson to write his famous poem. …
These stories deserve to be told. Tell them
Content
I am looking for rarely covered and little known stories from wars. These stories can be of anything from a first hand account of a medic on the front lines of the Civil War to an intelligence officer working in an office in London during the Crimean War. This publication is looking to focus on real people’s stories that do not get told every day.
Bonus points for finding unique and interesting accounts of lesser known wars and battles. Examples could include conflicts such as the Hundred Year War, the Crimean War, Chinese history and other similarly overlooked topics.
If…
From Bristol Bay to Baja California, Russia’s influence in colonial North America is largely forgotten
In 1812, Czar Alexander I of the Russian Empire approved the establishment of a fort in North America. The fortress was dubbed Fort Ross and it was established on the California coast a mere 90 miles north of present-day San Fransisco. The fort was built as an extension of the Russian-American Company which had set up a strong commercial network in the rugged wilds of Alaska far to the north. …
Look out below! The growing problem of orbital debris is getting more serious
According to Gizmodo, a Chinese rocket booster failed to clear Low Earth Orbit (LEO) during its separation phase. That means that instead of floating (relatively) harmlessly in high orbit where it will circle the globe in perpetuity, it is now going to slowly sink into the upper atmosphere until it is dragged back down to the surface. This means that there is a “non zero chance” that this rocket booster could inadvertently hit someone or something here on Earth.
That chance is very low. Most of the Earth is covered by water and the parts that are not submerged are…
A nation that expanded via barter
Remember when President Trump floated the idea of purchasing the territory of Greenland from Denmark? A lot of people thought that the proposal was ludicrous and the deal fell through with much muttering. But the idea of the United States buying up large swaths of sparsely inhabited territory is not new, in fact, it is very old.
A lot of fuss is made about the United States’ acquisition of land throughout the years but a large portion of the land acquired by the United States was purchased from other nations and Great Powers. …
Sometimes, you can’t keep track of every little detail
On July 31st, 1944, a massive air raid was launched against the Showa steel mill situated in Japanese occupied Manchuria. A flight of B-29 Superfortress bombers was taking part in the raid launched from Allied air bases hundreds of miles away. The B-29 was a massive engineering success for the United States and allowed the Allies to bomb targets at much farther ranges than their adversaries.
As the planes approached their targets one of the machines suffered an engine failure. The B-29 Ramp Tramp could not get the engine to refire and they began to lose altitude over enemy territory…
The battle that changed history on this day
The Battle of Cerignola was fought in the year 1503 between the armies of France and Spain during the Italian Wars. The French had fielded a professional army that had been outfitted with the best heavy equipment of the day. The French force comprised roughly 9,000 soldiers made up of heavily armored cavalry and Swiss pikemen. The heavily armored main force was supported by 40 cannons. Such army composition was designed to crush other similarly composed European armies in the field during major meeting engagements.
By comparison, the Spanish force comprised only 6,300 men and they had only 20 cannons…
Grant Piper
Professional freelance writer with an eye for history and storytelling. Ardent believer that history is stranger than fiction.
