There have been many heroic rescues in recent years, the Thai youth soccer team in 2018, the Chilean copper miners in 2010, but neither compares to perhaps the most daring heroic rescue in modern times – the Great Raid of Cabanatuan in the Philippines during World War II. Sadly, with the passing of the ‘GreatestContinue reading “The Most Heroic Rescue – The Great Raid at Cabanatuan”
Author Archives: andrewspaulw
The Forgotten Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau
For an entire generation, the name Jacques Cousteau was synonymous with undersea exploration. He was a famous French explorer, inventor, and researcher. He co-invented the Aqua-Lung, better known today as SCUBA. On board his equally famous ship, the Calypso, he hosted dozens of TV documentaries from the 1960s thru the 1980s, exploring the world’s oceans.Continue reading “The Forgotten Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau”
Catcher, Lawyer, Soldier, Spy – the Odd Life of Moe Berg
Morris (Moe) Berg was all that and more, a life-long bachelor, devoted Jew, and eccentric intellectual. The son of a pharmacist in Newark, New Jersey, young Moe fell in love with baseball. He began playing baseball at age seven, first for a local Christian church, then high school, then at Princeton University. The sport becameContinue reading “Catcher, Lawyer, Soldier, Spy – the Odd Life of Moe Berg”
Podcast: The Forgotten Great Chinese Famine of 1959
From 1959 to 1961, the Chinese people were decimated, not by a virus, but by a devastating famine. The death toll, concealed by the Communist government at the time, is still a matter of debate. The consensus however is that at least 30 million people died, though some take it as high as 50 MILLION.Continue reading “Podcast: The Forgotten Great Chinese Famine of 1959”
Henry V’s Rousing St. Crispin’s Day Speech from Shakespeare
The famous St. Crispin’s Day speech is given by England’s King Henry V in Shakespeare’s play of the same name, Henry V. The king gives the rousing speech on the eve of the Battle of Agincourt in the English camp in northern France. The Hundred Years War battle took place on October, 25th, 1415, Saint Crispin’s Day. The English wereContinue reading “Henry V’s Rousing St. Crispin’s Day Speech from Shakespeare”
6 Theories on the Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allen Poe was the Stephen King of his day. A master poet and author of mystery and the macabre. To this day, his name alone evokes a chill down ones spine.
The Bloody 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan
After over 100 years of British East India Company rule and another 90 years of British imperial rule, India had finally achieved its independence. What should have been a moment of joyful triumph turned into a year of unthinkable bloodshed. Indian freedom from Britain and the Partition took place on August 15, 1947. The partitionContinue reading “The Bloody 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan”
The Infamous Hope Diamond – Cursed or Coincidence?
Without a doubt, one of the most spectacular gems in the entire world is the so-called Hope Diamond, a haunting blue stone weighing 45.52 carats. About the size of a walnut, the Hope is estimated to be worth a quarter of a billion dollars. Today, it sits on display in the Smithsonian Museum in WashingtonContinue reading “The Infamous Hope Diamond – Cursed or Coincidence?”
The 1918 SPANISH FLU Beats all Pandemics Since the Black Plague
To listen to an audio Podcast CLICK HERE Before COVID, before Ebola and HIV, the 1918 Flu Pandemic killed more humans than all of World War I combined, over 50 Million people worldwide! In just over a year, the so-called ‘Spanish Flu’ would infect a fifth of the world’s population. It still remains to thisContinue reading “The 1918 SPANISH FLU Beats all Pandemics Since the Black Plague”
Mata Hari – Exotic Dancer, Mistress, and French Spy
The name Mata Hari is almost synonymous with femme fatale, or any wicked temptress who uses her sexual charms to seduce the hero of the day. In reality, Mata Hari was a professional exotic dancer and mistress, who ultimately became a spy for France during World War I. Suspected of being a double agent, sheContinue reading “Mata Hari – Exotic Dancer, Mistress, and French Spy”