The Sook Ching Massacre was a deadly Japanese military operation during World War II aimed at purging “anti-Japanese elements” from Chinese Singapore. From February to March 1942, Chinese men between 18 and 50 were ordered to mass screening centers across the region. Those even remotely suspected of being “anti-Japanese” were trucked away at gunpoint toContinue reading “The Forgotten Sook Ching Massacre of World War II”
Author Archives: andrewspaulw
Rosalind Franklin and the DNA Double Helix
Dr. Rosalind Franklin was the trailblazing scientist whose first photo of DNA revealed its secret double-helix structure. Her critical contribution however went largely unrecognized for nearly 50 years. James Watson and Francis Crick are the famous British scientists credited with discovering the DNA double helix. They came up with it, however, only after borrowing dataContinue reading “Rosalind Franklin and the DNA Double Helix”
The Hunt for the Source of the Nile River
For centuries, the quest to discover the source of Africa’s great Nile River has captivated explorers, much like the race to reach the North Pole or climb Mt. Everest first. The river’s vast expanse across central Africa complicated matters though, making exploration both daunting and dangerous. Egyptian and Sudanese kingdoms depended on the river and itsContinue reading “The Hunt for the Source of the Nile River”
Were the Luddites right all along?
Today, Luddite is often used as a derogatory term to describe a technophobe, any person who scorns new technology. But its origin dates back over two hundred years to an early 19th-century English labor rebellion. Luddites railed against mechanized manufacturing that threatened the livelihood of skilled craftsmen and artisans during the Industrial Revolution. The originalContinue reading “Were the Luddites right all along?”
Diane de Poitiers, Royal Mistress Extraordinaire
Diane de Poitiers was a remarkable 16th century courtesan, the mistress of French King Henri II. She wielded considerable power and influence at the French court, garnering considerable wealth along the way. All this, despite a royal rivalry between Diane and Henry’s wife, Queen Catherine de Medici. The Queen and Diane loathed each other andContinue reading “Diane de Poitiers, Royal Mistress Extraordinaire”
Podcast: The Bloody Partition of India and Pakistan
After 200 years of British imperial rule, India had finally achieved its independence in 1947. What should have been a moment of joyful triumph turned into a year of unthinkable bloodshed. The independence and partition of India created three separate, independent states: a Hindu India and Muslim West and East Pakistan. It was the final solution of the British Empire. FewContinue reading “Podcast: The Bloody Partition of India and Pakistan”
King Shaka Zulu – the Napoleon of Africa
In the early 1800’s, in what is now KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, a powerful kingdom arose. Its leader was the cruel yet clever King Shaka. Under his rule, the small Zulu tribe grew and conquered all other tribes in the region. During his reign, more than a hundred chiefdoms were brought together in a unifiedContinue reading “King Shaka Zulu – the Napoleon of Africa”
The Hickory Polio Miracle
In the spring on 1944 , World War II was still raging in both Europe and the Pacific. At the same time, another deadly threat was invading the U.S. state of North Carolina – a dreaded polio epidemic. Regional hospitals were quickly maxed out with young, sick children. Desperate parents needed a solution, but whatContinue reading “The Hickory Polio Miracle”
The Indestructible Soldier – Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart
British war hero Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart survived both the trenches of World War I and PoW camps of World War II. During battles he was shot in the face, losing an eye, and shot through the skull, stomach, groin, ankle and ear. In WW I, he was severely wounded no less than eightContinue reading “The Indestructible Soldier – Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart”
Why is Greenland a part of Denmark?
Though a part of the North American continent, Greenland has been associated first with Norway, then Denmark since the 9th Century. Its head of state is King Frederik X of Denmark. It is an autonomous Danish territory with self-government and its own parliament. But how did this all come about?