Events

Unbroken by Chains
THE UNCHAINED A People's War for Freedom From the Zanj Rebellion to Juneteenth We were never born to belong to anyone. ---
By Derrick Anthony Strong8 days ago in History
When American Veterans Took Up Arms for the Ballot Box
This is a true story about American veterans who returned home from World War II only to find their own community under the grip of political corruption. On August 1, 1946, the people of McMinn County, Tennessee, went to the polls expecting to choose their local leaders. By the following morning, the county seat of Athens had become the center of an armed uprising that would capture national attention. Men who had fought dictatorships overseas had taken up arms against their own local government, determined to prevent what they believed was a stolen election.
By Tim Carmichael9 days ago in History
Forget Manzikert. The Defeat That Really Broke Byzantium Came 105 Years Later
How I make this: written in Greek and translated into English by me, with AI assistance (Claude, by Anthropic) for editing, fact-checking, and maps.
By S. Kallistos11 days ago in History
The Myth of the Famous General: Why Stone Castles and Logistics Won Medieval Wars
A stone wall changes arithmetic. A few hundred men behind cut stone can hold a gate against thousands. Stone is not holy. The attacker still has to climb, dig, starve, or bribe. In the age of cold weapons, that gives the defender an edge. A local lord with a granary, a cistern, a well, and a ring of kinsmen can defy a central army for months. The castle pulls power away from the capital and into the hands of whoever owns the wall.
By Jin11 days ago in History
The Real Reason Japanese Colonels Are Everywhere in Chinese War Dramas
A county gate. A watchtower. A Japanese commander with three stars on his collar. In Chinese war dramas, that image means the final boss. The rank is taisa , or colonel. Not general. Not captain. Colonel. Somewhere between the company commander who dies in one episode and the general who cannot be touched without a history lesson, the colonel became the standard face of the enemy.
By Jin11 days ago in History
400 Years of Capital Punishment in America:
400 Years of Capital Punishment in America: Justice, Revenge, and the Price of a Life From colonial hangings and public spectacles to lethal injections, nitrogen gas, and firing squads, the American death penalty has spent four centuries evolving without ever escaping its most uncomfortable question: Can a government trusted to deliver justice also be trusted with the power to decide who deserves to die?
By Lilithea Adasia11 days ago in History
Basil II Never Called Himself the Bulgar-Slayer
How I make this: written in Greek and translated into English by me, with AI assistance (Claude, by Anthropic) for editing, fact-checking, and maps.
By S. Kallistos12 days ago in History
The Wicked Wife Who Probably Wasn’t
400 years ago, Jane Boleyn became the most despised female at the Tudor court without ever wearing a crown. Most people will recognize her from novels and/or TV shows where she is usually hiding behind a tapestry. The jealous sister-in-law who reported to Thomas Cromwell that her husband George had been having an affair with his sister, Queen Anne.
By Daisy Fernsby13 days ago in History
The Knights Who Came in the Night
Tulsa, Oklahoma - November 9, 1917. Seventeen men, most connected to the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), sat in police custody. Their organization’s opposition to the war and confrontational organizing had made them targets of suspicion. After appearing before a judge and facing questions that probed not just their alleged offenses but also their patriotism, they were loaded into automobiles, expecting a routine trip to jail.
By The Iron Lighthouse14 days ago in History
Why Ancient Soldiers Demanded Pay They Might Never Live to Spend
1. Cold rain in Chang'an In 783 AD, five thousand Jingyuan soldiers passed through Chang'an. They were heading to Xiangcheng to put down a rebellion. They marched through cold rain and brought their families. They expected the court to reward them. At the very least, they expected a decent meal.
By Jin16 days ago in History
The Throne Was Never in the Palace
In the cold before dawn, a sultan sits on a folded blanket and tears a loaf of black bread. The tent smells of horse sweat, wet wool, and dung. Outside, men cough, sharpen blades, and curse the mud. He is not in a palace. He is where the army is. That fact decides who keeps the throne.
By Jin18 days ago in History
Historic Newspaper Accounts Tell of Vampirism and Mass Possessions
One of the most disturbing and recent cases of real vampirism was reported by the New York Times on Dec. 24, 2002. The Times reported that a rumor that the African country of Malawi’s government was colluding with “vampires to collect human blood for international aid agencies in exchange for food” had sparked a surge in vigilante violence.
By Chet Dembeck19 days ago in History