May 19th, 2013 at 9:00AM: Wikimedia Commons "Cavalry Charge Near Brandy Station, Virginia," a drawing by Edwin Forbes, 1864
A preservation group is trying to protect the site of the largest cavalry battle in North America.
The Civil War Trust has announced it has nearly reached its $3.6 million goal to preserve 56 acres of the site of the Battle of Brandy Station. The plot includes Fleetwood Hill, which was the center ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
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Preservation Group Wants To Save Civil War Battlefield
May 19th, 2013 at 9:00AM: Wikimedia Commons "Cavalry Charge Near Brandy Station, Virginia," a drawing by Edwin Forbes, 1864
A preservation group is trying to protect the site of the largest cavalry battle in North America.
The Civil War Trust has announced it has nearly reached its $3.6 million goal to preserve 56 acres of the site of the Battle of Brandy Station. The plot includes Fleetwood Hill, which was the center ...Otranto Cathedral: Where You Can See The Remains Of Catholicism's Newest Saints
May 13th, 2013 at 3:00PM:
Pope Francis has beatified a long list of religious figures in the first creation of saints of his papacy, the Guardian reports. Included in this list are the 813 Martyrs of Otranto. These were victims of a massacre in the southern Italian town in 1480 when Ottoman soldiers beheaded them for refusing to convert to Islam.
It was common in Medieval and Renaissance Europe to display the remains ...Gettysburg's American Civil War Wax Museum Is For Sale
May 10th, 2013 at 10:30AM: A favorite destination in America's most famous Civil War battlefield faces an uncertain future as its owners are retiring and putting the building up for sale.
The American Civil War Wax Museum at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was opened in 1962 and is selling for $1.7 million, the Evening Sun reports. Being a popular tourist attraction, the current owners say they are confident someone will buy ...Napoleonic Wars Refought In Spain
May 6th, 2013 at 2:00PM:
The second of May is a date that every Spaniard knows. In 1808 on that date, the Spanish people rose up against Napoleon and started a long struggle to kick his troops out of the country. They'd been occupied the year before when Spain's weak king had foolishly allowed French troops march through his territory to invade Portugal. Napoleon, being Napoleon, decided to keep both countries.
The ...Civil War Nevada: Commemorating The Fight For The Far West
Apr 30th, 2013 at 2:30PM:
When we think of the Civil War, Nevada isn't the first state that generally comes to mind, yet the conflict between North and South had as much of an impact there as it did in Pennsylvania or Virginia.
At the start of the war Nevada was a territory and its sentiments mostly for the Union. Its main contribution to the war effort was the plentiful supply of silver from its mines, but some 1,200 ...Part Of Wounded Knee Massacre Site To Be Sold
Apr 29th, 2013 at 5:00PM:
Part of the Wounded Knee massacre site, the scene of one of the worst attacks on Native Americans in U.S. history, may soon be sold to private interests, the BBC reports.
In 1890 in South Dakota, there were widespread fears among the white population that the Sioux were going to stage an uprising. A drought and insufficient government rations had led many Native Americans to the brink of ...Better Know A Holiday: Showa Day
Apr 29th, 2013 at 9:00AM:
Formerly: The Emperor's Birthday, Greenery Day
When? April 29
Public holiday in: Japan
Part of: Japan's Golden Week, a series of four public holidays in the span of a week that sees offices closed, trains and planes packed and a mass exodus from the major cities like Tokyo.
Who died? Former Japanese Emperor Hirohito, posthumously referred to as Emperor Showa.
They changed his ...5 Overlooked Castles Close To London
Apr 16th, 2013 at 9:00AM:
England is famous for its castles. Giant fortresses such as Bamburgh Castle and Lincoln Castle attract thousands of visitors a year, but people tend to overlook the many smaller, lesser-known castles close to London. These are often as interesting as their more famous cousins and make for enjoyable day trips from London. Here are five of the best.
Hadleigh Castle
Near the town of Hadleigh ...Samurai! The Art Of The Japanese Warrior Comes To Boston
Apr 12th, 2013 at 5:00PM:
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is showcasing a large collection of samurai armor and art from one of the world's leading private collections.
"Samurai! Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection" opens this Sunday, April 14, and features more than 140 objects, such as this horse and rider. Visitors will learn about the complex typology of these elegant suits and how they ...World War II Bomb Closes Berlin Rail Station
Apr 3rd, 2013 at 3:00PM:
Berlin commuters got an unwelcome reminder of their city's wartime past today when a bomb from World War II was discovered near the city's main railway station.
The Hauptbahnhof was closed for several hours as bomb disposal experts dealt with the device, the BBC reports. Flights to and from Tegel airport were diverted.
The device was a 220-pound Soviet bomb and was discovered at a building ...Love In The Civil War At The New York State Museum
Mar 30th, 2013 at 1:00PM: The Civil War is the subject of numerous exhibitions and special events these days as the country commemorates the war's sesquicentennial. Most study the battles and politics, but one at the New York State Museum in Albany is focusing on how the war affected the relationship between two lovers.
"I Shall Think of You Often: The Civil War Story of Doctor and Mary Tarbell" opens today as part of ...Crypts Discovered Under Coventry Cathedral
Mar 27th, 2013 at 12:00PM:
Workers at Coventry Cathedral in England have discovered several well-preserved crypts underneath the ruins, the Daily Mail reports.
A maintenance team has been working to repair a crack in the ruins of the 14th century St. Michael's church, which became a cathedral in 1918 and was mostly destroyed by the Luftwaffe in World War II. When the workers investigated the floor of the cathedral, ...Mussolini's Bunker Discovered In Rome, Will Become A Tourist Attraction
Mar 23rd, 2013 at 4:00PM: A bunker intended for the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini has been discovered in Rome, World Crunch reports.
The bunker was found in 2011 by workers restoring the Palazzo Venezia, but its existence wasn't revealed until now. The workers found a trap door in the cellar of a 15th-century building that led to nine rooms fortified with concrete walls up to two meters (6.6 feet) thick.
...Not Constantinople: 9 Misconceptions About Istanbul, Turkey
Mar 7th, 2013 at 11:00AM:
The country of Turkey has been getting a lot of bad press this year, due to the tragic disappearance and murder of American Sarai Sierra in Istanbul, and the suicide bombing at the U.S. Consulate in Turkish capital city Ankara, which was quickly linked to a Marxist group protesting the Turkish position on the war in Syria (a Turkish security guard was killed, no Americans were harmed). Both ...Museum Of Modern Art Opens Bill Brandt Photography Retrospective
Mar 6th, 2013 at 2:00PM: The Museum Of Modern Art in New York City has opened an important retrospective of the work of Bill Brandt, one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century.
"Bill Brandt: Shadow and Light" covers the photographer's entire career in more than 150 images. While Brandt was born in Germany in 1904, he made England his home until his death in 1983. He's best known for his intriguing ...A Medieval Monastery In Estonia
Mar 5th, 2013 at 1:00PM:
Estonia had an interesting time in the Middle Ages. Along with the other Baltic States of Lithuania and Latvia, they were the last bastion of paganism in a continent that had become entirely Christian.
Various Christian kingdoms decided this was a good excuse for conquest and launched the Northern Crusades. From 1208 to 1224, the Germans, Danes, and Swedes attacked Estonia and eventually ...Chasing The Estonian Army - And Finding A Different One
Mar 4th, 2013 at 12:00PM:
Machine gun fire thudded through the snowy woods. Mart looked up from the missile shelter we were inspecting; an excited look appeared on his face.
"It came from that way, let's go!"
He started running through snow up to his calves. I followed. The snow immediately trickled down the tops of my hiking boots, melted and gave my feet a cold bath. I kept running. At least I wasn't wearing ...A Vintage Submarine And Icebreaker In Tallinn's Seaplane Harbour
Feb 22nd, 2013 at 10:00AM:
Tallinn has been an important port and Estonia's connection with the world since before recorded history. Because of this, the city has not one, but two museums dedicated to the sea. The Maritime Museum is housed in Fat Margaret, an old cannon tower that once protected the harbor. It has the usual assortment of old photos and gear, along with a very cool exhibit on sunken ships.
The other ...The Secret Tunnels Under Tallinn
Feb 20th, 2013 at 2:00PM:
Tallinn is an old city, and like many old cities it has its share of secrets. Stories of ghosts, buried treasure and hidden tunnels add to the atmosphere of the medieval streets.
For a couple of years, one of those secrets was revealed when the city opened up the Bastion Tunnels. These corridors were built by Estonia's Swedish rulers in the 1670s and ran under the earthen bastions that ...Goetz Of The Iron Hand: On The Trail Of Renaissance Germany's Biggest Badass
Jan 30th, 2013 at 3:00PM: Renaissance Germany was a violent place. A patchwork of different kingdoms, principalities, and baronies with constantly changing allegiances, the land was wracked with near-constant warfare.
The people in charge were some pretty rough characters. By far the roughest was Götz von Berlichingen, also known as Götz of the Iron Hand. You can also spell it "Goetz" if your browser hiccups ...
