Category Archives: History

The Turing Bombe

Posted on March 29, 2009 by Gaius

Volunteers have crafted a replica of a device used to crack German codes during the Second World War. The Turing Bombe machines were all destroyed after the war. The replica has taken years to build. The rows of silver dials … Continue reading →

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A Great Man – With Flaws

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Gaius

Christopher Hitchens examines Abraham Lincoln, a man I have long admired. Hitchens notes that Lincoln was a bit different than history portrays him – something I have noticed as well. Lincoln was a truly great man in many ways – … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics | 3 Comments

The Hollywood Che Cult

Posted on December 29, 2008 by Gaius

Ernesto “Che” Guevara continues to be a hot property in Hollywood, despite the fact that good, old Ernesto would have put most of his Hollywood fans up against a wall to be shot. Wall Street Journal columnist Mary Anastasia O’Grady … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Media | 5 Comments

Bogey!

Posted on December 24, 2008 by Gaius

NORAD is again tracking a large, red-suited man riding a flying sleigh pulled by gravity-defying reindeer. For fifty years now, NORAD has tracked this apparition as he circumnavigates the world. The US and Canadian military personnel has been keeping tabs … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Personal Thoughts | 2 Comments

Mystery In The Lake

Posted on December 13, 2008 by Gaius

Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville have located yet another shipwreck in Lake Ontario. This time it is an amazingly preserved wreck of a “dagger-board” schooner, thought to be about 200 years old. The problem is that there is no record … Continue reading →

Posted in History | 1 Comment

The Last Thursday Of November Next

Posted on November 26, 2008 by Gaius

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, … Continue reading →

Posted in History | 2 Comments

Giants

Posted on September 12, 2008 by Gaius

Kathleen Parker writes about an event in South Carolina organized for four living recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. CAMDEN, S.C. — While the political class was focused on the meaning of pigs wearing lipstick, a few fortunate South … Continue reading →

Posted in History, War | Comments Off

Defenders

Posted on September 9, 2008 by Gaius

Roy Hattersley of The Daily Mail went to see some of the last flying survivors of The Battle of Britain last weekend. Fourteen Supermarine Spitfires were at the show, all in flying condition. These were the planes that helped defend … Continue reading →

Posted in History | 3 Comments

Obama Denounces D-Day Landings

Posted on July 22, 2008 by Rich Horton

From a nearby slightly altered universe: In a speech today presidential candidate Barack Obama maintained his steadfast disapproval of the D-Day landings of June 6th, 1944, despite the historical evidence of it as a smashing Allied victory over Nazi Germany. … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics | 9 Comments

T Party

Posted on July 19, 2008 by Gaius

While I generally find The New York Times news coverage and editorial positions to be badly skewed to the left, the still carry wonderful feature stories. Such as this little gem describing some of the ways people customized their Model … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Machines | 1 Comment

Pilgrimage

Posted on July 10, 2008 by Gaius

Despite growing up mostly in Rochester, New York only a fairly short trip from it, I had never visited Gettysburg. Well, that has been corrected now. I am writing this from a hotel right in the center of the town … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Personal Thoughts | 12 Comments

Three Great American Ideas

Posted on July 2, 2008 by Gaius

Go read what Maggie Gallagher wrote. Rights do not come from the government. The government only exists because we allow it to. Those are the ideas – the ideals – that define America. When in the Course of human events … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization, History | 2 Comments

HMS Ontario

Posted on June 15, 2008 by Gaius

Two dedicated shipwreck hunters have located the nearly intact wreck of HMS Ontario in deep water off the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Rochester, New York – The HMS Ontario, a British warship built in 1780 has been discovered in … Continue reading →

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Obama As Millennialist Aspiration

Posted on May 25, 2008 by Rich Horton

We live in an age of Millennial aspirations.  Everywhere you look you can see signs of widely disparate groups of people who believe they are living in an age where established norms will be destroyed by this or that newly arisen force.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization, History, Politics | 9 Comments

Democrat’s “American History” Gap

Posted on May 13, 2008 by Rich Horton

First we had Barack Obama's complaint about not being able to visit all 60 states, and now we have another, shall we say, "interesting" take on American history: The special congressional election in Mississippi today is an important one. The GOP … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics | 3 Comments