On This Day – 7th/8th May 1942
The Battle of the Coral Sea is fought to stop the Japanese-planned capture of Port Moresby. It is a confused engagement and is the first major naval battle fought without visual contact being made between the surface forces of the opposing fleets. Continue reading “WWII – Battle of the Coral Sea”
April 1942 – British Air Operations in Europe
RAF Bomber Command attacks continue to increase in intensity this month. There are also almost daily offensive fighter sweeps over occupied France. Continue reading “WWII – The 75th Anniversary”
April 1942 – The Eastern Front
In the course of the month, German forces fighting in Russia receive considerable aid from their allies. Continue reading “WWII – The 75th Anniversary”
April 1942 – Battle of the Atlantic
With the USA’s entry into the war, the U-Boat campaign off the American coastline continues to score important successes. Continue reading “WWII – The 75th Anniversary”
Most people don’t realise that the Korean War, which began on the 25th of June 1950 with the invasion of South Korea by Communist North Korea, did not end with the signing of an armistice on the 27th July 1953. The armistice only allowed for a ceasefire, the creation of a Demilitarised Zone, and the return of prisoners of war. So technically North and South Korea have never signed a peace treaty, and are still at war.
The 15th century BC Battle of Megiddo between Thutmose III and a coalition of Canaanite vassal states. There is debate about the exact year of this battle with 3 common suggestions being 1457, 1479 and 1482 BC. This battle is particularly important as it is considered the first battle to have been recorded with any acceptable level of detail.
Tensions between the US and North Korea are not new. In fact a drunk president Nixon almost launched a tactical nuclear strike against the North Koreans in April 1969.
On this day April 6 46 BC the Republican forces of the Optimates led by Metellus Scipio fought against the forces of Julius Caesar outside the African city of Thapsus (modern day Tunisia). Continue reading “46 BC Caesar defeats Scipio and Cato to win the battle of Thapsus”
On This Day – 31 January 1606
Guy Fawkes (born 13 April 1570) was executed for his involvement in the 1605 Catholic plot against the Anglican King James I of England and VI of Scotland.
Continue reading “1606 – Guy Fawkes executed for involvement in the Gunpowder Plot”
On This Day – 23 January 1870
Colonel Eugene Baker ordered his troops to attack a camp of sleeping Blackfeet Indians along the Marias River.
Continue reading “1870 – The Marias Massacre of Blackfeet Indians”
Online Greek Coinage is an international project with the goal of creating a place for the presentation of ancient Greek coinage on the web, drawing on a number of open data resources. The site provides a reference database and it will in time provide a classical typology of all Greek coin types online.
A team of scientists working with the Tauros Programme are trying to bring the extinct Aurochs back to Europe. The Aurochs was an ancient bovine breed that stood about 7 feet tall at the shoulder, 2 feet taller than their modern descendants, and were last seen in Europe in the 17th Century.
A 56 year-old male employee of the Orleans Museum of Natural History located South of Paris has been handed a 3 month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to the theft of 666 stones and fossils dating back to the Neolithic era.
Continue reading “Hundreds of Stolen Artefacts sold on Ebay”
To celebrate the start of the Ancient Roman Saturnalia festival we have changed our header image to a ‘slice’ taken from Antoine Callet’s oil painting Saturnales. Callet was a French painter who lived 1741 – 1823. He became the official portraitist for Louis XVI, as well as creating allegorical works such as this one.
