For more than two decades, Nicolae Ceaușescu ruled Romania as a communist dictator. His portraits hung everywhere. His speeches dominated television. The secret police watched ordinary citizens. Criticism of the…
History
27 Articles
The French Revolution began with a powerful promise: Liberty. Equality. Fraternity. By 1793, however, those ideals had taken a terrifying turn. France, which had overthrown its king in the name…
In late May 1940, Britain came frighteningly close to losing the army it would need to continue fighting Nazi Germany. Hundreds of thousands of British and Allied soldiers were trapped…
From Blitzkrieg to Berlin When Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, few could have imagined the scale of the war that would follow. Within less than two years, Nazi…
Few names in medieval history evoke as much fear, fascination, and misunderstanding as Vlad the Impaler. To many, he is remembered as the brutal ruler who inspired the Dracula legend….
Some people live one life. Benjamin Franklin seemed to live many. He was a printer, writer, inventor, scientist, diplomat, philosopher, businessman, civic leader, and one of the Founding Fathers of…
Few Roman emperors have left behind a reputation as dark, strange, and unforgettable as Caligula. His name has become a symbol of madness, cruelty, excess, and absolute power gone wrong….
When people think of Roman emperors, they often remember the dramatic ones first: Julius Caesar, Augustus, Nero, Caligula, or Marcus Aurelius. But one of Rome’s most important emperors was not…
When Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, his military career effectively ended. The man who had commanded the Army of…
Many countries gained independence or major political freedom through armed revolution, guerrilla war, or military struggle. It is important to note that most independence movements also included diplomacy, protests, negotiations,…