The Nastiest Fence in the United States

The Nastiest Fence in the United States

The fence you see in these photos has to be the wickedest looking fence I have ever laid eyes upon. It is perhaps the most dangerous non-electrified fence in the country. My wife and I encountered this fence last spring during our walking tour in Charleston, South...

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Chicago Politics and How Lincoln Got Nominated

Chicago Politics and How Lincoln Got Nominated

Chicago politics was alive and well in May of 1860 when the Republican party nominated Abraham Lincoln as its presidential candidate at the convention in the Windy City. Check out this fascinating article, which shows how trickery got Lincoln nominated on the third...

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YouTube Witnesses the Fall of the Wall

YouTube Witnesses the Fall of the Wall

In my novel, The Puzzle People, I place one of my main characters, Stefan Hansel, at a pivotal point in the history of the Cold War. I place Stefan at the Bornholmer Strasse border crossing in East Berlin on the evening of November 9, 1989. The following YouTube video...

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August 23, 1861: The Socialite Spy

August 23, 1861: The Socialite Spy

HISTORY BY THE SLICE--Washington socialite Rose Greenhow was arrested for spying for the Confederacy on August 23, 1861, 151 years ago today. Greenhow's information on Union troop movements was believed to have aided the Confederate victory at the first Battle of Bull...

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Quaker Cannons

Quaker Cannons

Fighting the Union Army With Logs? One of the most effective weapons used by the Confederates against General George B. McClellan's army was the "Quaker Cannon"--simple logs painted black to look like cannons. These artificial cannons fooled the Union general into...

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Ironclads, Elvis, and Armadas

Ironclads, Elvis, and Armadas

History By the Week: July 15-21 July 15, 1862—The Confederate ironclad ship, CSS Arkansas, did severe damage to three Union ships at the mouth of the Yazoo River. The Arkansas, one of the first ironclad ships, went on to damage 16 additional ships, boosting...

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Disco, Duels, and Romans

Disco, Duels, and Romans

History By the Week July 8, 1776--The Liberty Bell was rung to mark the reading of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. The bell's inscription: "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." (Leviticus 25:10) July 9,...

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Kings and Confederates

Kings and Confederates

History by the Week July 1, 1863--Union and Confederate forces collided at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg lasted three days before General Lee retreated to Virginia. July 2, 1937--Amelia Earhart and navigator Frederick Noonan disappeared while...

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Corvettes, Pele, and Berlin

Corvettes, Pele, and Berlin

History by the Week Here is what happened in history during the past week. June 24, 1948--The Soviets blockaded West Berlin, cutting off rail, road, and water access to the western sectors of the city. This led to the Berlin airlift, in which the U.S. and its allies...

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Wilmer’s War

Wilmer’s War

The Civil War Followed Him From Beginning to End "The war began in my front yard and ended in my front parlor," said Wilmer McLean. And he was right. The First Battle of Bull Run on July 18, 1861, technically was not the first battle of the Civil War, but it is...

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History by the Slice