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The Red Tails

African American men and women who served in the American armed forces during World War II fought on two war fronts. The war against the Axis powers is obvious. However, their second war was fought on the home front against Jim Crow.

Our blog today highlights the extraordinary efforts of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators in the history of the United States Army Air Force (USAAF). We’ll also introduce you to two all-Black military divisions that fought during the first and second world wars.


MEDIEVAL PARIS – Volume One & Volume Two

Let us take you on a visit to the Paris of the Middle Ages. Come walk in the footsteps of the men, women, and children who lived, worked, and played in medieval Paris. Stop and see the only three residences still existing from medieval Paris. Learn about the scandalous Nesle Affair. Many of the stops are sites that most tourists don’t know even exist.


Did You Know?

Did you know that archeologists in England have excavated an experimental catapult system designed to launch British bomber planes? The catapult, located in Oxfordshire, England was called the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Mark III Catapult, or Harwell RAE Mark III Catapult (the site was the former RAF Harwell base and is now the site of the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus). A prototype was built between 1938 and 1940 but never was used due to design issues. It was buried and a conventional runway was built over it.

Aerial view of excavated Harwell catapult. Photo by anonymous (c. October 2023). ©️ MOLA. Courtesy of Museum of London Archaeology.
Aerial view of excavated Harwell catapult. Photo by anonymous (c. October 2023). ©️ MOLA. Courtesy of Museum of London Archaeology.

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Logistics Genius

He once told his son, “To be a leader or commander, you must have some ‘son of a bitch’ in you.” Well, Gen. Lucius Clay was certainly not short of that trait. Nicknamed “The Great Uncompromiser” or “The Kaiser,” Clay’s reputation was built on his ability to manage large construction projects and solve complicated logistic problems. Gen. Clay had his fingerprints on some of modern history’s iconic (and dangerous) military and political events.

Official portrait of Gen. Lucius D. Clay after returning from Berlin to Washington, D.C. Photo by anonymous (c. May 1949). Official military records. PD-U.S. government. Wikimedia Commons.
Official portrait of Gen. Lucius D. Clay after returning from Berlin to Washington, D.C. Photo by anonymous (c. May 1949). Official military records. PD-U.S. government. Wikimedia Commons.

 It’s interesting how a blog evolves. I decided to write about Gen. Clay and his role in solving supply chain problems immediately after D-Day and that would be it. However, as I researched the general, I found he was involved in so many other important events that my original content kind of took a back seat to his other accomplishments.


REVOLUTIONARY PARIS – Volume One & Volume Two

 

These books are about Paris. They are about the places, buildings, sites, people, and streets that were important parts of the French Revolution. You are about to enter a journey into history beginning in 1789 at the village of Versailles with the procession of the Estates-General and ending on the Place de la Révolution with the execution of Maximilien Robespierre on 28 July 1794. This is your personal walking tour of the French Revolution as it occurred in Paris and Versailles.


Did You Know?

Did you know there is some really neat information out there that you can use at your next cocktail party to wow your friends?

Nine out of every ten living things live in the ocean.

Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines. It doesn’t smoke unless heated > 450oF.

In ancient times, strangers shook hands to show they were unarmed.

A grave stele from c. 400 B.C. in Pentelic marble depicting a handshake between a youth and a bearded man. Photo by Sandy Ross (c. November 2023). National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
A grave stele from c. 400 B.C. in Pentelic marble depicting a handshake between a youth and a bearded man. Photo by Sandy Ross (c. November 2023). National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

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