Battle of Dresden, by Thomas Charles Naudet Was it the battle of Dresden that set the stage for the ap...

   The unboxing continues at Xanadu. It's nothing like the Battle of the Pyramids pictured above, except for the chaotic nature of the j...

  Fun Fact: Acre and Jaffa in 1125 were the most important ports for the Crusaders. Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, visited Acre in May and a...

 It's a fun fact with a book review:  December 24, 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of France and victor of the Battle of Marengo,...

  The sequel to Accidental Pirates has been sent to the publisher for consideration. Chris and Kenny are thrown into a kingdom in turmoil f...

  Speaking of Accidental Pirates , I was on The Spaceman and the Hafling podcast/show Saturday. We recorded yesterday; the show should go up...

 In case you thought reading was a safe activity:   Here's the interview with me  about Accidental Pirates -- paperback available Nov 2...

  Fun Fact: Sigurd I became king of Norway at 13 when an Irish axe ended his father's life. He received the crown jointly with his two h...

  Fun Fact: After subjugating Egypt, Napoleon led his small army toward Syria in February of 1799. The army of 13,000 was divided into four ...

 The Howe brothers, Admiral Richard and General William, raised Britain's prospects in the Revolutionary War following the defeat at Lex...

 Fun Fact: Frederick Lord North was 38 when he became prime minister in 1770. Corpulent with large features and a bulbous head, he was famou...

 Let's return to the Omnibus bill of 1850. Stephen Douglas succeeded where Daniel Webster had failed and brought the provisions through ...

 "Few things are certain in this life, however shrewdly a man may plan." -- Raphael Sabatini -- The Black Swan Fun Fact: Back to 1...

  "My opinions, even if I were the president of the United States, are neither important nor necessary." - Zachary Taylor Fun Fact...

 Before I get to some of the stirring quotes from Daniel Webster, let me share some stirring news of my own. I doubt it will be quoted like ...

  Did you ever notice that there are no major federal holidays in August in the United States? I'm talking about the kind of holidays re...

 Fun Fact: Najm al-Din Ilghazi Ibn Artuq was a daring general, competent emir, and co-ruler of Jerusalem under the Seljuk Empire of Sultan M...

 Fun Fact:   Bohemond and his Norman troops scale the walls of Antioch,  in an engraving by Gustave Doré Gather round and hear the tale of...