The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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On November 30, 1864, the quiet town of Franklin, Tennessee, became the site of one of the most ferocious and tragic battles of the American Civil War. In a span of just five hours, the Confederate Army of Tennessee, under the command of General John Bell Hood, launched a massive frontal assault against fortified Union positions led by Major General John McAllister Schofield. The result was a devastating Confederate defeat-one that cost Hood nearly a third of his army and six of his generals,...
On November 17, 1939, a brutal crackdown by Nazi forces in occupied Czechoslovakia led to the execution of nine student leaders, the closure of all Czech universities, and the deportation of over 1,200 students to concentration camps. This tragic event, sparked by the death of medical student Jan Opletal, became a defining moment in student activism and resistance. Today, it is commemorated globally as International Students' Day, honoring the courage, sacrifice, and enduring voice of students...
On November 16, 1943, American bombers crippled Nazi Germany's nuclear ambitions by striking the Vemork heavy water plant in Norway-a pivotal moment in World War II's secret atomic race. Strategic Target: Vemork's Role in Nazi Nuclear Research The Vemork hydroelectric power station, located near Rjukan in Telemark County, Norway, was the world's first industrial-scale producer of heavy water (deuterium oxide)-a critical component in nuclear reactor moderation. Under Nazi occupation since 1940,...
On November 15, 1533, Francisco Pizarro triumphantly entered Cuzco, the heart of the Inca Empire, marking a decisive moment in the Spanish conquest of Peru. His arrival was not merely a military feat-it was a strategic masterstroke that reshaped the destiny of the Andes. The Road to Cuzco: Strategy, Resolve, and Opportunity Francisco Pizarro's march to Cuzco was the culmination of years of daring exploration, calculated diplomacy, and battlefield grit. After capturing and executing...
In November 1775, General Richard Montgomery led Patriot forces in a bold campaign to capture Montreal, marking a pivotal moment in the American Revolutionary War's northern theater. As part of the Continental Army's broader invasion of Canada, Montgomery's assault on Montreal was designed to weaken British control and rally French-speaking Canadians to the revolutionary cause. The operation, though ultimately limited in strategic success, showcased early American military initiative and...
In a rare case of self-inflicted torture, I watched some of Maine Senator Angus King’s questioning of Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense (now War). Various topics were covered, including the renaming of bases. King falsely accused Robert E. Lee of committing treason by resigning from the U.S. Army and siding with his State in 1861. Since King was born in Virginia, one might ask if he really believes that nonsense or if he is just another historical dimwit. Much has been written about L...
November 18 - Forty-seven years ago today, the world awoke to one of the most harrowing tragedies of the 20th century. On November 18, 1978, deep in the Guyanese jungle, a utopian experiment turned into a nightmare as 918 people-members of the Peoples Temple-lost their lives in a mass murder-suicide orchestrated by their leader, Jim Jones. Among the dead were over 270 children and U.S. Congressman Leo J. Ryan, the only sitting member of Congress ever killed in the line of duty. A Cult in the...
On November 19, 1943, one of the lesser-known yet harrowing episodes of the Holocaust unfolded in Lemberg-modern-day Lviv, Ukraine-when Nazi forces liquidated the Janowska concentration camp. In a brutal crackdown following a failed uprising and mass escape attempt, at least 6,000 Jewish prisoners were murdered in a single day. A Camp of Terror Janowska was established in 1941 as a forced labor camp and later became a transit point for Jews being deported to extermination camps like Belzec. Loca...
On November 20, 1963, the world exhaled a collective sigh of relief. After weeks of unprecedented tension that brought the globe to the brink of nuclear war, U.S. President John F. Kennedy officially ended the naval quarantine of Cuba. This act marked the formal conclusion of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that had begun in October 1962. Though the most perilous moments had passed a year earlier, the final removal of Soviet...
On November 21, 164 BC, Judas Maccabaeus rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem, a pivotal moment in Jewish history that is commemorated annually through the festival of Hanukkah. The biblical accounts in 1 and 2 Maccabees provide a vivid and reverent narrative of this event, emphasizing divine deliverance, covenantal faithfulness, and the sanctity of worship. The Historical and Religious Backdrop The rededication of the Temple in 164 BC occurred during a time of intense persecution and cultural co...
On November 22, 1963, a moment of profound national sorrow unfolded in Dallas, Texas, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza. The President was struck by fatal gunfire as his open-top limousine passed crowds of onlookers. Texas Governor John B. Connally, seated beside him, was seriously wounded in the attack. The nation was stunned as news spread of the President's death, marking a turning point in American history. Vice President Lyndon...
November 24, 1863 - Chattanooga, Tennessee - In a dramatic clash high above the Tennessee River, Union forces under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant achieved a pivotal victory on November 24, 1863, capturing Lookout Mountain and beginning the unraveling of the Confederate siege of Chattanooga. The engagement, later immortalized as the "Battle Above the Clouds," marked a turning point in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Confederate Army of Tennessee, led by General...
In the annals of early Roman history, few moments stand out with the ceremonial grandeur and political significance of a Roman triumph. On November 25, 571 BC, Servius Tullius-Rome's sixth king-was honored with such a triumph, commemorating his military victory over the Etruscans and solidifying his legacy as one of the most transformative monarchs of the regal period. The Rise of Servius Tullius Servius Tullius ascended to the throne around 578 BC following the assassination of his predecessor...
The fifty-third Annual Thanksgiving Pow Wow held by the Poarch Creek Indians is scheduled this year for Thursday and Friday (November 27th and 28th, 2025). And ahead of their famous Annual Thanksgiving Day Pow Wow, Alabama Public Television is airing the Emmy Award winning documentary about the Poarch Creek Indians entitled, "The Forgotten Creeks". Produced by Jacksonville State University's Longleaf Studios with Seth Johnson as the executive producer, the documentary is just shy of an hour in...
On November 27, 1965, the Pentagon advised President Lyndon B. Johnson that the Vietnam War would require a dramatic escalation-from 120,000 to 400,000 American troops-to achieve its strategic objectives. This moment marked a turning point in U.S. involvement, setting the stage for full-scale military commitment and deepening national debate. A Pivotal Moment in the Vietnam War By late 1965, the Vietnam War had shifted from a limited advisory mission to a full-blown conflict. American troop...
On November 28, 1943, the Tehran Conference brought together U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin for the first time in person. Held in Tehran, Iran, this pivotal World War II summit shaped the Allied strategy for defeating Nazi Germany and laid the groundwork for the postwar world. The First Meeting of the "Big Three" The Tehran Conference, codenamed "Eureka," was the first time that all three of the leaders of the thre...
On the evening of November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted to adopt Resolution 181 (II), a landmark decision that proposed the partition of Mandatory Palestine into two independent states-one Jewish and one Arab-with Jerusalem designated as a special international zone due to its religious significance. The resolution passed with 33 votes in favor, 13 against, and 10 abstentions, reflecting deep global divisions over the future of the region. The Partition Plan The...
Think of Dracula, think of Bram Stoker, whose 1897 horror novel Dracula has inspired hundreds of progressively inferior vampire movies. But Dracula was real – not the vampire, but Count Vlad III Dracula (A.D. c. 1428 - 1477) of Wallachia (now part of Romania). Known as Vlad III the Impaler but called Dracula (after the Order of the Dragon, a knightly order founded to defend Christendom against the Ottoman Empire and Islam), the Count’s brutality staggers the imagination. But as my personal phy...
November 6, 1963 – Vietnam War: Following the November 1 coup and execution of President Ngo Dinh Diem, coup leader General Duong Van Minh takes over leadership of South Vietnam. Introduction The coup of November 1, 1963, marked a turning point in the history of South Vietnam and the broader context of the Vietnam War. The overthrow and subsequent execution of President Ngo Dinh Diem, followed by General Duong Van Minh's ascension to power, initiated a period of political instability and r...
On November 6, 1971, the United States conducted its largest underground hydrogen bomb test-code-named Cannikin-on Amchitka Island in Alaska's Aleutian chain, unleashing a seismic event that reverberated through science, politics, and environmental activism. The Cannikin test, part of the Operation Grommet series, was designed to evaluate the W71 warhead for the LIM-49 Spartan anti-ballistic missile system. With an explosive yield of nearly 5 megatons of TNT, it remains the most powerful undergr...
November 3, 1898 - FASHODA, COLONIAL SUDAN - a significant episode in the history of European imperialism came to an end when France withdrew its troops from Fashoda, a remote outpost in what is now South Sudan. This act marked the resolution of the Fashoda Incident, a diplomatic confrontation between France and Great Britain that had the potential to escalate into war. The outcome of the incident had lasting implications for colonial ambitions in Africa and the relationship between the two...
On November 4, 1952, the United States formally established the National Security Agency (NSA), marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of American intelligence and cryptologic capabilities. This article explores the origins, motivations, and legacy of the NSA's creation. Origins of the NSA: A Response to Global Complexity The establishment of the NSA on November 4, 1952 was not a spontaneous act but the culmination of decades of cryptologic development and wartime necessity. The roots of Amer...
One hundred years ago this month, the Ford Motor Company produced 10,000 Model T cars in one day. That level of production for one specific car would never be matched as production lines added new models to inventory, but this output in 1925 would validate the theories of Adam Smith that specialties of labor in production would efficiently produce more of a product at a lower per unit cost. Smith hard argued 150 years earlier that efficiencies could be realized when a manufacturing process was...
On November 2, 1675, tensions escalated in King Philip's War as colonial forces from Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and Rhode Island began preparations for a brutal assault on the Narragansett stronghold known as the Great Swamp Fort. Though the actual battle occurred on December 19, the events of early November marked a turning point in colonial-Native relations and set the stage for one of the bloodiest confrontations in New England history. Prelude to the Great Swamp Fight King...
Over a century ago, two of the American West's most notorious outlaws-Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid-were reportedly gunned down in a remote Bolivian mining town. But the truth behind their final days remains one of the most enduring mysteries in outlaw lore. On November 7, 1908, Bolivian authorities claimed that two foreign bandits were killed in a shootout in San Vicente, a dusty mining settlement high in the Andes. The men were believed to be Robert LeRoy Parker, better known as Butch...
