History

Show First

The Battle for Checkpoint Pasta: Precursor to Blackhawk Down

The Battle for Checkpoint Pasta: Precursor to Blackhawk Down

{ 14 comments }

Somalis were the first people to domesticate the camel some 2,500 years before Christ. Early in the 20thcentury the Somali Dervishes successfully repulsed English military operations four different times, no mean feat at the height of the British Empire.

The Subway Vigilante Who Birthed the Modern Concealed Carry Movement

The Subway Vigilante Who Birthed the Modern Concealed Carry Movement

{ 11 comments }

Certain events are watershed moments in cultural history. Compelling optics or a moving narrative can drive sweeping policy changes. One such episode was the sordid tale of Bernhard Goetz.

The Israeli Uzi: The First Modern Pistol Caliber Carbine?

The Israeli Uzi: The First Modern Pistol Caliber Carbine?

{ 9 comments }

Is the UZI a washed up antique or a timeless classic? World-famous, star of countless movies, this girl is more than just a pretty face. The UZI is simple, reliable, and accurate enough, but it is from a time of stamped sheet metal guns. While not a thoroughly modern gun, it is easy and fun to shoot.

Hamer’s Hammer: The Remington Model 8

Hamer’s Hammer: The Remington Model 8

{ 15 comments }

Scientists would have us believe that the dinosaurs died out some 65 million years ago. However, I would assert that all that is wrong. The last surviving dinosaur actually passed away in 1955. His name was Frank Hamer.

LTC Charles "Bazooka Charlie" Carpenter: Rosie the Rocketer

LTC Charles “Bazooka Charlie” Carpenter: Rosie the Rocketer

{ 9 comments }

Charlie Carpenter took out a pair of these Mk VI Tiger 1 heavy tanks by punching Bazooka rockets through their relatively thin roof armor. George Patton saw in Charlie Carpenter the attributes he desired in his soldiers.

Mills’ Marauders & The Fantastic FAL

Mills’ Marauders & The Fantastic FAL

{ 22 comments }

In April of 1982 twenty-three-year-old Lieutenant Keith Paul Mills commanded a 22-man detachment of Royal Marines deployed to South Georgia Island in the Falklands. His performance along with that of his fellow Marines was the stuff of legend.

Hitler’s Walther: The Monster Killer

Hitler’s Walther: The Monster Killer

{ 10 comments }

This nutjob caused the world no end of trouble. The gun that finally killed him was lost in the chaos of the end of the war.

Operation Isotope

Operation Isotope

{ 9 comments }

The 1970s represented the Golden Age of aerial piracy. The first recorded aircraft hijacking took place in Mexico in 1929. By the 1970s terrorists had raised it to an art form.

Petty Officer Hajime Toyoshima and His Ghastly Type 26 Revolver

Petty Officer Hajime Toyoshima and His Ghastly Type 26 Revolver

{ 7 comments }

The time Hajime Toyoshima spent in Australia during World War 2 was characterized by violence and chaos.

Don't Go Into the Swamp: Crocodiles and the Japanese Type 99 Rifle

Don’t Go Into the Swamp: Crocodiles and the Japanese Type 99 Rifle

{ 16 comments }

The Guinness Book lists the carnage in Ramree Island’s mangrove swamps as the worst example of crocodile predation on humans in history. There were 500 or so troops who remained unaccounted for that night. Theirs was an undeniably ghastly end.