Today in 1813, U.S. troops invade Upper Canada and seize the British stronghold of Fort George at Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario). During the battle, a 25-year-old officer named Winfield Scott will storm the gates of the outpost and personally capture the enemy flag.

RIGHT NOW in 1941, the German battleship Bismarck is destroyed in the North Atlantic. Of the 2,200 sailors aboard, only 114 survive.

Today in 1942, two British-trained Czechoslovakian agents ambush and fatally wound Reich security chief Reinhard Heydrich in Prague. The infamous Holocaust architect dies eight days later. The two agents, Jan Kubiš and Jozef Gabčík, are killed on June 18 while evading capture.

On this day 1940, Waffen SS troops shoot 99 British POWs at the village of Le Paradis, France. Two of the victims survive and will go on to identify the officer in charge of the massacre: Fritz Knöchlein. He will be executed for the crime in 1949.

RIGHT NOW in 1940, the signal goes out to begin a mass evacuation of British troops from #Dunkirk . Over the next eight days, #OperationDynamo will see an improvised armada of more than 800 navy warships, freighters, ferries and civilian pleasure boats rescue 338,000 men.

On this day in 1940, more than 340,000 exhausted British and French soldiers wait at #Dunkirk for some kind of miracle.

'We know more about war than about peace, more about killing than about living.'

— Omar Bradley.

#MemorialDay

“I Want YOU!” – The Story Behind One of the Most Famous Wartime Posters in History

'It was a rush job. With no time to commission a model to pose as Uncle Sam, the artist used his own likeness for the face adding wrinkles, a hat and a goatee.'

militaryhistorynow.com/2016/12/12/i-w…

Normandy residents thank an American GI for liberating their town (in true French fashion).

Happy #NationalWineDay to all who celebrate.

(Full disclosure: We will be.)

On this day in 1953, the U.S. military test fires history's first nuclear cannon at Frenchman's Flat, Nevada. The gun, dubbed 'Atomic Annie,' lobs a 280-mm, 15-kiloton projectile seven miles.

“Geronimo!” — Why American Paratroopers Shout an Apache Chief’s Name When Jumping From Airplanes

militaryhistorynow.com/2020/09/21/ger…

On this day in 1798, the United Irishmen rise up against British rule. Despite winning a number of engagements, the rebellion is crushed in less than five months. Between 10,000 and 50,000 are killed.

On this day in 1941, HMS Hood is destroyed by the German battleship Bismarck. All but three of the British warship's 1,418-man crew are lost.

So, if I'm reading this right, 'AF' is having trouble with its fresh water condenser. 😉

His Majesty’s American Admiral – The Amazing Life & Times of the Royal Navy’s John Wentworth Loring

militaryhistorynow.com/2020/07/13/her…

Machine Gun — How Hiram Maxim’s Deadly Invention Changed History

“If you want to make a pile of money, invent something that will enable these Europeans to cut each other’s throats with greater facility,” Maxim said.

militaryhistorynow.com/2017/10/24/mac…

On this day in 1900, Civil War veteran William Carney becomes the first African-American to be awarded the Medal of Honor. The former Virginia slave is decorated for saving his regiment's colors during the 1863 Battle of Fort Wagner.

On this day 1706, a 60,000-man Anglo-Dutch army under the Duke of Marlborough defeats an equal-sized French force under the Duke of Villeroy at Ramillies. The battle is won in less than an hour.

On this day in 1430, the teenaged French heroine Joan of Arc is captured by pro-English Burgundians at Compiègne. A year later, she'll be burned at the stake.

On this day in 1809, Napoleon's army is is defeated while trying to fight its way across the Danube River at Aspern-Essling near Vienna. It's the first time in over a decade that Bonaparte has lost a battle; it won't be the last.