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I'm a big fan of archery and I've always wandered, why was it abandoned so quickly to be replaced by firearms. Certainly the bow and arrow was superior to the early matchstick and even flintlock muskets. Especially when using recurve bows. You can shoot arrows faster and straighter than early...

The great depression of the 1930's had a profound effect on the USA for decades to come. Many people have first hand knowledge of what real poverty (homelessness, hunger) feel like. Because of those experiences our grandparents were VERY cautious with their money and savings. What I'd like to...

I had read once that prior to the US lead invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 the Iranians were looking at the possibility of invading Afghanistan and taking out the Taliban. A group which was a side of Islam they wanted to avoid spreading. The Iranians never went far with that plan but lets say...

I read today that in WW2 that in WW2 Japanese officers told their troops "If your injured - shoot yourself. This way you wont be a burden to others". This is in contrast to American and British forces who had motto's like "nobody left behind". We had battlefield medics braving enemy fire to care...

Back in 2000 the Greens party had the best chance it had ever had. People were disgusted with both major parties and wanted a change. Nader had a long history of helping reform both business and government. The question was brought up, why wasn't Ralph Nader allowed to participate in the...

I think everyone knows the story of the stand at the Alamo by the Texans vs. the Mexican army. It seems to me the Texans were crazy for even trying to defend that position against such overwhelming odds (something like 250 vs. 4,000). While the Alamo did have some pretty good defenses like heavy...

I'm not Canadian but I have travelled there and read some on Canadian history. Quite frankly Canada in the 1800's was never the wild west that America was. There were no major battles with indians, no towns with a wild reputation like Abilene or Dodge City, and no colorful characters like Jesse...

Or at least toned down? I've had some thoughts that maybe if the allies had read the intel coming out and warned the Nazis of reprisals and war crime trials of those involved plus possibly threatening civilian populations? How about if Jewish organizations had prepared and been armed when the...

On September 8th 1974 American daredevil Evel Knievel strapped himself onto a rocket and tried to "jump" the Snake River canyon. As we all know his parachute popped open during liftoff and he ended up crashing down into the floor of the canyon. I was an old Evel fan when I was a kid. I had all...

What if the native americans, instead of giving up, had fled into the mountains and rugged areas of the west and decided to continue a struggle for freedom and liberation of their lands? Their targets could be settlers and the various railroads. Eventually they could learn to use bombs to blow...

Lets say that instead of Elvis dieing of drug issues he would have gotten a different doctor, took care of himself, and lived until the present. Do you think he would have adopted new music styles? Would he have even have stayed in music or would he have just retired?

On September 20, 1973, 55 year old former tennis champ Bobby Riggs faced women's tennis champion Billie Jean King in "The Battle of the Sexes" tennis match. Riggs, used to being a showoff, played up the male chauvinist pig role to the max. King, playing solid tennis, quickly became a symbol for...

What if tomorrow a catalog arrived and it was the Sears Christmas catalog from 1971 and by some miracle you could order things in it and they would be sent thru time. What would you buy? Check out the 1971 Sears Christmas and many other catalogs at this site: http://www.wishbookweb.com/...

European cities have lots of these small locally owned stores but except for in England I see little evidence of any national stores that use economics of buying in bulk and paying staff only basic wages to lower costs and pass on the saving to customers. And of course until recently there were...

I've noticed that nearly all the threads on this board tend to center around wars, battles, and weapons. Why is this? Wouldn't some issue of art, literature, invention, communication, or business also cause world changes and warrant discussion?

The great railroad and 19th century industrial tycoon George Vanderbilt opened Biltmore Estate in 1895. It was and still is, the largest private home ever in the United States. If your unfamiliar with this please check out http://www.biltmore.com/. George designed it to emulate a working...

On the night of March 24-25, 1944, 76 Allied prisoners of Stalag Luft III, a German prison camp in Sagan, 100 miles southeast of Berlin, escaped through a tunnel named "Harry." Within days most were recaptured. An outraged Hitler had 50 of them shot, an appalling abrogation of the Geneva...