World War 2 remains notorious for the frequency of bombs used during the conflict. Bombs, conventional and atomic, blasted places like Hiroshima, London, Tokyo, and many cities in Germany. Because of the horror and scale of the damage, these places overshadow, to some extent, what happened in the Spanish town of Guernica on April 26 […]
Category: European History
Ukraine and Russia – How Does World War I Influence Today?
If you’re like me, you’ve followed the news of Russia’s baseless invasion of Ukraine since it began in February of 2022. Perhaps you’ve wondered, though, about the history of these two neighbors. Today’s post will discuss an important part of that history. I’ll describe for you the events that followed World War I and how […]
Nessie the Loch Ness Monster? A Quick History of the Nonsense
It’s likely you’re familiar with Nessie the Loch Ness Monster. Or, should I say, the hoax that some kind of creature inhabits Scotland’s Loch Ness. But this historical hoax actually goes back quite a ways. This makes it a subject of historical inquiry, even if Nessie the Loch Ness Monster is as real as elves […]
Who Was Bartolome de las Casas and Why Does He Matter?
Asking who was Bartolome de las Casas would be an easy question for an educated person in Spain. Here in the US, however, people are much less likely to know who de las Casas was. But they should. Bartolome de las Casas is a famous and important historical figure. He features prominently in the history […]
Smallpox and the Columbian Exchange
In my last post about the Columbian Exchange, I mentioned in passing what happened to the Incas and Aztecs when they met with Europeans after 1492. Today, it is time to flesh out that story and how it relates to the Columbian Exchange by describing the importance of smallpox. You might have heard a version […]
Freikorps: What They Are, Why They Matter
The German word Freikorps has been on my mind often lately. It’s a word with which most readers will not be familiar. The English translation, “Free Corps,” is obvious, perhaps, but the purpose of the group less so. The Freikorps appeared in Germany in 1918, in the wake of its defeat in World War 1. […]