Matt Fratus is a staff writer for Coffee or Die and Free Range American. He prides himself on uncovering the most fascinating tales of history by sharing them through any means of engaging storytelling. He writes for his micro-blog @LateNightHistory
The words spoken by a president of the United States in a time of war can rally a nation. The famous quotes attributed to US presidents are often regurgitated without context, though, giving their true meaning a broader definition than their intent. ...
Wearing a black T-shirt tucked into desert-camouflage pants, Robin Williams strolls into a supply depot at Bagram Airfield to roaring applause. The world-famous actor and comedic genius known for his roles in The Fisher King, Good Will Hunting, and ...
From the terrace of the Saigon Saigon Rooftop Bar at the Caravelle Hotel, journalists from every major news agency sipped cocktails, drank a few beers, and exchanged war stories. Their vantage point in one of the tallest buildings in the area gave ...
On a steep hill overlooking the Mulde River in the small town of Colditz in Saxony, Germany, sits a massive and colorful Renaissance castle. Originally built in the Middle Ages, the rocky hilltop retreat has previously been used as a hunting lodge, a ...
US Army Lt. Tom Drew had his night vision goggles on while in the cockpit of his AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. It was 2:38 a.m. on the moonless night of Jan. 17, 1991. For the past two hours Task Force Normandy — a joint Army-Air Force strike team ...
The skies were clear on Sept. 20, 1958. Al Howard, a 31-year-old patrolman with three years at the New York Police Department, was driving his usual beat in Harlem that Saturday afternoon. He and his rookie partner, Officer Philip Romano, had just ...
Brig. Gen. Walter McIlhenny is one of the greatest US Marine Corps war heroes that you've never heard of. The World War II officer of the 1st Marine Division received the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, and two Purple Hearts during the Guadalcanal ...
The "nuclear football" is guarded by a senior military aide-de-camp and kept in close proximity to the US president whenever he is away from the White House. Following World War II, nuclear weapons were a new reality of the world’s superpowers, and ...
On Wednesday, Jan. 6, an angry mob besieged the nation’s Capitol building, and immediately images emerged showing masked agitators waving Confederate flags in the halls of the Senate. The unprecedented revolt on the grounds where Congress was meeting ...
“Fore!” is what a golfer typically yells to warn other golfers in the area of an incoming slice. In the midst of World War II there were no drives, chips, or putts at the Congressional Country Club located in Bethesda, Maryland, about 12 miles from ...
Confederate Capt. William H. Harder of the 23rd Tennessee Infantry Regiment was severely wounded during the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862, and his condition was so severe Southern newspapers wrote stories of his death. He was taken prisoner to Camp ...
On Aug. 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. President George H.W. Bush immediately set in motion steps to counter Saddam Hussein’s aggression, which is now remembered as the Gulf War. The Gulf War unfolded in two phases: Operation Desert Shield and ...
Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein promised the fight for Kuwait would be “The Mother of All Battles,” and on Jan. 17, 1991, he got more than he’d bargained for when American, British, French, Kuwaiti, and Saudi planes populated the skies at the ...
The holidays are supposed to be a time when families come together to enjoy a nice meal, exchange gifts, and make long-lasting memories. In a war, Christmas can be a sign of hope or a sign of uncertainty. This Christmas, whether one is deployed ...
On Dec. 20, 1989, the United States military invaded Panama, code-named Operation Just Cause, in an effort to oust Panamanian narco-dictator Manuel Noriega from power. The former US government asset on the CIA’s payroll was wanted on several ...
Mike Folse from Bell Helicopter's Preliminary Design Group was deflated when the Pentagon chose Lockheed Martin over Bell's proposal for an attack helicopter. “Forget what you’re working on,” his boss told him. “While I’m gone, start on a ...
The CIA was established in 1947, and its track record is full of tremendous successes and controversial failures. The agency's reputation is respected and feared, and its activities are cloaked in secrecy and mystique. Yet every so often its ...
Gen. George S. Patton Jr., one of the most prolific war generals in American history, died on Dec. 21, 1945, after complications from injuries sustained in a vehicular accident. His legend only grows in significance when you consider his ...
On Saturday, Dec. 19, a mishmash of Patriot Guard Riders, state police, Gold Star families, veterans, and a tractor-trailer from Wreaths Across America are set to arrive in the morning at Arlington National Cemetery for their annual wreath-laying ...
The Battle of the Chosin Reservoir was a two-week-long bloodbath during which an estimated 120,000 Chinese troops surrounded some 30,000 American, British, and Republic of Korea (ROK) forces high in the mountains of North Korea. The United Nations ...
In March 1944, a hardy group of mountaineers, skiers, rock climbers, and outdoorsmen all volunteered for a newly formed winter warfare unit known today as the famed 10th Mountain Division. On the Colorado slopes at Camp Hale was the proving ground ...
An unidentified serial killer murdered five victims in Northern California between 1968 and 1969. The killer then taunted the police and terrorized the public through threatening handwritten letters he sent to the press from 1969 to 1974. In addition ...
Chinese Americans from World War II are the latest honorees to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor, which pays tribute to historic accomplishments. A virtual ceremony held Wednesday recognized the contributions ...
On Dec. 13, 1636, the National Guard was officially formed, combining militia regiments from Massachusetts into one organized unit. The Massachusetts National Guard — pictured above at its first muster in the spring of 1637 — has the four oldest ...
The US military is composed of people from all walks of life, and hardcore gangsters are no exception. We’ve rounded up four mobsters with wild stories who served or assisted the US military — a tattooed bare-knuckled bruiser in the trenches of ...
There is no other club like it in the world. Membership in the Martin-Baker Ejection Tie Club is earned when a pilot successfully ejects from an aircraft using a Martin-Baker ejection seat to save his or her own life. In the span of the last 48 ...
Automatic shotguns or command-detonated claymore mines? This was a question presented at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland where engineers and weapon experts were tasked with testing the effectiveness of counterambush weapon systems. In the Vietnam ...
On Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941, aviation ordnance Chief Petty Officer John Finn was in bed, resting his head on his pillow, in a debate with his wife, Alice, about who was in charge of making coffee. Finn hadn’t a worry in his mind, as he was ...
The US Navy officially formed the Naval Special Warfare SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Teams in 1983. Up to six Navy SEALs could launch from a submarine to conduct clandestine operations off the coasts of terrorist-ridden hotspots around the world. ...
“Come on, boys!” was the rallying cry of Thomas Knowlton, the commander of the Continental Army’s first organized intelligence unit: Knowlton’s Rangers. The dependable officer who first joined the Windham County militia in Connecticut when he was ...
