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Mussolini surrounded by armed guards in the 1920s, prior to embracing his infamous quasi-military outfit. (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1925, Italian Fascist Benito Mussolini abruptly announced his transition from democratically-elected Prime Minister to cartoonish dictator. For his first years in power - after coming to prominence with his March on Rome in 1922…
M113s like the ones pictured above were lightly armoured but struggled to manoeuvre in the dense, difficult terrain of Vietnam. (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1963, the Battle of Ấp Bắc took place in Vietnam's Định Tường province. ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) troops from South Vietnam had detected a large force…
Caesar, by Clara Grosch, 1892. On this day in 45 BCE, the Julian Calendar came into effect in the Roman Empire by order of Julius Caesar. Previously, the Empire had relied on the Roman calendar: a system that accounted for 355 days and sometimes had a 23 day "intercalary" month inserted around March, based on…
The battle, by Paja Jovanović. (Handelsblatt.com) By 9 CE, the Roman Empire was booming. Rome's first Emperor Augustus had consolidated his power and strengthened the legal framework of the government whilst expanding the empire in all directions.The so-called pax romana (Roman Peace) was in full effect: nobody really wanted to mess with Rome's Legions of…
A German machine-gunner moves towards the front lines during the winter of 1944. (GFP) On this day in 1944, remnants of the German army attacked the advancing Allies in the final German offensive of WWII. Codenamed Operation Nordwind by the OKH (High Command of the German Army), the operation was inspired largely by Hitler's misguided…
Rasputin (middle) with two Russian officers in the early 20th century. (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1916, Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin was murdered by enemies of Tsar Nicholas II, ruler of the Russian Empire. Rasputin - spiritual advisor to the Tsar and his family - was hated by many in the royal court for…
Then-president Václav Havel (L) with American Secretary of Defense William Cohen (R) in 1997. (Defense.gov) On this day in 1989, Czech writer and activist Václav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia (now Czechia) in that country's first free, post-communist election. The Central European country had just recently removed itself from the USSR (Union of Soviet…
Canadian casualties are removed by stretcher bearers during the fighting in Ortona. (UrbanToronto.ca) On this day in 1943, the 1st Canadian Division captured the Italian town of Ortona from Axis forces. Aside from being a strategically significant sea port on the East coast of Italy, Ortona was one of the key German strongholds on the…
Propaganda, a tool that turned Soviet peasantry against kulaks during the 1930s. (Twitter) On this day in 1929, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin ordered the annihilation of the kulaks - a class of prosperous peasants in Eastern Europe - as a part of the USSR's first Five Year Plan. The "liquidation of the kulaks as a…
A Kwanzaa display in an American home. (Flickr) On this day in 1966, the very first Kwanzaa was celebrated in the United States. The holiday - a weeklong tradition celebrating faith, community and heritage - was created by Black Power activist Maulana Karenga in order to help African-Americans reconnect with their roots and foster a…
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