History Facts

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuclear attacks at the end of World War II against the Empire of Japan by the United States at the order of U.S. President Harry S. Truman on August 6 and 9, 1945. The atomic bombs killed thousands of people in a matter of minutes, but it was a necessary action to end the war. To this day, these are the only two instances of attacks with nuclear weapons in history.

Fact #1 - Atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan on August 6 and 9 respectively.

These two cities were chosen because they fit a set criteria issued by the Target Committee. They were large cities that had a military presence and were unlikely to be attacked prior to the bombing dates.

Fact #2 - The Manhattan Project was the project to develop the first nuclear weapon (atomic bomb) during World War II by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Born out of a small research program in 1939, the Manhattan Project eventually employed more than 130,000 people and cost nearly $2 billion USD ($24 billion in 2008 dollars based on CPI). I don’t know the history of all weapons, but this most have been the most expensive weapon development project of it’s time. The Manhattan Project was top secret, so the fact that it employed 130,000 people is also impressive.

Fact #3 - The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was known as “Little Boy” and the bomb dropped on Nagasaki was named “Fat Man.”

Some people say the name “Fat Man” was picked because the bomb looked like Winston Churchill! I don’t believe that though. I think the names for the bombs came from the shapes they were. One was skinny and long, the other was short and fat.

Fact #4 - The atomic bombs killed as many as 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki by the end of 1945.

Since then, thousands of people have died from injuries or illnesses related to radiation.

Fact #5 - The Japanese were warned about Nagasaki.

Truman never intended to drop 2 atomic bombs on Japan. He thought one would be enough. After the Hiroshima bombing, President Truman announced, “If they do not accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air the likes of which has never been seen on this earth.” Japan refused, and the rest is history.

The Holocaust is the term generally used to describe the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, as part of a program of deliberate extermination planned and executed by the Nazi regime in Germany led by Adolf Hitler. It is one of most gruesome and dark times in the history of mankind. Today’s post will cover several facts about the Holocaust.

Fact #1 - The Holocaust began with Hitler’s rise to power in January of 1933 and ended on VE (Victory over Europe) Day May 8, 1945.

Before Jews were exterminated, Nazi Germany started by marking them with symbols. A “J” on their passport or a star on their sleeve. In 1939, Hitler said the war would be the “annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe.”

Fact #2 - Statistics now show that two out of every three European Jews had died during the Holocaust by 1945.

Statistics show that there were approximately 9 million Jewish people in Europe before the war. 66% of them were killed. That is just an alarming number. Can you imagine sitting in a classroom or at your office and someone coming in the door and killing off 2 out of every 3 people for no reason? It’s impossible to know what they went through.

Fact #3 - While Jews were Nazi Germany’s primary target for this ‘ethnic cleansing’, gypsies, physically disabled people and Polish nationals also came under the purview of the Holocaust.

Approximate numbers show 500,000 Serbs, 2 million Polish, 500,000 Roma, and another 100,000 mentally ill were killed by Nazis during the Holocaust. And these are just a portion of the population that were targeted. Dozens of ethnic groups were devastated.

Fact #4 - Auschwitz was the largest of Nazi Germany’s concentration camps.

Some Nazis testified that up to 3 million people had died at Auschwitz, however the The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum has revised this figure to 1.1 million. I’ve seen programs on TV that show survivors revisiting Auschwitz and retelling their stories. It is horrific what they went through.

Fact #5 - Oskar Schindler was a Sudeten German industrialist credited with saving almost 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust.

Schindler persuaded the Nazis to allow him to move Jews from concentration camps to work in his factories, thus saving them from certain death.

In United States History, December 7, 1941 is a day that will always be remembered. On this morning in beautiful Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the Japanese navy launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific fleet. The attack killed over 2,000 Americans and destroyed many ships and aircrafts. It was this surprise attack that pushed the United States into entering World War II. For more info, check out the Pearl Harbor facts below.

Fact #1 - The attack wrecked two U.S. Navy battleships, one minelayer, and two destroyers beyond repair, and destroyed 188 aircraft; personnel losses were 2,388 killed and 1,178 wounded.

Until September 11, 2001, Pear Harbor was one of the most devastating surprise attacks on United States soil in recent history. If you visit Pearl Harbor today, you can see a memorial set up honoring all the lost lives. Many innocent soldiers and civilians were killed that day.

Fact #2 - The Infamy Speech was delivered on December 8, 1941, by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, one day after the Empire of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.

You’ve most likely heard this famous speech, in which Roosevelt says “a date which will live in infamy.” The speech ran six and a half minutes and is regarded as one of the most famous political speeches in American history.

Fact #3 - 405 planes were to be used in the attacks with 10 not launching because of technical difficulties.

It is hard to image such a large aerial attack. Try to picture yourself in your backyard and looking up in the sky and seeing 405 fight planes overhead drop bombs and destroying everything around you. It’s weird to see 3 planes in the sky at one time, let alone 405.

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was a British politician known mainly for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. He served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historical writer, and an artist. Churchill is one of the greatest leaders in the history of the world. Check out these interesting facts about it.

Fact #1 - Winston Churchill was born with a speech impediment.

It’s hard to believe that one of the greatest orators in history was born with a speech impediment. It must have taken him a lot of time and practice to overcome his disability. After many years, he finally stated, “My impediment is no hindrance.”

Fact #2 - Winston Churchill served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955.

On the outbreak of WWII, Churchill was a proponent of rearmament and advocated joining forces with France and the Soviet Union in a fight against Nazi Germany.

Fact #3 - Winston Churchill is famous for his “finest hour speech.”

One June 18, 1940, just weeks after Hitler had major victories that led to the fall of Paris, Churchill delivered one of the most recognizable speeches in history to the British House of Commons. It ends with this: “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour’.”

Fact #4 - When Winston Churchill passed away, his body lay in state for three days and a state funeral service was held at St Paul’s Cathedral.

No other state funerals have been held for non-members of the Royal family since Churchill’s in 1965.

Fact #5 - In a poll by the BBC in 2002, Winston Churchill was ranked #1 on a list of the 100 Greatest Britons of All Time.

That’s quite an honour.

There is much left to be learned about the ancient Mayan culture from thousands of years ago in what is now Central America. Anthropologists have studied Mayan history for centuries. While they have discovered many startling wonders and facts about these amazing people, some aspects of their lives remain a mystery. Most noted is how the Mayan empire collapsed.

Fact #1 - The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, which was used by the Mayans, has an end date of December 21, 2012.

What will happen on this day? No one knows for sure. If the Mayan beliefs are true, then the world will end. We will see an apocalypose like you could never imagine. Complete destruction.

Fact #2 - The Mayans were the only Pre-Columbian civilization to have a fully developed written language.

The Mayans used a system of over 500 hieroglyphs, much like the Ancient Egyptians. They would transcribe their hieroglyphs on temple walls and pottery to tell the story of their people. Can you imagine having to learn a written language with over 500 characters? Kids today can’t even learn 26 letters in the alphabet!

Fact #3 - The Mayan practiced human sacrifice to appease their gods.

In some Maya rituals people were killed by having their arms and legs held while a priest cut the person’s chest open and tore out his heart as an offering. That’s not a fun way to go. Graphic depictions of this can be seen on the temple walls and in the recent Mel Gibson movie Apocalypto.

Fact #4 - No one knows how the Mayan civilization collapsed.

Non-ecological theories of Maya decline are divided into several subcategories, such as overpopulation, foreign invasion, peasant revolt, and the collapse of key trade routes. If i were a betting man, I would say that foreign invasion played a big role in their collapse. Natives were not immune to European disease. They had no way to combat it. Ecological hypotheses include environmental disaster, epidemic disease, and climate change.

Fact #5 - 90% of the Mayan civilization still remains unexcavated today.

So much Mayan history remains undiscovered in the dense rain forests. In addition to this, the Mayans build enormous temples and passages ways beneath the surface. We will never find it all.

Joseph Stalin was one of history’s most ruthless dictators. He murdered millions of his own innocent countrymen, often times without warning or cause. In the process, he took the Soviet Union from a rural country into an industrial super power.

Fact #1 - Joseph Stalin’s official title was General Secretary of the Communist Party. He was given this title in 1922.

This position was actually a modest post when Stalin was first assigned. It was only after several years that Stalin had developed it into the USSR’s most powerful office. I still think the title ‘Dictator’ sounds more ruthless then ‘Secretary’.

Fact #2 - The Russian word stalin means ‘man of steel.’

Joseph does not look like Superman to me.

Fact #3 - At the end of 1930s, Stalin launched the Great Purges, a major campaign of repression. Millions of people who were suspected of being a threat to the party were executed or exiled to Gulag labor camps in remote areas of Siberia or Central Asia.

Those who opposed or had different views from that of the Communist Party were considered threats to Stalin. It is estimated to up to 2 million people died during the Purge.

Fact #4 - Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union played a major role in the defeat of Nazi Germany during WWII.

The United States and Great Britain pushed the forces east while the Soviet Union pushed Germany back to the west. Germany was ultimately surrounded and could not fight a war on two fronts.

Fact #5 - It is rumored that Joseph Stalin had a 2-year affair with Lidia Pereprygina, then aged 13, with whom he fathered two children.

Wow! And we thought Michael Jackson liked them young. So not only was Stalin a ruthless murderer, but he was also a pedofile.