History Dispatches

When Hannibal - the sworn enemy of Rome wanted to attack Italy - he had a problem. Going by sea was impossible, and invading by land was almost as difficult as it required crossing the Alps, which are some of the most formidable mountains in the world. The key word though is 'almost.' Because in 16 harrowing days Hannibal and his army did exactly that - crossed the Alps - in one of the greatest achievements in military history.

Sources

https://www.livius.org/sources/content/hannibal-in-the-alps/

https://www.livius.org/articles/person/hannibal-3-barca/hannibal-in-the-alps/

https://www.maajournal.com/index.php/maa/article/view/490/416

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heinrich_Leutemann_-_Hannibals_%C3%9Cbergang_%C3%BCber_die_Alpen_(cropped).jpg

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Crypto AG was a Swiss company that specialized in encryption technology with roots all the way back to 1920. In 1970, the company was sold. The buyers - the CIA and BND - the latter West Germany's intelligence service. The result was described as the 'Intelligence Coup of the Century'. This is the story of Operation Rubicon.

Sources

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/national-security/cia-crypto-encryption-machines-espionage/

https://www.cryptomuseum.com/intel/cia/rubicon.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Rubicon

Image: by Rama - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hagelin_CX-52-IMG_0568-white.jpg

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On a cold October night, on the Harvard Bridge in Boston, Oliver Smoot and his fellow MIT fraternity pledges were doing something odd - measuring how long the bridge was in Mr. Smoot's height. But they succeeded, and eventually this would cause the unit - the Smoot - to be born. It is a story that lives on in the lore of Boston, MIT, the Internet, and the very concrete of the Harvard Bridge itself.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot

https://news.mit.edu/2008/smoot-tt0924

Image: Courtesy MIT - https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/object/GCP-00023939?query=smoot&resultIndex=6

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Over 10 days in 1913, Mexico experienced a coup d'état that would lead to the execution of its nation’s president. During this crisis, Mexico would end up having - in less than an hour’s time span - three different presidents. This is the story of the 10 Tragic Days.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Tragic_Days

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mexican-revolution-and-the-united-states/interactive-map.html

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Ten_Tragic_Days

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Decena_trágica.JPG

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After Mexico gained its independence in the early 1800's it had a bit of a sore spot - Texas. This sore spot would eventually turn into the Texas Revolution, but before that, there was the Fredonia Rebellion. This was a series of evictions, fraudulent elections, and farcical arrests that eventually amounted to a declaration of independence.

Sources

Richard Fields - Cherokee Chief, True West Magazine, March 1987

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/fredonian-rebellion

https://easttexashistory.org/items/show/166

Images: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fredonian_Rebellion_Flag_of_1826.svg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Konen_Colorado_%26_Red_River_Land_Co._c._1835_UTA_(map).jpg

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In 1918, 60,000 soldiers of the Czechoslovak Legion found themselves trapped inside Russia after the collapse of the Russian Empire in WW1. What followed was a nearly three year battle to cross the length of Russia - 6,000 miles - to a port on the Pacific - and ships to take these men home to their new nation. This is the story of the Revolt of the Czechoslovak Legion.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovak_Legion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt_of_the_Czechoslovak_Legion

https://www.fpri.org/article/2016/06/epic-misadventure-historic-achievement-remarkable-story-czecho-slovak-legion/

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Czechoslovak_Review,_Czechoslovak_railroad_car.jpg

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In 1453 the walls of Constantinople were some of the most fear in the world. They had stood for a millennium, and kept almost every invader out. Even the rising power of the Ottoman Empire would not dare risk an assault. Until one of the greatest cannons ever constructed was built - the Basilica Gun - aka the Turkish Bombard.

Sources

https://historynet.com/the-guns-of-constantinople/?f

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilic_(cannon)

https://royalarmouries.org/collection/object/object-6177

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dardanelles_Gun_Turkish_Bronze_15c.png

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On August 30, 1591, the British fleet was surprised off the Azores by a superior Spanish force. The English quickly fled - except for one ship - the Revenge. The captain, Richard Grenville, refused to abandon the British sailors who were on shore at the time the Spanish arrived on the scene. Grenville would thus stand and fight - alone - against the entire 55-ship Spanish fleet. This is the story of the Battle of Flores - or the Glorious Defeat of the Revenge.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Flores_(1591)

“The Revenge: A Ballad of the Fleet” by Lord Alfred Tennyson - https://www.online-literature.com/tennyson/726/

“Last Fight of the Revenge” by Sir Walter Raleigh

https://webhispania.info/this-is-how-spain-crushed-the-royal-navy-in-1591-the-feat-england-wants-us-to-forget/

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_Edward_Dixon_The_Revenge_1591_Battle_of_Flores_Azores_(cropped).jpg

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On a lonely island off the coast of Scotland, in December of 1900, the crew of a the lighthouse disappeared without a trace. And despite extensive investigation, the true cause has never been determined. This is the story of the Flannan Isles lighthouse mystery.

Sources

https://www.nlb.org.uk/history/flannan-isles/

https://blog.nrscotland.gov.uk/2023/12/12/flannan-isles-lighthouse-keepers-the-disappearance/

Image: By JMM - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Flannan%27s_Cell_and_Flannan_Isles_Lighthouse_-_geograph.org.uk_-_623920.jpg

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It prowls the waters of a deep lake in Montana - long, serpentine and huge. Even the local native people - the Kutenai - tell stories of a great creature that lives in the depths of the lake. For more than a century, people have tried to catch this local legend - but so far - nothing. This is the story of the Flathead Lake Monster.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flathead_Lake_Monster

https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Flathead_Lake_Monster

https://gosailmontana.com/post/flathead-lake-monster-history/

https://www.flatheadlakers.org/flathead-lake-monster

https://flatheadbeacon.com/2023/05/29/in-search-of-the-flathead-lake-monster/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po3ManFRivc

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