Windover Burials

The Windover burial site, near Titusville, is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Florida.

A replica of one of the Windover burials

Icons of Aviation History: Il-2 Shturmovik

The most widely-produced aircraft of the Second World War, the Soviet Shturmovik functioned as an “aerial tank” and was extremely effective against German armored Panzer columns.

Shturmovik at the Pima Air and Space Museum                          photo from WikiCommons

The History of Horror Movie Blood

Horror movies have always been one of Hollywood’s most popular genres. “Slasher flick” film franchises like “Halloween” and “Saw” have sloshed the gore around by the bucketful. But the history of fake movie blood actually goes back before the time of cinema.

The Mag Lab

The National High Field Magnetics Lab in Tallahassee FL, known as the “Mag Lab”, houses some of the most powerful research magnets in the world.

Inside the Mag Lab

Roman Gladiator Types

Everyone knows two things about Rome: the Roman Legion, and the Roman gladiator. But most of what people “know” about gladiators is incorrect and inaccurate.

Gladiator types: Retiarius, Murmillo, Thraex, Samnis, Secutor, and another Samnis with Summa Rudis

The German POWs in Florida

When I visited the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee several years ago, one of the exhibits that I found  most intriguing was a plain dark work shirt with the letters “PW”  on the back. It stood for “Prisoner of War”, and it told an interesting story that I had not heard before.

POW uniform shirt on display at the Museum of Florida History