The Roots of the French and Indian War

The French and Indian War of 1754-1763 played a crucial role in the history of North America, and decided which European power would come to dominate the continent. Yet the roots of the war go back decades previously.

Fort Pitt Blockhouse Museum, Pittsburgh

Tampa Bay FL In The Civil War

Tampa Bay’s role in the Civil War is today almost entirely forgotten.

Civil War marker in Oaklawn Cemetery, Tampa

The Last Day of world war one

At 5am on November 11, 1918, the French, British, American and German representatives signed the armistice treaty that formally ended hostilities in the First World War. Under the terms of the Armistice, the war would officially end at 11am that day. All the troops in the trenches had to do was sit tight for the next 6 hours, and everyone would, after four years of the bloodiest stalemate in European history, get to go home intact. Instead, allied forces launched a series of attacks, producing over 10,000 casualties on the last morning of a war that was already over.

(NOTE: I re-run this diary every November 11 both to remind us why this is “Veteran’s Day “and what a useless slaughter “war” is.)

Wild california; Gray whales

One of the most prominent tourist attractions in Long Beach CA is the Aquarium of the Pacific. And one of the popular activities at the Aquarium are the whale-watching tours.

Pacific Gray Whale