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In August 1961, a daring East German soldier defied orders to aid a young boy’s escape across the newly built Berlin Wall.
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The picture capturing this act likely dates back to when the wall was first erected. The boy was caught on the wrong side, separated from his parents who were in West Berlin visiting relatives. Despite the stern commands of the East German government prohibiting passage, the soldier chose to help…
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In the 1720s, a Scottish woman named Margaret Dickson was found trying to abandon the body of her newborn baby near the banks of the River Tweed.
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It isn’t known whether she lost the child in the late stages, or whether it died shortly after being born. Nonetheless, she was arrested charged and taken to Edinburgh to face trial, where she was found guilty and sentenced to death. In 1724, Dickson was hanged but somehow survived. She…
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This weekend marks another milestone for me – it’s exactly 50 years since I set a record I believe remains unbroken.
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The 16-year-old me had landed in New Zealand the day before, an immigrant from the UK. At 5pm on Sunday, October 4, I was delivered by relatives to Wellington College where I was to become a boarder for the final school term of 1970. A few minutes after 9pm, I…
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This is the Legend of Anna Maria Stockhausen.
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“This is Anna Maria Von Stockhausen’s corpse, strapped to keep her coming back from the dead. She was accused of being a witch during the Middle ages and Black Plague. This folklore about Anna was that she was killed about 6 times. She was first hanged and later clawed herself…
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The Thinking Man’s ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’
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In 1930 Georg Pabst’s ‘Westfront 1918’ was Germany’s most anticipated cinema release. It chronicled the shattering impact of the Great War upon four German soldiers on the Western Front. The film lived up to expectations. At its premiere in Berlin, its unsparing realism reportedly caused 20 people to faint. In…
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A Baby Was Just Born From An Embryo That Was Frozen 27 Years Ago
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Molly Gibson’s birth is believed to have set a world record for the oldest-known frozen embryo to result in a successful delivery. An embryo that was frozen in 1992 was implanted into the uterus of a woman earlier this year — and now, that embryo has just successfully been born…
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By the end of 6 June 1944, D-day, hundreds of dead bodies of Allied soldiers were scattered across the fields of Normandy.
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VII corps issued an order to create a temporary military cemetery at Sainte Mere Eglise, about 200 meters from the church square. A collection point near the small village provided burials for at least two hundred men per day. A total of 3195 soldiers would be buried a ‘Sainte-Mere-Eglise…
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We remember and pay tribute to SFC Matthew R. Kading, a true hero
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Today, I stand before you not to mourn the loss of our fallen hero but to celebrate and honor the life and sacrifice of someone who was not only a brave soldier but also a dear friend. So, join me as we remember and pay tribute to SFC Matthew R.…
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On this day lost, but not forgotten. John R. Rankin was born on July 22, 1948. His home of record is Blackwood, NJ. He served in the US Army and attained the rank of Specialist 4 (SP4).
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Rankin was killed in action on November 15, 1969. Johnny July 22, 1948-November 15, 1969 SP4, Army Blackwood Terrace, NJ Johnny Rankin always wanted to fly. Photos of him as a two-year old show him surrounded by model airplanes his father had built. He liked to watch…
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On this day November 29th, in African Ourstory
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In 1781, the Zong massacre began. This was a mass killing (at sea) of more than 130 enslaved Black Africans by the crew of the British slave ship Zong during the Middle Passage. Owned by England, when the Zong sailed from Accra with 442 slaves on August 18, 1781, it…