Interesting Facts and Stories

Prisoner in Hanoi Hilton.

Everett Alvarez Jr. (b. 1937, Salinas, California) was a Navy Commander who endured one of the longest periods as a prisoner of war (POW) in American history. Alvarez was the first American pilot to be shot down and held as a POW in North Vietnam. He spent over 8 years in captivity, making him the second longest-held POW in American history.

On Aug. 5, 1964, Lt. j.g. Everett Alvarez Jr., an A-4 Skyhawk pilot with a squadron aboard the USS Constellation, was given an ocean target near the Vietnam-China border at Hon Gai. Before he reached the bay, Alvarez signaled, "411 [his call numbers], I'm hit … I can't control it, I'm ejecting." Captured in a Vietnamese fishing vessel when he landed, Alvarez became the first pilot shot down during the Vietnam conflict, and perhaps the longest-held American prisoner in any war.

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E. Alvarez

Because no official declaration of war had been made, Alvarez was branded a "criminal" and taken to the place the Vietnamese called the "fiery furnace": Hanoi's Hoa Lo prison, where the thick concrete walls meant isolation. Alvarez's cell was infested with vermin, and his rations consisted of chicken heads, rotting fish, and animal hooves. For eight and a half years at various prisoner-of-war camps, Alvarez remained focused on his commitment to service. "Everbody was tortured," he said. "You did what you had to do. You withstood what you could, knowing sometimes they'll break you."

Under these conditions, Alvarez asserted what control he could. When captors entered his cell to interrogate him, for instance, he would invite them to sit down. The American POWs not only formed their own code of conduct, they continued to help each other. Alvarez, like many of his comrades, reached out to those who became withdrawn or sick.

When release finally came in February 1973, Alvarez used the determination that had seen him through his long years of imprisonment to attend law school. After leaving the military, he served as deputy administrator for the Department of Veterans Affairs and wrote two books about his captivity.-

en.wiki & military.com
 
The myth of James Barry

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James Barry (c. 1792-1795 – 25 July 1865), was a military surgeon in the British Army.-

James Barry's story begins in an unspecified location in a year close to 1795.
At 13 he finished medical school, and after years of waiting, in 1813 he enlisted in the Royal Navy.
There he served with distinction in many of the British crown colonies had, including India, South Africa and Canada.

While in South Africa, Barry became the first surgeon in the British Empire underwent a successful cesarean section where both mother and child survived.
Before that, this type of operation is only performed when the mother was dead (or almost).

Years passed, and Barry continued to make merit. Slowly, he rose to achieve the rank of Inspector General Hospital of the Navy, but also had time to work with the Royal Navy to improve the sanitary conditions of the sailors.

Up to this point may seem a remarkable career, though not as we might expect extraordinary. So where does this myth?

Well, it is said James Barry was a woman.

In those days a woman could not access to medical studies, much less get to practice as a doctor or surgeon.
For this reason, from childhood (when he started in medical school), hid their gender in order to learn and work that really interested him.

Apparently, his ability to hide their true sex was such that until he died in 1865 and underwent an autopsy, the deception was not discovered.

xatakaciencia.com
 
I voted for Turd Ferguson, once.

Too bad all politicians are liars. We as Americans should never trust the government, we should fight for our land, complain about taxes, keep the gov't at arm's distance, and never rely on them...

A good example to not be reliant on the government, Europe.
 
In 1938, Adolf Hitler was elected "Man of the Year" by Time magazine.

Although it may seem absurd, one must keep in mind that the man of the year is not the best person of the year, but the most significant character.
And Hitler was in 1938, laying the groundwork for what would become his reign of terror.
The original article is written with enough tact, perhaps knowing what was to come (war), so that the cover does not show his face as usual in this election.
Instead, it shows Hitler played his composition "Hymn of Hate" in a cathedral while victims dangle wheel of St. Catherine and senior Nazi watching them.
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The illustration was the work of Baron Rudolph Charles von Ripper.
 
When Manfred von Richtofen (The Red Baron) was shot down for the first time he was rescued by a German Engineering Officer. Later their conversation went on like this;

Enigineering Officer: "Have you ever brought down a machine?"

Richtofen: "Oh, yes! I have done so now and then."

Enigineering Officer: "Indeed! Perhaps you have shot down two?"

Richtofen: "No. Not two but twenty-four."

The Enigineering Officer smiled, repeated his question and said, "when I was speaking about shooting down an aeroplane, I meant not shooting at an aeroplane but shooting into an aeroplane in such a manner that it would fall to the ground and remain there."

The Engineering Officer later saw Richtofen's Ordre pour le Merite and realized that he had heard his name.

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Manfred von Richthofen (2 May 1892–21 April 1918)
 
Hugh Godefroy
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The only Dutch ace in WWII was Hugh Godefroy. He was born in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) on 28 October 1919. His father was a Dutch mining engineer and his mother was Canadian. In 1925 the Godefroys moved to Canada and at the start of WWII Hugh was a student at university. A turning point came whenhe learned of the death of his girlfriend. The ship she was traveling onwas torpedoed by a German submarine, which made Hugh decide to join the RCAF to fight the Germans.

After completing flight training in Canada Godefroy was shipped to the UK where he joined No. 56 OTU at Suttonbridge, together with Poles, Czechs, Free French and Americans. In the spring of1941 Godefroy arrived to start operational duty in 11 Group, 401 Squadron RCAF at Digby. This squadron, equipped with the Hawker "Hurricane", was tasked with defense of the UK, with occasional offensive actions over France. In September 1941 the Squadron received the "Spitfire" Mk V and shortly afterwards 401 Sqn was moved to Biggin Hill. Although Hugh had flown anumber of operational sorties he was still considered a 'sprog' (greenhorn) by the veterans, having claimed no aerial victories. It seemed as if all his skills were needed just to stay out of the sights of Bf 109s and Fw 190s.

In 1942 Hugh was transferred to the Air Fighting Development Unit (AFDU) at Duxford. Initially he regarded his transition to a test unit as a demotion. But he learned to appreciate his new posting when he had the time to improve his deflection shooting and experiment with new escort tactics.

Near the end of 1942 Godefroy asked for andgot a posting at 403 Squadron RCAF. Shortly thereafter, he made his firstkill: a Fw 190. In June of 1943 he was promoted to 403's Squadron Leader. After some more kills he was promoted to Commander of 127 Wing.

In April 1944 Godefroy's second tour of duty ended. He received the DSO and became a staff officer to the HQ of AVM Sir Harry Broadhurst, advising in tactical and personal affairs. He still flew frequently, but not in combat operations. On one of his flights during this period, the engine of his "Spitfire" stopped and he bailed out over the English Channel. Luckily he was rescued, and he spent some time recuperating in a hospital. The resigned and went back to Canada. By the summer of 1944 his war was over. During his career, Hugh Godefroy was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Distinguished Service Order and the Croix the Guerre.

He died on April 3rd, 2002, Myrtle Beach/South-Carolina, United States.-

elknet.pl
 
One could easily live in NY and never need a drivers license, they have had extensive public transit systems since the beginning of the 20th century at least. Cabs are ubiquitous.
 
On April 11, 2001, the Australian and American Samoa national football teams faced each other in a qualifying match for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
The match was played at the International Sports Stadium in Coffs Harbour, Australia. Australia set a world record for the largest victory in an international football match, winning the game 31–0.
Australia's Archie Thompson (photo) also broke the record for most goals scored by a player in an international match by scoring 13 goals. In addition, David Zdrilic, the scorer of eight goals in the match, achieved the second highest number of goals in an international match since World War I.
The outcome of the match led to debates about the format of qualification tournaments, with the Australian coach and Thompson feeling that preliminary rounds should be introduced to avoid such unbalanced matches, views shared by the international footballing body FIFA. It eventually led to an introduction of a preliminary round in the Oceanian zone qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
 
Treaty of Versailles anecdote.

During the negotiations at Versailles following World War I, Woodrow Wilson adamantly opposed the concession of the Adriatic port of Fiume to Italy.

Vittorio E. Orlando, leading the Italian delegation, eloquently presented Italy's case: given that Fiume's population, language, and culture were all largely Italian, its right to the city was irrefutable.

"I hope you won't press the point in respect to New York City," Wilson retorted, "or you might feel like claiming a sizable piece of Manhattan Island."

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Council of Four at the Versailles Peace Conference: Lloyd George, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Georges Clemenceau, President Woodrow Wilson.
 
The Football War, also known as the Soccer War or 100 hour War, was a four-day war fought by El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. It was caused by political conflicts between Hondurans and Salvadorans, namely issues concerning immigration from El Salvador to Honduras. These existing tensions between the two countries coincided with the inflamed rioting during the second North American qualifying round of the 1970 FIFA World Cup. On 14 July 1969, the Salvadoran army launched an attack against Honduras. The Organization of American States negotiated a cease-fire which took effect on 20 July, with the Salvadoran troops withdrawn in early August.

Eleven years later the two nations signed a peace treaty on 30 October 1980 to put the border dispute over the Gulf of Fonseca and five sections of land boundary before the International Court of Justice. In 1992, the Court awarded most of the disputed territory to Honduras, and in 1998, Honduras and El Salvador signed a border demarcation treaty to implement the terms of the ICJ decree. The total land area given to Honduras from El Salvador after the court's ruling was around 374.5 km2. As of the beginning of 2006 demarcation had not yet been completed, but Honduras and El Salvador maintain normal diplomatic and trade relations.
 
Prince Edward of York

The Prince of Wales served on the Somme as a staff officer. Although genuinely disappointed not to be involved in the fighting, the understanding his service gave him of ordinary men and the admiration he earned from them, strongly influenced the rest of his life both as Prince of Wales and, briefly, as King Edward VIII.

Prince Edward of York was born on 23 June 1894. When his grandfather, King Edward VII, died in May 1910, his father became King George V. A few weeks later Edward was named Prince of Wales.

On the outbreak of war in 1914, he was desperate for an active role but his position made this difficult. He was granted a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards but, to his great frustration, was forbidden to go overseas with the 1st Battalion in September 1914.

In November 1914, the Prince was appointed to the staff of Field Marshal Sir John French at the British Expeditionary Force’s General Headquarters in France. His role there remained unclear and he felt under-used. He was most effective performing his regular royal duties of visits and meeting guests, but this was the opposite of what he longed to do.

After serving at various divisional headquarters, he went to Egypt in the spring of 1916 for six weeks to inspect the Suez Canal defences. When he returned to France he joined the staff of the XIV Corps on the Somme. When the King visited France in August, the Prince helped to show his father some of the captured ground around Fricourt and Mametz.

In 1917 XIV Corps fought at Ypres and then in November, following the Italian collapse at Caporetto, in Italy where the Prince remained until he returned to France in 1918.
 
The chess master, Vladislav Tkachov, ranking 58th in the world, appeared drunk in an international chess tournament played in September 2009 in Kolkata (India) and was eliminated in his match against local player Praveen Kumar after falling asleep and about to fall off the chair.

Tkachov fell asleep after eleven moves and never woke up despite the attempts of the organizers.
 
Louis these are great posts I love the read...keep up the work

blessings
wayne(2054172)
 
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