Martello Tower #74, located in Seaford, England. Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martello_Tower,_Seaford.JPG. Introduction General George S. Patton once said “Fixed fortifications are monuments to man’s stupidity”. That was certainly true in the 1940s with aerial bombardment and long-range heavy… Read More ›

France
Goniopholis: The Typical Mesozoic Crocodile
Dinosaurs ruled the land during the Mesozoic Era, but crocodiles and their relatives unquestionably ruled the water. Prehistoric crocodiles are usually relegated to the background as supporting actors or extras in our imagined Mesozoic dramas, but the truth is that… Read More ›
Leedsichthys
Leedsichthys was a very large prehistoric saltwater fish which lived during the middle and late Jurassic Period, circa 165-150 million years ago. It was named in 1889 in honor of Alfred N. Leeds who found the first specimen. Leedsichthys belonged… Read More ›
Aegirosaurus
Aegirosaurus leptospondylus was a species of ichthyosaur which lived in the seas around Europe during the late Jurassic Period and early Cretaceous Period, roughly 147-135 million years ago. Aegirosaurus belonged to a family of ichthyosaurs called the ophthalmosaurids (Bardet and… Read More ›
The Great Cat Massacre
Our story takes place on a street in Paris, France called the Rue Saint-Séverin sometime during the 1730s – nobody is sure of the exact year when these events supposedly occurred. Somewhere along this street was a print shop owned… Read More ›
The First Battle of the Hundred Years’ War: The Battle of Cadzand – November 9, 1337
The Hundred Years’ War is perhaps the second-most well-known military conflict of the Middle Ages, second only to the Crusades. This epic clash between the kingdoms of England and France, which was actually a series of separate conflicts spread out… Read More ›
March 1 – The Month of Mars
Ancient Roman re-enactors marching at Xanten, Germany. Photograph by Judith Meyer (June 23, 2012). CC0 Creative Commons. March is the month dedicated to the ancient Roman war god Mars. By now, the weather is warming up, the snows have melted,… Read More ›
Captain Louis Antoine de Bougainville
Louis Antoine de Bougainville (November 12, 1729 – August 31, 1811) was a French scholar, military officer, and explorer. He was a brilliant mathematician, gained fame for himself fighting in the French and Indian War, he became the first Frenchman… Read More ›