October 10, 1845: America Gets Serious About The Seas

On October 10, 1845, the United States Naval School opened in Annapolis, Maryland, with 50 midshipmen students and seven professors. The curriculum included mathematics and navigation, gunnery and steam, chemistry, English, natural philosophy, and French. “When the founders of the United States Naval Academy…

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August 28, 1879: The End Of The Zulu

On August 28, 1879, British troops finally closed in on the fugitive monarch who had so recently commanded the fearsome Zulu army. King Cetshwayo kaMpande, last sovereign of an independent Zulu nation, was captured in the aftermath of one of the most brutal colonial…

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July 27, 1929: War Is Made More Humane

The Geneva Convention is a series of international treaties and protocols that establish the standards for humanitarian treatment during war. The first of these conventions was adopted in 1864, and the most recent, the Fourth Geneva Convention, was adopted in 1949. These treaties play…

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June 10, 1898: The United States Invades Cuba

On June 10, 1898, U.S. Marines landed at Guantánamo Bay, fighting a war against Spain and challenging their colonial rule in the Caribbean. The Battle of Guantanamo Bay, on the southeastern coast of Cuba, served as a significant start to the Spanish-American War. The battle lasted for…

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