OT: Useless trivia.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Michaelvk .... which farmer grew the largest watermelon in 1857!

I believe that honor went to Yoder Miller of Ottumwa, Iowa..

QUOTE: Originally posted by lizardqing2 No complaints from me, I love to learn about all the stuff that somehow never made it in the history books we had in school.

What?? What school doesn't teach kids proper history? Its not like this is stuff like which farmer grew the largest watermelon in 1857! No offence, but I'm kinda shocked about that..

Hardly a useless piece of trivia there.

I have a friend in Australia, one day I was looking at my wall calendar and saw an occaision called "ANZAC Day" I knew it had military origins in the combined military forces of Australia and New Zealand during the World Wars, but I didn't know fully what.

I asked my friend about it, and she sent me some newspaper clippings about how it is a memorial, more that anything else, for the Australian and New Zealand soldiers that fell in the battle at Gallipoli in WWI.

As I read about it, it struck familliar ground and ran almost paralel with the Canadian experience at Dieppe in WWII.

Both ill planned campaigns based on poor intelligence reports resulting in a much higher casualty count than necessary.

According to the article my friend sent me, Gallipoli was Australia and New Zealand's single greatest wartime loss, just as Dieppe was Canada's.

Sad, but hardly useless trivia.

If you've read Dr. Ambrose's four volumes mentioned so far, you must read "The Victors", the third volume in ETO Army trilogy, as well as "Pegasus Bridge". And while you're at it, read "Comrades". It's full of insight about fighting men,as well as family. Good reading.

Currently reading "Citizen Soldiers" and enjoying it, "D-Day" is next. Anothe good one by Mr. ambrose is "The Wild Blue".

Guys, if you read nothing else this year, get hold of a copy of D Day,
by Stephen E Ambrose (Yes, the Band of Brothers man)
It's chock full of facts, figures and humanity. And if it doesn't stir your
emotions, then there is something wrong with you!
I'm looking forward to tracking down the next one,
'Citizen Soldiers' The US Army from Normandy to Berlin

Derek, you're spot on as usual. - Ed

No complaints from me, I love to learn about all the stuff that somehow never made it in the history books we had in school.

I apologize for my choice of words. I realized after I posted that they were not right but because there had already been a post I chose not to edit to prevent any confusion. I will continue to post these as long as there is no complaint.
Maybe a history forum?

Hardly useless trivia. For what it's worth, V-J day (Sept. 2) was just last week and hardly got any notice. That's pretty sad. :(

Regards,

-Drew

I agree, but I think it is anything but useless trivia, it would be nice if they started everyday in our schools with something like that just to remind kids these days what has been done before for them today.

My father-in-law was part of that invasion as a sergeant in a communication unit. He was captured a few days afterwards and escaped. He was 84 in May.