Tuesday, December 16, 2025

The Death of Sitting Bull

 




In the late 1880s, the Ghost Dance movement swept through Native American communities, offering hope of a spiritual renewal that would restore traditional ways and expel white settlers. Sitting Bull, though not a primary leader of the movement, supported its message of cultural revival. On December 15, 1890, Indian Agency police, acting on orders to arrest him, arrived at Sitting Bull’s cabin on the Standing Rock Reservation. The attempt to apprehend him turned violent when his followers resisted. Sitting Bull was shot and killed. He was around 59 years old.  He is buried at Fort Yates, North Dakota.



Custer’s Last Stand: Portraits in Time



Custer’s Last Stand Re-examined


Sunday, December 14, 2025

The Death of George Washington

 



George Washington died on December 14, 1799.  Fearing premature burial, he requested of his doctors to be “decently buried” and to “not let my body be put into the Vault in less than three days after I am dead.”  In his last will he expressed the desire to be buried at Mount Vernon. George Washington was entombed in the existing family vault, now known as the old Vault on December 18, 1799.  In his last will, George Washington directed the building of a new family burial vault.  In 1831, Washington’s body was transferred to the new tomb. 



How Martha Washington Lived: 18th Century Customs



Secrets of Early America 1607-1816

Friday, December 12, 2025

Japan’s Secret Submarine Bomber

 


Designed in utmost secrecy for the I-400-class submarine carriers, the Aichi M6A Seiran (“Mountain Haze”) was a sleek, single-engine floatplane bomber capable of 295 mph and carrying an 800 kg (1,764 lb) bomb or torpedo. To fit inside the I-400’s hangar, wings folded backward, horizontal stabilizers folded down, and the entire aircraft assembled in under seven minutes on the sub’s deck.

Only 28 were built by August 1945. Intended to strike the Panama Canal or American cities, none saw combat. Six surviving Seiran were captured; one beautifully restored example is displayed at the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center.



Sneak Attack! (Four Alternative History Stories)


Wars and Invasions (Four alternative history stories)

Thursday, December 11, 2025

Japan’s Underwater Aircraft Carriers

 


During World War II, Imperial Japan developed the massive I-400-class submarines, the largest non-nuclear subs ever built until the 1960s. Displacing 6,500 tons and stretching 400 feet, each carried three Aichi M6A Seiran floatplane bombers folded in a 100-foot watertight hangar. With a 37,500-mile range—1½ times around the world—they were designed for surprise strikes on the U.S. mainland or the Panama Canal.

Only three entered service. The war ended before their planned attack on the Panama Canal (Operation PX) could launch. Surrendered in 1945, they revealed Japan’s audacious vision of global submarine aviation.



Sneak Attack! (Four Alternative History Stories)



Wars and Invasions (Four alternative history stories)