Free Republic 4th Qtr 2025 Fundraising Target: $81,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $37,124
45%  
Woo hoo!! And now only $136 to reach 46%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.

History (General/Chat)

Brevity: Headers | « Text »
  • A German Pilot Pulled Along a Crippled B-17 -- Unaware it Would Define Both Their Lives

    11/16/2025 7:30:04 AM PST · by Yardstick · 16 replies
    YouTube ^ | September 25, 2025 | Beyond The Battlefield
    In the final days of 1943, a damaged American B-17 struggled to stay in the air — its crew wounded, its engines failing. Then, out of the clouds, a German fighter appeared. What happened next became one of the most extraordinary acts of mercy in World War II.
  • Harvard Researchers Say Strong Campaigns, Effective Anti-Trump Messaging Boosted Democrats in 2025 Elections

    11/16/2025 6:17:28 AM PST · by CondoleezzaProtege · 52 replies
    The Harvard Crimson ^ | November 11, 2025 | Jen L. Phan, Adelaide L.D. Roger, m Alexa M. Schmitt,
    Political scientists at Harvard said Democratic victories in last week’s off-cycle elections were a sign of powerful backlash to Donald Trump’s presidency, but that Democrats could not afford to rest on their laurels ahead of the 2026 midterms. Tuesday’s elections added new fuel to debates over whether Democrats could best strengthen their coalition by shifting to the center or embracing their party’s left wing. Moderates Sherrill and Spanberger wielded their congressional experience and military and intelligence backgrounds to win governor’s seats. But Mamdani secured the New York City mayor’s office after running an unapologetically progressive campaign. Some Harvard faculty said...
  • Netanyahu again goes after Ehud Barak for ties to accused billionaire Jeffrey Epstein [Flashback]

    11/16/2025 5:52:00 AM PST · by CondoleezzaProtege · 17 replies
    The Times of Israel ^ | 2019 | TOI Staff & Agencies
    The political jousting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and rival former premier Ehud Barak ramped up Tuesday when the premier published a video on social media again questioning the latter’s relationship with US billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of sex-trafficking in minors. The video was published under the headline “What else has sex offender Epstein given to Barak?” According to Netanyahu’s video, Epstein manages the Wexner Foundation. Forbes says he serves as a trustee, and a spokesperson for the institution told the financial news outlet that Les Wexner, founder of the organization, severed ties with Epstein over a decade...
  • Sen. Fetterman shares graphic photo after heart rhythm scare, says doctors ‘put me back together’

    11/16/2025 4:17:45 AM PST · by Libloather · 37 replies
    Fox News ^ | 11/15/25 | Jasmine Baehr
    Sen. John Fetterman shared a graphic recovery photo Saturday, two days after a fall near his Pennsylvania home sent him to a Pittsburgh hospital with a facial injury caused by a ventricular fibrillation flare-up. Fetterman, D-Pa., posted the close-up selfie on X Saturday, showing a stitched gash across his cheek as he held an iced coffee. "Twenty stitches later and a full recovery, I’m back home," he wrote, thanking doctors at UPMC for "putting me back together" and supporters for their well-wishes. He posted the image just two days after he was hospitalized early Thursday. A spokesperson said the senator...
  • More than 100 officers injured as protesters attack police, breach barrier at Mexico's National Palace

    11/16/2025 3:41:50 AM PST · by Libloather · 22 replies
    Fox News ^ | 11/15/25 | Alexandra Koch
    Thousands of protesters swarmed Mexico City Saturday, attacking police officers and attempting to breach a security barrier around the National Palace, which houses the federal government's executive branch. Plumes of tear gas filled the street as hooded protesters dragged riot police out of formation, beat them with hammers and chains and threw explosive devices at them, as they were stripped of their shields and communication radios. The Secretariat of Citizen Security of Mexico City announced via social media that at least 60 police officers had minor injuries, and 40 officers were taken to hospitals. Of the 40 officers hospitalized, 36...
  • Former California customs officer sentenced to 15 years for helping traffickers bring drugs into US

    11/16/2025 3:07:37 AM PST · by Libloather · 13 replies
    LOS ANGELES — A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to working with Mexican traffickers to bring drugs into the U.S., officials said Thursday. Diego Bonillo, 30, pleaded guilty in July to multiple charges, including conspiracy to import controlled substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. As part of his plea deal, he admitted to using his position to allow drug-filled cars into the U.S. from Mexico without inspection. He allowed at least 75 kilograms of fentanyl, 11.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, and more than 1 kilogram of heroin...
  • Defense startup Govini founder Eric Gillespie charged in child sex sting

    11/16/2025 2:50:55 AM PST · by Libloather · 11 replies
    CNBC ^ | 11/13/25 | Lori Ann LaRocco
    The founder of Virginia-based defense startup Govini was arrested on charges of attempting to solicit a pre-teen girl for sexual contact in Pennsylvania, authorities said Monday. The founder, Eric Gillespie, 57, was charged with four felonies, including multiple counts of unlawful contact with a minor, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. Gillespie, who lives in Pittsburgh, was denied bail by the judge, citing flight risk and concerns over public safety. His company, which placed him on administrative leave on Monday, has a $900-million U.S. government contract, and multiple deals with the Defense Department. Govini last month announced it had...
  • Tom Standage’s ten trends to watch in 2026

    11/15/2025 8:41:48 PM PST · by SeekAndFind · 8 replies
    The Economist ^ | 11/15/2025 | Tom Standage, Editor, The World Ahead 2026
    This is Donald Trump’s world—we’re all just living in it. The disruptor-in-chief was the biggest factor shaping global affairs in 2025, and that will be the case for as long as he remains in the White House. His norm-shattering approach has caused turmoil in some areas (as in trade) but has also delivered diplomatic results (as in Gaza) and forced necessary change (as with European defence spending). As the Trumpnado spins on in 2026, here are ten trends and themes to watch in the coming year. 1. America’s 250th.Expect to hear wildly diverging accounts of America’s past, present and future,...
  • New Technology Reveals Hidden Secrets Behind Rembrandt's Masterpiece [52:00]

    11/15/2025 4:23:42 PM PST · by SunkenCiv · 25 replies
    YouTube ^ | November 6, 2025 | Perspective
    No serious art collection today is complete without a genuine Rembrandt. Born in 1606, the son of a miller, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn revolutionized painting, famously capturing the very souls of his subjects through his portraits. But the life of this Baroque genius was as dramatic as his art. Plagued by tragedy and family struggles, the art titan died at 63, lonely, poor, and misunderstood. This documentary journeys back to his Dutch roots and offers an intimate look at the groundbreaking conservation effort, "Operation Nightwatch," underway at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. New Technology Reveals Hidden Secrets Behind Rembrandt's Masterpiece |...
  • New Shakespeare Portrait Could Change History | Full Episode | Secrets of the Dead | PBS [55:35]

    11/15/2025 4:13:22 PM PST · by SunkenCiv · 28 replies
    YouTube ^ | November 12, 2025 | PBS
    There are only two accepted representations of William Shakespeare that are considered "official" -- but could a portrait that has been hanging over a family's mantelpiece for the last 50 years be the third? British window washer Steven Wadlow, whose father bought the portrait in the 1960s, is on the hunt to prove the painting is indeed genuine. If so, it could be worth as much as $200 million. New Shakespeare Portrait Could Change History | Full Episode Secrets of the Dead | 55:35 PBS | 1.62M subscribers | 59,578 views | November 12, 2025
  • Islam may have descended from the Sadducees.

    11/15/2025 4:05:37 PM PST · by Jonty30 · 55 replies
    Today | Karl Klefsgård
    HTML Image
  • Las Vegas officials weigh banning criminal offenders from Strip to revive tourism

    11/15/2025 2:51:56 PM PST · by Libloather · 68 replies
    Fox News ^ | 11/15/25 | Ashley J. DiMella
    A disbanded court in Las Vegas may come back to life as lawmakers look to attract visitors to revive Sin City tourism. Vegas tourism has continued to decline, with just over 3 million visitors in September, an 8.8% decrease from the same time last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCA). A specialized court was created in 2022 to handle offenses such as petty theft, assault, drug violations and loitering, with penalties including banning offenders from the Strip for a year. The Resort Corridor Court, however, was disbanded less than two years later after judges raised...
  • Judge rejects Rep. LaMonica McIver’s bid to toss assault case, says her actions had ‘no legislative purpose’

    11/15/2025 2:26:43 PM PST · by Libloather · 11 replies
    Fox News ^ | 11/14/25 | Louis Casiano
    A judge on Thursday denied a motion to dismiss the criminal case against U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., who is charged with assaulting federal agents during a visit to a New Jersey immigration detention center earlier this year. U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper wrote in a 41-page ruling that McIver failed to show the prosecution was vindictive and that her actions were "wholly disconnected" from her oversight role as a member of Congress. "Defendant has not met her burden of establishing that her predominant purpose in physically opposing the Mayor’s arrest was to conduct oversight or gather information for a...
  • Corinth: Roman Capital of Greece [6:45]

    11/15/2025 12:26:49 PM PST · by SunkenCiv · 3 replies
    YouTube ^ | November 14, 2025 | Scenic Routes to the Past (Garrett Ryan, Ph.D)
    Corinth was the capital of Achaea, the Roman province that covered most of Greece. This video explores its most important monuments. Corinth: Roman Capital of Greece | 6:45 Scenic Routes to the Past | 47.3K subscribers | 6,906 views | November 14, 2025 0:00 Introduction 0:57 Temple of Apollo 1:47 Forum 3:06 Rostra 3:40 Lechaion Road 4:38 Sacred Spring 5:12 Odeon 5:41 Theater
  • The Man Who Wouldn't Sign Up, compared with modern observers of dystopian tendencies

    11/15/2025 11:16:30 AM PST · by CharlesOConnell · 5 replies
    YouTube Story Videos ^ | 11/15/2025 | CharlesOconnell
    The story "The Man Who Wouldn't Join" (at the article link click) in consideration of Gabriel Marcel's "Man Against Mass Society", René Girard's notion of "the scapegoat mechanism" (violent mass psychology), Jacques Ellul's "Propaganda" (siloing of ideologies), and Edward Bernays' "Propaganda" (manipulative mass techniques). The Man Who Wouldn't Join is about a rebellious individualist who attains security from invasive collective-movement recruitment demands by finding a similar, rebellious individualist woman who also "won't join" with whom he can ally in a marriage. Our very belief in our individual political points of view is merely grist for the mill of oligarchic control,...
  • Something to believe in: The 1972 Buick Centurion

    11/15/2025 9:16:38 AM PST · by MAGA2017 · 54 replies
    OsbornTramain ^ | 11/14/2025 | OsbornTramain
    Traction Control became big in the late 1980's and early 1990's on luxury cars, but, it was used by Buick years ahead of time. GM introduced Airbags and also ABS Braking way back int the 1970's, but these safety options didn't gain popularity until the 1990's. Paul Burke was the Star of the 1960's TV shows, "Naked City" and "12 O'clock High" by Quinn Martin.
  • Free Sex Costs Everything: How the Sexual Revolution Broke Marriage, Men, and Women

    11/15/2025 7:25:53 AM PST · by Taxman · 243 replies
    PJMEDIA ^ | 11-14-2025 | Jamie K. Wilson
    A woman in her late thirties posts a simple complaint online: “Men can have kids into their seventies. I’ve only got a few years left. That’s so unfair.” Within hours, her mentions are a war zone. Some men sneer about “geriatric eggs.” Others write manifestos about feminism and hypergamy. A few women defend her, but the thread collapses into the same argument we’ve been having for decades. In Britain, a thirty-four-year-old woman recently sued her ex-boyfriend, claiming he had “stolen her childbearing years.” After ten years together, he ended the relationship without fulfilling his promises of marriage and children. Now,...
  • Misunderstood Malthus: The English thinker whose name is synonymous with doom and gloom has lessons for today

    11/14/2025 4:53:14 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 6 replies
    No one uses “Malthusian” as a compliment. Since 1798, when the economist and cleric Thomas Malthus first published “An Essay on the Principles of Population,” the “Malthusian” position – the idea that humans are subject to natural limits – has been vilified and scorned. Today, the term is lobbed at anyone who dares question the optimism of infinite progress. Unfortunately, almost everything most people think they know about Malthus is wrong. The story goes like this: Once upon a time, an English country parson came up with the idea that population increases at a “geometrical” rate, while food production increases...
  • 50 Years Ago: The SS Edmund Fitzgerald Sinks and Inspires a Gordon Lightfoot Hit

    11/14/2025 4:47:56 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 66 replies
    UltimateClassicRock ^ | Nov. 14, 2025 | Allison Rapp
    For those that live or have lived around the American Great Lakes region, the story of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald is likely familiar. It was, to date, the largest ship to ever sink in those waters, claiming the lives of 29 crew members whose bodies were never recovered. On the afternoon of Nov. 9, 1975, the boat set sail from Superior, Wisconsin, carrying a full load of iron ore pellets, bound for a steel plant on Zug Island near Detroit, Michigan. But by the next day, a severe storm had hit the lake and the ship sunk in Canadian waters...
  • Hochul open to raising taxes on NY corporations to fund socialist Zohran Mamdani’s freebies

    11/14/2025 3:37:01 PM PST · by Libloather · 35 replies
    NY Post ^ | 11/14/25 | Craig McCarthy, Matt Troutman
    Gov. Hochul is reportedly open to raising taxes on corporations in the Empire State to help fund socialist Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s freebie-filled agenda for New York City. Hochul, who is up for re-election in 2026, is sticking to her vow to not hit high-earners with higher taxes — but has had preliminary conversations about raising revenue by upping the corporate tax rate, according to Politico, which first reported the story. The hike would help fill the more than $4 billion budget gap facing the state next year and cover some of the costs associated with Mamdani’s socialist dream in the...