I'm glad you got a laugh at that story. Our family has regular fits every time it's brought up again. It was even funnier than I told it. My son was with his three friends and two of those friends were dating two of the four girls. All four girls were sooo adamant about Alaska's position that for just a second the four boys wondered if they were wrong. Thankfully, they concluded they were right and the girls were wrong.
And STILL the girls didn't back down. They were positive. Alaska is an island off the coast of southern California.
Our son tutored high school students. He has hundreds of these stories. One very rich young man in high school was being tutored in history and when asked who was the first president of the United States, he thought a moment and then answered "Lincoln."
Our patient, despairing son gave him the correct answer and then asked what war Washington fight in?
"The Civil War?" the student responded. Seriously.
What the heck are these schools doing with the billions funneled to "education???"
You also come across timeless gems that get them thinking such as this one.
Not the first nor the last time: the red sea crossing and destruction of Pharo and his army, and Gen Allenby’s victory again at the same spot using the same bible passage and entry to Michmash to defeat the Turks in WWI. Brigadier Major Vivian Gilbert had found and read 1 Sam 13 and 14 the night before his Brigade was faced with menacing prospects at Michmash. They found the passage and used it against the Ottoman Turks and defeated them. This proved to be a fulfillment of prophecy in that it paved the way for Jewish immigration into their ancient and historic homeland: the diaspera began to return and fulfill bible prophecy.
This was in 1917 when the Ottoman Turks sided with Germany in the War and it had cost Turkey all of Palestine and later must have had an impact on the fall of the Ottoman Turks as a nation and the rise of the new Turkish nation under Attaturk years later I think. The Ottoman Turks had ruled Palestine for 4 centuries (previous 400 years). In September 1917 Gen Allenby arrived in Cairo and in December the same year he approached Jerusalem. Brigadier Major Vivian Gilbert was part of that army. In February 1918 Gen Allenby detached the brigade Major Gilbert was in to capture the Turkish garrison at Michmash before the invasion of Jericho. He said they were expecting a counter attack on Jerusalem by the Ottoman Turks. The General in charge of the Brigade that Major Gilbert was in had planned a frontal assault up the steep slopes and cliffs in daylight which was a frightening prospect to Major Gilbert. The Turkish garrison had several thousand men and there was only a Brigade to mount the attack on the position.
Major Gilbert knew he had heard the name of Michmash and searched for it in his bible finding it in 1st Samuel, Chapter thirteen and Chapter fourteen and fifteen. Jonathan with God's divine intervention had prevailed over 3000 years earlier and Major Gilbert had found the same passage located between the same two rocks. Major Gilbert woke up the commanding General of the Brigade and proposed they surprise the Turkish garrison thru the same passage by surprise that night. The General approved the plan and Major Gilbert's men were able to surprise the Turkish garrison and rout them causing them to retreat thinking that all of General Allenby’s army had attacked them which was very similar in tactic to what God blessed Jonathan with in battle 3000 years earlier.
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http://www.sitedavis.com/michmash.html
It's TRUE!
It's also part of secular history.
When you know WHERE it happened, it matters.