Unknown Historians

Dear Mom… In Which Grandaddy Takes Issue with Impractical Old Maids

In a battered blue trunk with rusted hinges and broken locks lies the truest of treasures: hundreds of letters from Grandaddy Bill and his brother Hugh, written to their mother from the Pacific during the Second World War.

Aug. 29th (1943)

Dear Mom–

            This is Sunday, and having a whole 21 hours liberty, I’m spending it in Richmond.  I haven’t done anything…

As a historian, one of my major pet peeves is armchair quarterbacks who like to use the benefit of hindsight to criticize historical figures, taking their actions out of context and denigrating their accomplishments using a modern lens. One of the most popular examples of this is how people like to hate on Columbus. It is now trendy to lay a host of vicious labels upon him while somehow…

Your Daily Dose of WWII Memes

Stay Free, Mr. Snowden

So. I really enjoy Joe Rogan Podcast. He interviews the most fascinating people, from Jordan Peterson to Bernie Sanders, and he always remains open minded and inquisitive, allowing his guests to express and explain themselves instead of engaging in arguments or passing judgement. He appears to seek understanding, and I really respect that.

Plus it gives me something productive to do in…

Unpopular Opinions: “Blackwashing” the Egyptians

So a forensic rendering of Queen Nefertiti has been unveiled, and some folks are absolutely flipping out.

That’s just a for instance. Or click here to check out this rant from The Root.

Ya’ll, I’m frankly baffled by the gaps in education I see on social media and even among my intelligent, educated friends.

Kids, the Egyptians WERE NOT BLACK. African?  Absolutely!  But NOT ALL AFRICANS are Black…

Armed Arctos: Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front 1943-1945

By Todd Hubert

April 2016

 At 0445 hours on the morning of September 1, 1939, German divisions supported by tactical aircraft and mobile armor poured across the Polish frontier.  The Polish government surrenderd at the end of five weeks of fighting.  Then on May 10, 1940 the Wehrmacht struck west and at the end of six weeks of heavy fighting Belgium, the Netherlands and France stood…

Paranoia Agent and Japan’s Role in the War: Responsibility vs Victim-hood

Presenting another part of my thesis, Echoes on Celluloid: The Historical Memory of WWII as Seen Through Japanese Anime. The chapter posted below is an expansion of this post here, with a focus specifically on Paranoia Agent. Already posted is my work on Akira and it’s warnings about misuing science. Also posted is the Space Battleship Yamatofranchise and the shifting views on nationalism and…

Cherry Pickin’ Putin

Spotted this entertaining little article while perusing my MSN homepage:

Russia angry at Poland over WWII anniversary snub

Read the article, seriously. It’s short and funny as hell. In short, Putin is in a pout because Russia wasn’t invited to this little commemoration shin-dig which Poland threw. My favorite part? Accusing the Polish of ignoring “historic logic” because of the USSR’s…

Akira and the Nuclear Bomb: The Dangers of Science Without a Conscience

http://creofire.com/akira-japanese-1988/

Publishing another chapter from my thesis titled Echoes on Celluloid: The Historical Memory of WWII as seen through Japanese Anime.

For more of my work in this subject area, visit the page here.

As always, if you wish to use any of my work please cite me appropriately 🙂

In 1988 an animated feature-length film by Katsuhiro Otomo came on the…

Lincoln and JFK: Coincidences and Contrivances

Everybody loves good spooky ghost stories and crazy coincidences, right?  A good mystery gives us something to talk about besides work, or the kids, or what we need to fix on the house.  It gives us a break for the mundanity of our daily grind; it allows us to escape from the nine-to-five.  It’s why when I want to relax, I’ll probably grab Poe or King instead of Keegan (forgive me, history gods).

Organized Crime in Dallas, Texas, and the Murder of Lee Harvey Oswald

  Two conversations over Thanksgiving break made me realize an odd trend in my life – my nearest and dearest have no idea I have this blog.

Whoops.  Weird.  I didn’t do that on purpose.  I guess it stems from being actually oddly shy about my work.  That, and I guess I assumed none of my friends would be interested in it, anyway (they’re not historians) and by not telling them, I spare myself…