Apache Warriors: The Special Forces of the Old West
Geronimo (Goyaałé), a Chiricahua Apache warrior, kneeling with rifle in1887. I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive.” — Geronimo The Apache…
Sterling Hayden: Sailor, Actor, Author & Spy
Sterling Hayden in “The Killing” (1956) — trailer screenshot (United Artists). Sterling Walter Hayden, born on March 26, 1916, was a man of many talents. He was an accomplished American…
Rum, James Bond and the Royal Navy
James Bond 007 Jamaican Rum by Blackwell Rum. Limited edition release of Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum, that was launched in partnership with the 007 movie franchise to celebrate Bond’s links…
Alan Pinkerton: Private Detective and Civil War Spy
Alan Pinkerton on horseback on the Antietam Battlefield in 1862. Alexander Gardner – U.S, Library of Congress. Alan Pinkerton was a Scottish-American detective and spy who founded the Pinkerton National…
Major General “Wild Bill” Donovan: Spymaster of the OSS
William “Wild Bill” Donovan. William Joseph Donovan, known as “Wild Bill,” was born on 1 January 1883, in Buffalo, New York1. He graduated from Columbia Law School and joined the…
Coffee and the Old West: How the Brew Helped Tame the West
Tichnor Bros. postcard circa 1940 with the caption “Chuck Wagon of The Ole Southwest, Plenty of Meat, Potatoes, Frijoles and Coffee about to be consumed”. There is no life without…
Project AQUILINE: Secret CIA Cold War UAV Program
McDonnell Douglas AQUILINE prototype (incorrectly identified as a “Mark II Batwing”) displayed inverted at the U.S. Army Aviation Museum. Credit: ZLEA / CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED. From the dawn of…
The Lost Battalion movie review: A Gripping Tale of Courage and Sacrifice
Director: Russell Mulcahy Starring: Rick Schroder, Phil McKee, Jamie Harris, Adam James, Jay Rodan I recall watching The Lost Battalion with a few friends when the movie came out. We…
Sir Francis Walsingham: The Architect of Modern Espionage
Depiction of Sir Francis Walsingham, principal secretary to Elizabeth I. More commonly known as her spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham, born around 1532, is a name that resonates through the annals…
Smoking in the First World War
WWI marked a pivotal moment in the 20th century, propelling cigarette usage to the forefront of tobacco consumption. This war introduced numerous modern military conventions, encompassing automatic weapons, mass casualties,…