Samurai
Courageous Women of the Civil War: Soldiers, Spies, Medics and More (M.R. Cordell, Chicago Review Press, 2016, $19.99, Hardcover) A number of women served in various roles during the conflict. Read more
Samurai
In the 17th century samurai were elite warriors, members of Japan’s ruling class. They were born, not made; you had to come from a samurai family to be considered samurai. Read more
Samurai
He was the longest-reigning monarch and head of state in the 20th century, and the third-longest in history behind King Louis XIV of France (72 years) and England’s Queen Victoria (64 years). Read more
Samurai
Another invasion also began on June 6, 1944. By virtue of the International Date Line, the two invasions sailed on different days, but both sortied within the same 24-hour period. Read more
Samurai
The samurai warrior sat in the middle of the dueling grounds in the village of Hirafuku, Japan, glaring at the spectators who had gathered around him. Read more
Samurai
In May 1939, Mongolian herdsmen and part-time militia cavalry crossed the Khalkhin Gol, or Halha, River near the village of Nomonhan in Manchurian-claimed territory. Read more
Samurai
In 1611 Tokugawa Ieyasu had every reason to be pleased with himself. His son Hidetada was Shogun, supreme warlord of Japan, but in truth it was Ieyasu who ruled the country behind the scenes. Read more
Samurai
By the time of his death in 1582, he controlled 30 of Japan’s 68 provinces, was the commander of the greatest samurai army in his country’s history, and had earned the distinction of being the first of the three great unifiers of Japan. Read more
Samurai
In the eyes of the West, the Japanese samurai warrior has traditionally been associated with the long sword that bears his name. Read more
Samurai
In 1490 Japan entered a crucial period of its history known as the sengoku-jidai, or the “Age of the Country at War.” Read more
Samurai
Within a few weeks of the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” at Lexington and Concord, the fledgling United States, its army mostly underequipped militia, set out to defeat the British Army. Read more
