History
General history issues, although a lot will be about WW2
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German troops invaded the Netherlands in May 1940. The Nazi regime stayed in power in the Netherlands until May 1945. However, the Allies had already liberated the southern provinces in the autumn of 1944. Despite the occupation, life went ahead as usual for many, at least to some extent. The Nazi occupiers still allowed sporting…
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This morning, while driving home from my weekly shopping trip, I was listening to Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” Originally released as the fourth single from their 2004 album American Idiot, the song was written by frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. It reflects on the death of his father in September 1982 and…
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It may be a naive notion, but I believe there are only two types of people in this world: good and bad. Bad people will always do bad and evil things. They may, on occasion, be charitable and do something good, but in the end, they only serve their own interests. On the other hand,…
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On May 23, 1977, the Netherlands was gripped by one of the most dramatic and violent episodes in its post-war history. A group of South Moluccan extremists launched a coordinated attack, hijacking a train and taking hostages in a nearby elementary school. This act of terrorism was not random—it was rooted in decades of political…
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A mistake many people would make is that a charity as large as the Red Cross would not fall victim to manipulation. Although they have the best intentions, any charity can only go by the information given to them. They may believe they are eyewitnesses to something, but to suit “certain” narratives—façades can cover the…
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A few weeks ago, I watched a beautiful short film, What’s Your Number? It’s a story about a Holocaust survivor who comes full circle sharing his life story with an African American child he meets at the park. The survivor and his sister’s lives were saved by the heroic action of an African American soldier during World…
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Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, famously known as Bonnie and Clyde, were among the most infamous criminal couples in American history. Their lives of crime during the Great Depression captured the imagination of the public, yet their story ended in a dramatic and violent ambush that marked one of the most famous manhunts in U.S.…
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I did post about the Ovitz family before but because it is such a remarkable story, I thought it a good idea to do another one. Before I get into the main story, I have to explain that I mean no disrespect with the title— it was how the family gained recognition. The Ovitz family…
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Johan Marius Nicolaas Heesters (5 December 1903 – 24 December 2011), known professionally as Johannes Heesters, was a Dutch-German stage, television, and film actor, as well as a vocalist and concert performer. His career began in the 1920s and spanned more than eight decades. Remarkably, he continued acting until his death, making him one of…
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On July 24, 1922, the Council of the League of Nations — the predecessor to the United Nations Security Council — formally approved the British Mandate for Palestine, marking one of the earliest legal steps toward the eventual establishment of the State of Israel. This decision came in the aftermath of World War I and…
History of Sorts 