The Handy Military History Answer Book

Book excerpt: Heroism and sacrifice. Brutality and folly. Great leaders, great villains, pivotal moments, and events. Take a captivating, concise, and convenient look at how the world, the United States, and the lives we lead today have been changed by war and the military! Military history is a fascinating, complex, and often contradictory subject. War and fighting between tribes, clans, groups, and countries has been with us forever. Wars cause political, social, and technological upheavals. From early Greeks and Romans to the great conquering militaries of the past, continuing on through the civil wars and world wars that shaped the boundaries of today’s nations, and to the modern weapons, technologies, guerrilla warfare, and terrorism currently reported in the nightly news, The Handy Military History Answer Book looks at the who, the what, the why, and the how of conflicts throughout history. It answers over 1,100 questions, from the most widely asked to the more obscure, such as: Who cast the first stone (of human history)? Is there anything to the story of Ancient Troy? Could Alexander the Great have conquered the early Roman Republic? How many men, and auxiliary fighters, were there in a Roman legion? Which precious metal did the Vikings prefer above all others? Do we even have his name—Genghis Khan—right? Where did Richard the Lion-Heart get his nickname? How long did it take to learn how to use the longbow? Was Napoleon really not French? When did George Washington have to alter all his plans: and how did he go about making the change? What signals did Paul Revere watch for on the evening of April 18, 1775? How many people died at the Siege of Fort Sumter? What was the worst day of the Civil War, in the Far West? Where was the world's first submarine deployed? When were balloons first deployed in warfare? Where did the name "Uncle Sam" come from? What did Rasputin have to say about the approach of the First World War? Why on earth did Hitler code-name his invasion of Russia for a German emperor who drowned? How close did Hitler come to victory at Moscow in 1941? What ten days decided the outcome of World War II? What was so special about the B-24? When did the Cold War commence? What role will technology like the Internet play in future warfare? How significant—to the United States—is the rise in China’s military power? The weapons, leaders, soldiers, battles, tactics, strategies, blunders, technologies, and outcomes are all examined in The Handy Military History Answer Book. It investigates everything from the smallest miscalculations and maneuvers to the biggest invasions and battles, as well as the cutting-edge technologies and firepower that led to victories and helped change the world! This powerful primer on the military also includes a helpful bibliography and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness.