During the Korean war in July of 1950, the US Army issued an order for heavy trucks. It came weeks before Toyota would have filed for bankruptcy. — Background After the capitulation of Japan in September of 1945, at the end of WWII, the United States occupied the country and worked to ensure Japan would never be in a position to make war in the future. …

In April of 1943 while on patrol in the Solomon Islands, the destroyer USS O’Bannon bravely attacked the Japanese Sub RO-34 using a secret weapon: Maine potatoes — The DD 450 known as the USS O’Bannon was a Fletcher class destroyer built and launched from the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine in 1942. The “Lucky O” as she was known, became the most decorated US Navy destroyer in her illustrious WW II career.

The surprise Japanese response to the firebombing of its cities — On the evening of May 24,1945, twelve Ki-21 Mitsubishi “Sally” bombers lifted off from an airbase in Kengun, Japan. They were on a one-way mission to defeat the American B-29 bombers that had been wreaking destruction on Japanese cities for months. …

An audacious US attack in 1942 had a more profound effect on Japanese leadership than historians have considered — Introduction After the stunning and embarrassing attack at Pearl Harbor, Wake Island and Guam and the retreat in the Philippines, FDR was seeking a way to exact revenge on the Japanese. The answer was the raid led by Lt. Colonel James Doolittle, one of America’s most experienced and daredevil aviators.

Japan’s victory at Pearl Harbor wasn’t as great as historians think — While most historians consider the surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy on December 7, 1941 to be almost perfect, there were some serious errors by the Japanese that allowed America to get back in action months after the attack. …

In the 1950’s the US Navy developed the MK23 nuclear shell for deployment aboard Iowa class battleships — Background We are all familar with the role of battleships as seen in videos from WWII. Scenes of battlewagons standing off shore lobbing 16" shells onto an enemy held island supporting amphibious landings are everywhere on the History channel and youtube. Battleships by design are stand off weapons, due to their…

The only time a battleship sunk an aircraft carrier — The disastrous sinking of the HMS Glorious and loss of life was unprecedented in the annals of history. This is the only time a battleship sunk an aircraft carrier. Setting At the outset of WWII, the prevalent thinking by most naval strategists was rooted in the 19th century theories of Alfred…

Outnumbered American Marines, aviators and sailors fought an epic battle against a superior Japanese landing force. Part 1 Strategic importance Wake Island is a Western Pacific triangular-shaped atoll made up of a reef and three islands: Wilkes, Peale and Sand Island surrounding a central lagoon situated on the other side of the…

Pete: Excellent piece! A few key takeaways that I agree with:· -We are all basically responsible for our own health· -Everything we consume (food, drink, medications) either has a positive or negative effect on our health· -Long-term habits like smoking, excessive alcohol etc. …