Burned Vesuvius Scrolls to be Read by 3-D X-ray
X-ray technology allows researchers to read scrolls that were carbonized by the 79 AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
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Articles by Gerald D. Swick
In Memoriam – John Hill, 1945-2015, Designer of ‘Squad Leader’
John Hill, best known for designing Avalon Hill’s groundbreaking “Squad Leader” game, died on January 12, 2015.
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Time Capsule from 1795 Found in Massachusetts Statehouse
A time capsule believed to date from 1795 has been found in the Massachusetts Statehouse.
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The Battle of the Bulge – Book Review
Wayne Vansant cranks up the dramatic tension a notch or two in “The Battle of the Bulge,” the latest in his well-researched, graphic novel–style history series from Zenith Press.
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My Pearl Harbor Scrapbook 1941 – Book Review
“My Pearl Harbor Scrapbook 1941” packs a wealth of information into a small amount of space, and every page is lavishly enhanced by reproductions of World War II memorabilia.
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The Medal of Honor – Book Review
“The Medal of Honor: A History of Service Above and Beyond” tells how the medal originated and provides many fascinating stories of recipients from the Civil War to the present day.
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Ghost Soldiers of Gettysburg – Book Review
Civil War buffs and ghost story fans could certainly do worse than curling up with “Ghost Soldiers of Gettysburg” and a bowl of trick-or-treat candy on Halloween.
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Battle for Stalingrad – Card Game Review
“Battle for Stalingrad” from DVG is a slick little card game that captures the sense of the back-and-forth fighting and the supply problems of Stalingrad, but it seems to favor one side too heavily.
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The Red Baron – Book Review
In his latest graphic novel–style history, “The Red Baron,” Wayne Vansant takes to the skies of World War I to tell not only the story of Manfred von Richthofen, aka The Red Baron, but of the development of aerial warfare.
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Lincoln’s Bishop – Book Review
‘Lincoln’s Bishop,’ by Gustav Niebuhr, tells the little-known story of Henry B. Whipple, Minnesota’s first Episcopal bishop, who tried to convince Lincoln to reform the Office of Indian Affairs and tried to calm white hysteria in the wake of the Sioux Uprising of 1862.
Read MoreBackstage at the Lincoln Assassination – Book Review
“Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination” takes a fresh approach to a well-worn path, walking readers through the activities of performers and stagehands at Ford’s Theater in the hours before the assassination and then following their lives afterward.
Read MoreLoyal Forces: The American Animals of WWII – Book Review
“Loyal Forces: The American Animals of World War II” may have the cutest cover ever on a military history book, but is a well-researched, engagingly written work on a largely overlooked subject.
Read MoreCommander Dossier: Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap
A “Commander Dossier” on Vietnamese Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, originally published in the May 2006 issue of “Armchair General” magazine.
Read More7 Questions for John Antal on ‘7 Leadership Lessons of the American Revolution’
ArmchairGeneral.com asks Col. (ret) John Antal 7 questions about his new book, “7 Leadership Lessons of the American Revolution.”
Read MoreNew Games from the Slitherine Group – Part 2
This is the second part of a two-part report by ArmchairGeneral.com editor Gerald D. Swick on games shown at The Slitherine Group’s Press Days (Slitherine-Matrix-Ageod), July 18-19, 2013, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, during the Historicon miniatures gaming convention. Click here to read Part 1. Apart from the game designers and developers and the journalists who were there to cover the event, Press Days had a special guest, Robert Tokarz. He was the winner in a fan contest in which one person from among those who “liked” an entry on the Matrix Games Facebook page won a trip to Historicon. He also received an award. Scourge of War series, developed by NorbSoftDev. This highly regarded American Civil War series started with Gettysburg, then covered Antietam and Chancellorsville, as well as the battle-that-never-was, Pipe Creek, where George Gordon Meade had intended to fight Robert E. Lee’s army during the Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania. Recently the entire series was bundled into a 150th Anniversary package that includes Brandy Station, the largest cavalry battle...
Read MoreNew Games Coming from the Slitherine Group – Part 1
The Slitherine Group (Slitherine-Matrix-Ageod) trotted out a dozen or so new and upcoming games during their annual Press Days event. Armchair General was there and presents this report.
Read MoreWW II from Space – DVD Review
The ‘hook’ in ‘WWII from Space’ – images shot from space, on which information overlaid – sounds good but isn’t particularly impressive; however, the content and the other visuals make this DVD of a program from HISTORY well worth owning.
Read MoreThe Graphic History of Gettysburg – Book Review
“The Graphic History of Gettysburg,” which used a graphic-novel format, is an excellent choice for introducing younger readers to the battle, with enough meat in its fast-paced, accurate narrative to satisfy grown-ups.
Read MoreReporting the Revolutionary War – Book Review
“Reporting the Revolutionary War” is an impressive collection of reproductions of newspaper pages from the time of the American War for Independence, a must-have for anyone interested in the period.
Read MoreGeneral H. Norman Schwarzkopf – In Memoriam
A lifetime of military and cultural training prepared General H. Norman Schwarzkopf to achieve one of history’s most astonishing victories: a tribute upon his death.
Read MoreNormandy: A Graphic History of D-Day – Book Review
‘Normandy: A Graphic History of D-Day; The Allied Invasion of Fortress Europe’ uses the graphic novel format to tell a story that is engaging and informative for adults and can provide an excellent introduction to the subject for teens and older pre-teens.
Read MoreTeenager Supports Honor Flights, with Bluegrass and Pancakes
Seventeen-year-old musician Jonathan Dillard wanted to raise money for the Honor Flight Network, to help and to honor aging and terminally ill veterans. His fundraising method: pancakes and bluegrass music.
Read MoreSun of York – Card Game Review
Sun of York is a fast-moving card game of the Wars of the Roses. Despite some obtuse rules, it is actually quite easy to play as either a two-person or solitaire game.
Read MoreNational Museum of the Pacific War – A Photo Essay
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents a phenomenal mix of great artifacts and state-of-the-art electronics, as shown in this photo essay.
Read MoreChip Cifone: ESPN Technology Director’s WW2 Collection
Chip Cifone, senior director of client technology services and support at ESPN, talks with Armchair General about his personal collection of World War II memorabilia.
Read MoreOldest Survivor of Bataan Death March Dies at 105
Albert “Doc” Brown, the oldest survivor of the Bataan Death March, has died at age 105.
Read MoreBoots on the Ground – Boardgame Review
Worthington Games’ ‘Boots on the Ground’ boardgame of modern urban combat has its problems, but its fog of war makes players more nervous than an espresso-addicted Chihuahua.
Read More‘Kill or Capture’ – Interview with Interrogator and Author Matthew Alexander
An interview with Matthew Alexander, author of ‘Kill or Capture: How a Special Operations Task Force Took Down a Notorious al Qaeda Terrorist,’ who conducted more than 300 interrogations and supervised more than 1,000 in Iraq.
Read MoreWartorn 1861 – 2010: DVD Review
Wartorn 1861–2010 may be tough to watch in its exploration of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the American Civil War to modern times, but its information is essential for veterans and their families and friends coping with PTSD.
Read MoreTaps for Major Dick Winters of the ‘Band of Brothers’
Major Dick Winters, the decorated World War II paratrooper made famous in Band of Brothers, has passed away at the age of 92.
Read MoreAuthor Jay Wertz and Armchair General Editor Jerry Morelock – Interview
Author Jay Wertz and Armchair General editor Jerry Morelock talk about their work on War Stories: The Pacific, Volume I, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, and offer tips for helping vets share their stories.
Read MoreNorth Korea Shells Island, South Korea Responds
North Korean artillery shelled a populated South Korean island, and South Korea scrambled F-16 fighter jets and returned fire.
Read MoreTedium and Terror – The Story of Every War
An article about an American unit in Afghanistan shows the old maxim is still true – war is long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of shear terror.
Read MoreNew Photo of Abraham Lincoln’s Son, Tad
The Abraham Lincoln Museum and Library in Springfield, Illinois, recently acquired a previously unknown photo of of Abraham and Mary Lincoln’s mischievous son Tad.
Read MoreFirst Living Medal of Honor Recipient in 40 Years
Staff Sergeant Salvatore A. Giunta from Hiawatha, Iowa, is the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.
Read MoreRed Pill – Interview with Warfare Sims
In an exclusive interview, Dimitris Dranidis of Warfare Sims talks about the game tentatively titled Red Pill that will let players control anything from individual units to global-scale ops.
Read MoreDoctor Sinister at the Great Western LEGO Show
LEGO has come a long way from when children first used the snap-together blocks to make simple buildings, as proven by these photographs taken by the nefarious-but-lovable Doctor Sinister at the Great Western LEGO Show in Swindon, UK.
Read MoreMaking History II – A Visit with Muzzy Lane
Armchair General visits the Muzzy Lane offices and talks with the developers of Making History II: The War of the World.
Read MoreHistoricon 2010 Road Report
A report with photos on Historicon 2010 and its first year at its new location, Valley Forge Convention Center.
Read More50 Free Turns of Making History II
Get 50 free turns to try out Making History II: The War of the World.
Read MoreThe U.S. Army and Interrogation in Operation Iraqi Freedom – Maj. D. A. Pryer Interview
An interview with Maj. Douglas A. Pryer, author of The Fight for the High Ground: the U.S. Army and Interrogation in Operation Iraqi Freedom, May 2003 – April 2004, an expanded version of Pryer’s award-winning Masters Thesis.
Read MoreDuke Seifried – Last Hurrah at Historicon 2010
Duke Seifried is a legend in miniatures gaming but also Renaissance Man whose resume includes work in television and advertising and playing some cool jazz music.
Read MoreTheodore Roosevelt’s History of the United States – Book Review
Theodore Roosevelt’s History of the United States: His own words selected and arranged by Daniel Ruddy. Smithsonian Books, 2010. Hardback, 318 pages plus foreword, introduction, and source notes. No photographs. $27.99. It unabashedly, unstintingly reflects a man whose love for his country ran as deep as the Mississippi. People who attain great fame are often even more contradictory in their personalities than the average person is. Certainly, that can be said of Theodore Roosevelt, a fact that is abundantly clear in Theodore Roosevelt’s History of the United States. The man who said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" comes through as both starry-eyed optimist regarding the American people and a curmudgeon in his opinion of particular individuals. Daniel Ruddy says in the book’s introduction that he decided to compile this book after realizing that if he could talk with anyone from American history, living or dead, that person would be Roosevelt. His approach was to "create Roosevelt’s part of the conversation," based exclusively on the soldier-politician-adventurer’s own words....
Read More366 Days in Abraham Lincoln’s Presidency – Book Review
This review of 366 Days in Abraham Lincoln’s Presidency says the book succeeds in presenting a picture of the public and personal issues Lincoln faced during his presidency, using bite-sized anecdotes and explanatory asides.
Read MoreBrendan Gleeson as Winston Churchill in ‘Into the Storm’ – An Interview
Brendan Gleeson talks about portraying British Prime Minister Winston in HBO Films’ Into the Storm and about his work in other historical dramas.
Read MoreElimination Tournament – Greatest Western Movie
Greatest Western Movie elimination tournament! Vote for your favorites to decide the Greatest Western Movie of them all.
Read MoreArmchair General’s New Online Editor
Reporting for duty, sir! Let me introduce myself. I’m the new senior online editor for armchairgeneral.com and HistoryNet. The rest of the staff who have been bringing you the history and interactive features you enjoy are still here and will have greater opportunities to develop exciting new content as I assume more of the editorial responsibilities. Some of you may remember me as the author of the “Commander Dossier” and “Weapon Files” departments in the print version of Armchair General magazine, as well as some of its interactive articles like “Yamamoto’s Dilemma” and “ Washington at Germantown .” You may have seen my name among the authors of articles in ABC-CLIO’s The Encyclopedia of World War II: A Political, Social and Military History or The West Virginia Encyclopedia from that state’s Humanities Council. I may also have rolled dice with you at Historicon, Nashcon, Origins or other game conventions. A couple of days before writing this blog, I visited Fort Morgan at the mouth of Mobile Bay, where Confederate...
Read MoreWeapon Files – The Longbow
We take an insider’s look at the weapon that ended the mounted knight’s reign!
Read MoreCommander Dossier: Henry V
Explore the Commander Dossier for Henry V – England’s “fighting king” and a master of medieval warfare.
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HistoryNet
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- Seminoles Taught American Soldiers a Thing or Two About Guerrilla Warfare
- This Patient Rider Spent Months Retracing the Pony Express on Horseback
- 10 Pivotal Events in the Life of Buffalo Bill
- During the War Years, Posters From the American Homefront Told You What to Do — And What Not to Do