History Dispatches

When Hannibal - the sworn enemy of Rome wanted to attack Italy - he had a problem. Going by sea was impossible, and invading by land was almost as difficult as it required crossing the Alps, which are some of the most formidable mountains in the world. The key word though is 'almost.' Because in 16 harrowing days Hannibal and his army did exactly that - crossed the Alps - in one of the greatest achievements in military history.

Sources

https://www.livius.org/sources/content/hannibal-in-the-alps/

https://www.livius.org/articles/person/hannibal-3-barca/hannibal-in-the-alps/

https://www.maajournal.com/index.php/maa/article/view/490/416

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heinrich_Leutemann_-_Hannibals_%C3%9Cbergang_%C3%BCber_die_Alpen_(cropped).jpg

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Crypto AG was a Swiss company that specialized in encryption technology with roots all the way back to 1920. In 1970, the company was sold. The buyers - the CIA and BND - the latter West Germany's intelligence service. The result was described as the 'Intelligence Coup of the Century'. This is the story of Operation Rubicon.

Sources

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/national-security/cia-crypto-encryption-machines-espionage/

https://www.cryptomuseum.com/intel/cia/rubicon.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Rubicon

Image: by Rama - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hagelin_CX-52-IMG_0568-white.jpg

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On a cold October night, on the Harvard Bridge in Boston, Oliver Smoot and his fellow MIT fraternity pledges were doing something odd - measuring how long the bridge was in Mr. Smoot's height. But they succeeded, and eventually this would cause the unit - the Smoot - to be born. It is a story that lives on in the lore of Boston, MIT, the Internet, and the very concrete of the Harvard Bridge itself.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot

https://news.mit.edu/2008/smoot-tt0924

Image: Courtesy MIT - https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/object/GCP-00023939?query=smoot&resultIndex=6

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Over 10 days in 1913, Mexico experienced a coup d'état that would lead to the execution of its nation’s president. During this crisis, Mexico would end up having - in less than an hour’s time span - three different presidents. This is the story of the 10 Tragic Days.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Tragic_Days

https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mexican-revolution-and-the-united-states/interactive-map.html

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Ten_Tragic_Days

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Decena_trágica.JPG

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After Mexico gained its independence in the early 1800's it had a bit of a sore spot - Texas. This sore spot would eventually turn into the Texas Revolution, but before that, there was the Fredonia Rebellion. This was a series of evictions, fraudulent elections, and farcical arrests that eventually amounted to a declaration of independence.

Sources

Richard Fields - Cherokee Chief, True West Magazine, March 1987

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/fredonian-rebellion

https://easttexashistory.org/items/show/166

Images: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fredonian_Rebellion_Flag_of_1826.svg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Konen_Colorado_%26_Red_River_Land_Co._c._1835_UTA_(map).jpg

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