“Never really subdued nor reconciled to our rule”: The 1842 Retreat from Kabul
The massacre of Major General Sir William Elphinstone’s army and its auxiliaries in early 1842 while attempting to retreat from Kabul, Afghanistan, was a shock to British statesmen and the public. The expeditionary force, many of whom were sent there in 1839 to assert British control, was made up of roughly 700 British soldiers, 3,800 Indian troops, and 14,000 civilians and workers attached to lend it support. Lord Auckland, the Governor General of India, was so shocked upon learning of the disaster that he had a stroke.
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The Year America Praised Russia: The Great Game and Sale of Alaska, 1867
The Crimean War (1853-1856) pitting Imperial Russia against the combined forces of the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, and France, had devastating consequences. Emerging military technology combined with disease led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides of the conflict.
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[Gallery] Ancient Weapons
Blowgun, meteor hammer, dagger-axe… Check some of the most interesting examples of ancient weapons.
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When America Avoided Entanglements: The Greek Struggle for Independence, 1821-1829
The Greek War of Independence (1821-1829) against the Ottoman Empire drew so much popular support in Europe that eventually Great Britain, France, and Russia were compelled to lend it military support. On the opposite side of the Atlantic, U.S. statesmen immediately petitioned the government to recognize the First Hellenic Republic despite a foundational tenet to avoid foreign “entanglements” by intervening in European affairs.
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[Gallery] The Beauty and Luxury of the Carved Gems
Carved gems, cameo, and intaglio were very popular luxury art forms in the ancient world. But, these forms were also accepted in the later…
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