ON THIS DATE… In 1914, the Christmas Truce began.

ON THIS DATE…
In 1914, the Christmas Truce began.

“The Great War” had been raging for more than six months and already there had been tens of thousands of casualties, not counting civilians, as the Industrial Revolution allowed for the deadliest battles the world had ever seen.


By Christmas Eve, soldiers in the trenches across Europe were exhausted, cold and suffering from low morale.

Along the Western Front as the time approached midnight, British soldiers heard noise in the distance. They paused to listen and realized the Germans, their enemies, were singing Christmas carols. The British began to sing back. This led to an agreement from representatives on both sides to meet in the middle – No Man’s Land – to talk. A temporary truce was agreed upon, and soldiers spent the next several hours singing, sharing food and wine, trading cigarettes and cigars and even playing soccer.

Across Europe, similar truces broke out that night, some of which lasted several days. One British soldier, a barber, offered haircuts to German soldiers. Soldiers from both sides helped each other collect and transport their dead.

Said a German soldier to a British soldier, “Today we have peace. Tomorrow, you fight for your country. I fight for mine. Good luck.”

Do you know anyone who joined the Auxiliary under the eligibility of a World War I veteran? Or was your Post named for someone who served in that war? Let us know by shouting out that hero’s name in the comments!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On this day in 2005, a heroine passes away.

Image
On this day in 2005, a heroine passes away. Captain Lillian Kinkella Keil served as a flight nurse in both World War II and Korea. She remains one of the most decorated women in American military history. She wasn’t just any flight nurse. She was among the first, which made it more challenging. “She had to make it up as she went along,” retired Air Force Col. Barney Oldfield later said. “She was an airborne Florence Nightingale.” When World War II began, Keil was a registered nurse working as a flight attendant. Her life changed forever when a passenger suggested that she join the Army Air Forces. She could serve her country as a flight nurse. The training was no picnic. Nurses were expected to be physically fit. They had to learn to escape a plane if it were forced down over water. They were taught to swim through a burning oil slick, and they learned techniques to survive in extreme temperatures. Keil persevered, and she was among the first to graduate from the USAAF School of Air Ev...
Read more

Theology, specifically end-time theology

Image
Theology, specifically end-time theology (called "eschatology" by theologians) played a very important and largely forgotten role in the Progressive Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In chapter 20 of the book of Revelation there is a reference to a thousand-year period during which Satan will be imprisoned and unable to “deceive the nations.” This thousand-year era is known as “the Millennium” and in Christian theology there are several schools of thought on when it supposed to occur. Some Christians believe it will occur after the return of Christ (“premillennialists”). Some don't believe the reference to a millennium is literal (“amillennialists”). But in the late 1800's and early 1900's most American Protestants were “postmillennialists”—that is, they believed that a thousand-year era of peace and goodness would someday occur, after which Jesus would return. This otherwise esoteric theology had significant political and social implications, co...
Read more

Escape From Slavery...

Image
"When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person," Harriet Tubman recalled of her own escape from slavery. "There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven." Escape From Slavery... Harriet Tubman grew up in Maryland as a slave. As a young girl, she was severely beaten by her masters and at one point suffered a serious head wound which led to her having seizures, headaches and very powerful visions. A devout Christian, she believed her visions to be revelations from God. In 1849, after her master died, she was sent to work on a neighboring farm. Management was slack, and it took almost two weeks before it was realized that she never showed up for work. After being convinced to return to work, she escaped again shortly thereafter via the Underground Network (a network of safe-houses, run by anti-slavery activists). Harriet went to Philadelphia,...
Read more

This remarkable discovery sheds light on the rich history and advanced craftsmanship of the indigenous peoples who once inhabited the region.

Image
A Native American 28-foot canoe, estimated to be around 1,000 years old, was recently recovered from Lake Waccamaw in southeastern North Carolina. This remarkable discovery sheds light on the rich history and advanced craftsmanship of the indigenous peoples who once inhabited the region. Lake Waccamaw is part of the traditional lands of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe, known as the "People of the Falling Star." The canoe's discovery is significant for both historical and cultural reasons, providing a tangible connection to the tribe's ancestors and their way of life. The craftsmanship of the canoe indicates a sophisticated understanding of woodworking and boat-building techniques, which were essential for transportation, trade, and fishing. The process of recovering the canoe involved careful excavation and preservation efforts. Archaeologists and experts from local universities and heritage organizations collaborated to ensure the canoe was safely removed and conserved. Th...
Read more

Bulgarian soldier and poet Geo Milev who lost his right eye in battle, 1918.

Image
Bulgarian soldier and poet Geo Milev who lost his right eye in battle, 1918. Georgi Milev Kasabov was born on January 15, 1895 in Radnevo, Bulgaria to parents who were teachers and owners of a book store. In 1912, Milev studied philosophy at Sofia University, before continuing his education at Leipzig University in Germany, where he took up poetry inspired by German expressionism. His first set of poems were published in a Bulgarian magazine in December 1913. Upon the outbreak of the First World War in July 1914, Bulgaria stayed neutral, and Milev moved to London to develop his poetry and improve his English. Milev returned to Leipzig on October 18, 1914, but was detained in Hamburg on suspicion of being a British spy. He was released after 11 days due to a lack of evidence. . In August 1915, Milev returned to Bulgaria, who entered the First World War with the Central Powers on October 14, 1915. Milev's father was soon mobilized, forcing Milev to take over the family's book sto...
Read more

Castle on the "hidden hills".

Image
Ruins of Nebuchadnezzars Palace, Babylon.  Castle on the "hidden hills".  Bridgeman and Mary Evans. This engraving takes us back in time to the ancient city of Babylon, where we are granted a glimpse into the majestic ruins of Nebuchadnezzar's Palace. The intricate details and skilled craftsmanship of this 19th-century English School image transport us to a bygone era. The image showcases the remnants of what was once a grand palace, evoking a sense of awe and wonder at its former glory. As we gaze upon these weathered walls and crumbling pillars, our imagination runs wild with stories from biblical times. The ruins stand as a testament today, to the power and opulence that once defined Babylon. It is impossible not to be captivated by the history embedded within these stones. Each crack and crevice tells a story, whispering secrets from centuries past. This particular engraving has been digitally cleaned, allowing us to appreciate every minute detail with clarity. The sk...
Read more

The Hanging of Paula Angel. Las Vegas, New Mexico, 1861.

Image
The Hanging of Paula Angel. Las Vegas, New Mexico, 1861. Classification: Murderer Characteristics: The victim refused to leave his wife for her Number of victims: 1 Date of murder: March 23, 1861 Date of arrest: Next day Date of birth: 1842 ? Victim: Juan Miguel Martin (her married lover) Method of murder: Stabbing with knife Location: San Miguel County, New Mexico, USA Status: Executed by hanging at Las Vegas, New Mexico on April 26, 1861. On the 26th of April 1861 - Paula Angel, a 19 year old Hispanic girl, was hanged by Sheriff Herrera in San Miguel County, New Mexico for the murder of her married boyfriend, whom she had stabbed to death when he refused to leave his wife for her. She was taken from the jail in a wagon to a suitable tree from which she was to hang.  When they arrived at the place of execution, Paula put up such a fight with the sheriff as she stood on the back of the wagon, that he had to start over and get her properly tied up before he could draw the wagon from...
Read more

Everyone knows that childbirth isn't easy.

Image
Everyone knows that childbirth isn't easy. But what if pregnant patients could simply strap themselves to a table, spin at a high speed, and propel the baby out? In the 1960s, Charlotte and George Blonsky invented a contraption to do just that. Called the Blonsky device, the machine was designed to facilitate birth using centrifugal force. For safety, it came with neck, body, and thigh straps to hold down the pregnant person, and was also outfitted with a net meant to snatch up the baby after it flies out. As ridiculous as it sounds, the Blonskys actually got their patent approved in 1965 — though, perhaps fortunately, there's no evidence that the device was ever actually used. Read more about this bizarre invention:
Read more

buried-man-comes-out-of-grave-alive-after-being-buried alive

Image
buried-man-comes-out-of-grave-alive-after-being-buried alive It’s not every day you see someone climbing out of a grave. But for one woman in Brazil, who was visiting her family tomb, that’s exactly what she was in for. According to local reports, the woman, who has not been identified, was at a cemetery in Sao Paulo’s Ferraz de Vasconcelos when she heard some odd noises and saw some dirt moving near a grave. That’s when she spotted a man, buried alive, trying to pull himself from the ground. “I was terrified to see a man who I thought was dead, trying to get out of the grave,” the woman recalled later, according to local reports. The woman notified authorities, and emergency services arrived to dig out the rest of the man’s body; he had already managed to free his head and arms from the ground. In a video broadcast on local station Record TV, the rescue team is seen pulling the partially buried man from the grave. It’s not immediately clear how the man, who reportedly worked as a city...
Read more