Howes Norris was married and the father of four when he shipped out as master of the whaler Sharon. He had made quite a few prosperous voyages in the past, hopefully this one would be too. Norris was a hard taskmaster, having … Continue reading
Stalag Luft III, built to house imprisoned Allied airmen during World War II, was supposed to be inescapable. The camp was located deep in Nazi territory in what is now Żagań, Poland. The Germans had purposefully constructed the camp on … Continue reading
On 5 January 1779 Stephen Decatur Jr. was born to Stephen Sr. and Ann (Pine) Decatur in Berlin, Maryland. Stephen Sr. was a merchant mariner who had been a Patriot during the American Revolution. His father before him had also been a … Continue reading
On 23 January 1737 John Hancock III was born in Braintree, Massachusetts (present day Quincy) to John and Mary (Thaxter) Hancock. John III was the second of three children. As a boy John tagged along with future Patriot John Adams. Adams, incidentally, … Continue reading
