The Warsaw Uprising

Quite possibly the biggest WW2 battle you've never heard of.

On August 1, 1944 the Poles in Warsaw staged a revolt against their German overlords when the Soviet Army neared the city.  Believing the battle to be short and assistance from the Soviets soon forthcoming, they were ultimately crushed as they received virtually no foreign support.

The Soviets were (allegedly) unwilling to assist because they wanted to secure authority in Poland without allowing the government-in-exile legitimacy because of a successful revolt.  The Allies didn't want to help because they feared angering the Soviets (who also forbade the use of their airports to the Allies who wished to drop supplies).

After about a month, the resistance was forced to surrender.  The entire civilian population was transferred out of the city and the buildings were burned.  In total, about 85% of the city was destroyed by January 1945.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Uprising

Kar98k in Israel

The Kar98k was the standard service rifle for the German Army in World War II.

Interestingly (and somewhat ironically), it also played a role in the initial defense of Jewish settlements in Israel:

"The use of the Karabiner 98k to establish the nation-state of Israel often raises a lot of interest among people and rifle collectors today. Many Jewish organizations in Palestine acquired them from post–World War II Europe to protect various Jewish settlements from Arab attack as well as to carry out guerrilla operations against British Army forces in Palestine.

The Haganah, which later evolved into the modern-day Israel Defense Forces, was one of the Jewish armed groups in Palestine that brought large numbers of Mauser Karabiner 98k rifles and other surplus arms (namely the British Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifle, which was used on a large scale by these groups and theMosin-Nagant) from Europe during the post–World War II period. Many, though not all, Israeli-used German surplus Mauser Karabiner 98k rifles have had theirNazi Waffenamt markings and emblems stamped over with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hebrew arsenal markings."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karabiner_98k

Ted Turner

Bunch of interesting facts here:

• He's managed to get one billion dollars donated to the United Nations ($600 million personally)
• He's a Civil War buff and played a Confederate officer in the movie Gettysburg
• He created the show Captain Planet and the Planeteers (Turner is an avid environmentalist)
• He never graduated from his college, Brown University, due to being discovered with a women in his dorm room

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Turner

US Army desertions

Did you know that the US Army has had only one desertion in Iraq?

Also, that while execution is still the highest punishment for desertion, it hasn't been used since 1945?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AWOL#Absence_without_leave
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Slovik

US Armed Forces vacation accrual

Did you know that US Armed Forces receives 30 days of leave (accruing 2.5 days a month) a year?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leave_and_Earnings_Statement

That's in addition to "passes" which are time off without taking any of their leave time, which can be awarded for various reasons.

Jewish Law in the Polar Regions

There are many aspects of Jewish religious laws that deal with the time of day (e.g. after sundown).  In the polar regions, there are times of the year when they can have no "night" whatsoever.  This wasn't a problem for Jews historically, but as they moved to more northern areas (such as Iceland) this became an issue:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_law_in_the_polar_regions

Charles Mason

Who is he, you might ask?  Nobody, really.  At least, nobody particularly famous for his own achievements.

However, he is notable as being the first ranked student of his class at West Point, ahead of a very famous Civil War general named Robert E. Lee.

"Mason and Lee were tied for the head of the class in Artillery, Tactics, and Conduct, but Mason bested Lee in all other subjects and graduated with an overall score of 1995.5 points out of a possible 2000, compared to Lee's 1966.5."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Mason_(attorney)

Bolivian Navy

Bolivia lost its access to the coast to Chile in a war in 1879, but that hasn't prevented it from maintaining a navy.  Its navy has ships and performs maneuvers on a large lake instead of the ocean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivian_Navy

Women's Suffrage in Liechtenstein

Did you know that women in Liechtenstein could not vote until 1984, the latest of any European country?  And that when they did have a referendum on it, it only passed with 51.3% of the vote, and that's with 86.2% of the eligible population (only men) voting.  The difference was a mere 119 votes.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liechtenstein_women%27s_suffrage_referendum,_1984