These 5 Missing Historical Treasures May Have Disappeared Forever

These days, there are too many wars, environmental changes, and indifference to expect for all of our historical treasures to survive.

Not to mention there are thieves who can make bank selling antiquities on the black market.

We know these 5 historical treasures are out there, but they’ve gone missing – and it will be a loss for all of us if they never turn up.

#5. The Florentine Diamond

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Legend says that Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold carried a 132+ carat yellow diamond into the 1477 Battle of Nancy as a talisman. It didn’t work, and when his body was recovered after the battle, the diamond had been pilfered by a scavenger who had no idea what he was holding.

Research in the 1920s largely debunked the legend, as the gem originated in southern India and remained in the region until the Portuguese took over in the 1500s. From there, the diamond travelled to Europe and spent time in the collections of several well-known men – Ferdinand de’ Medici and the Duke of Tuscany, to name a few. Though it originated in India, it got its name from the time it spent in Florence. We also know that in 1601, it was a 126 carat, rose-cut diamond.

When the last of the Medici ruling family died in 1743, she bequeathed the diamond to the Tuscan state, but it was sold to Francis Stephan of Lorraine, who bought it for his wife, Empress Maria Teresa. It remained part of the crown jewels in Vienna until the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after WWI, which is when its history begins to get fuzzy.

The diamond, at this point, is believed to have been carried by exiled emperor Charles I into Switzerland.

It only gets more vague from there, and no one knows where the diamond is today. There are many theories, the most popular of which is that it was sold and cut into smaller stones, but with no real trace of it for the past hundred years, the chances of anyone setting eyes on it again seems unlikely at best.

#4. Sappho’s Poems

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Greek poet Sappho penned at least two volumes completely full of poems, according to ancient sources, but we have only a few hundred lines on shreds of papyrus and shards of pots. She was popular enough in antiquity to have been quoted in other sources, which helps, and as recently as 2014, more fragments have been discovered and identified in trash dumps and at archeological sites.

Here’s to discovering more – and to the people who find them acting responsibly with a true piece of treasure.

#3. Art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

The Boston Museum is home to many priceless works of art…and the biggest unsolved art theft in history.

On March 18th, 1990, two men claiming to be police officers entered the museum, handcuffed the guards, and stole 13 works of art worth over $500 million.

The works include a Vermeer, Rembrandt, Degas, and a Manet, among others, and there is still a reward of $10 million offered for information in the case. The frames of the missing pieces are kept empty as a reminder that the crime remains unsolved, the priceless pieces still in the wind.

#2. Crown Jewels of Ireland

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

On July 6, 1907, the “Crown Jewels of Ireland,” which included a diamond star and badge, were stolen. The same night, five collars of Knight Members of the Order of St. Patrick also disappeared without a trace.

They weren’t well-protected, and the ensuing investigation came to naught and, a century later, remains unsolved. There are a couple of theories as to why the investigation fizzled – one being that Edward VII ordered the investigation halted because it came too close to uncovering a sexual scandal, and the other that the castle’s second-in-command, Francis Shackleton, stole the jewels to help his famous brother, explorer Ernest Shackleton, fund his polar expedition.

The truth is, we’ll probably never know.

#1. The Amber Room

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

In the 18th century, German sculptor Andreas Schluter and Danish amber artist Gottfried Wolfram created the Amber Room of Catherine Palace. It was slathered in jewels, gilding, and of course, the famous amber panels and was sometimes referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” The artists gifted the room to Russia and it quickly became the pride of St. Petersburg.

The Russians tried to hide the treasure behind wallpaper as the German army neared St. Petersburg during WWII, to no avail – the Germans took the room apart piece by piece and reinstalled it in the Konigsberg castle museum…for a while.

After that, its fate is unknown. Some believe it must have been destroyed during the war, while others think it’s hidden somewhere with other Nazi-stolen art and artifacts that have never been recovered. Even though verified remnants have surfaced – even recently – most of it remains missing.

 

h/t: Mental_Floss

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Viral Letter Shows the Horrors Working Moms Had to Face in the 1960s

Living as a woman in the 1960s was a tough gig. Sexism was running rampant in both the workplace and society at large, and there weren’t many realistic ways to avoid it. Recently, one woman’s decision to share a letter her mom received in 1969 after requesting maternity leave showed that things were even worse than we realized.

The mother had been employed by the board of education, who refused her request for a leave of absence after the birth of her baby.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Instead, she simply lost her job.

The letter reads in full like this:

“Dear Mrs. Cornell,

We regret to inform you that we must consider your request for a Leave of Absence as a termination as of December 31st, 1969. 

This is necessary since our Board does not yet approve maternity leaves. When you are ready to return, you should notify our office of your availability for another teaching position. 

May we at this time thank you for your services as a member of our staff.”

As far as the woman who tweeted what she had found in her mother’s basement, she had some thoughts on why her mother might have kept it – and about everything she went through to have a family and a career.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Paid maternity leave was passed in Canada, where Ms. Cornell lived, in 1971.

Even though the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (in the States) drafted discrimination guidelines regarding pregnancy in 1972 and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978, neither promised any time off to recover from pregnancy and childbirth (never mind providing time to bond with the child afterward).

It wasn’t until 1993 (can you believe it?) that the States passed the FMLA act which, it must be pointed out, offers no official paid maternity leave, only a way for employees to save and use their own leave to cover time off for qualifying life events.

As with our other rights, like voting, we can thank our fearless foremothers for going to work despite dealing with this crap when they decided they’d like to have a family, and for persevering so that we can have things (marginally) better.

We still have a long way to go, sisters, so keep fighting!

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12+ Vintage Bridesmaid Dresses That Prove Not Everything Old School Is Cool

These days, old school is the new cool. Everyone wants to look like they’re wearing clothes from a thrift store of their parent’s closet. That said, there are some styles from the past that just couldn’t have been good ideas, even at the time. My own mother forced her “friends” into maroon velvet bolero vests and wide-brimmed hats with pink ribbons. Really.

But even if I pulled out her pictures (she would kill me), I’m not sure they could compete with these 15 vintage bridesmaid horror shows.

#15. Why do they match the curtains, though? Did Julie Andrews have to step in?

Photo Credit: Awkward Family Photos

#14. This is just so special.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

#13. The 90s neckbands are back in style, baby!

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

#12. You get a veil, and you get a veil…

Photo Credit: Tumblr

#11. You guys. Wut.

Photo Credit: Awkward Family Photos

#10. I literally can’t see anyone’s face.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

#9. Handmaid’s Tale, c.1970

#8. Absolute 80s magic.

Photo Credit: Youngblooms

#7. Yes, those are butterfly wings you’re seeing.

Photo Credit: Fashion Me Fabulous

#6. Priceless.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

#5. It’s trying to be a Christmas wedding but they’re wearing purple?

Photo Credit: Awkward Family Photos

#4. Little Red Riding Hood Theme?

Photo Credit: Upper Hutt City Library

#3. I have no words.

Photo Credit: Vintag

#2. Okay but I kind of like these though.

Photo Credit: Flickr

#1. I don’t know whether to be more impressed by the squished-together bridesmaids or the size of the bride’s dress.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

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This Infographic Takes You Through Albert Einstein’s Remarkable Life

Albert Einstein is one of the most famous physicists in history. Odds are, you can’t walk into a science classroom without seeing his face on a poster. Developing the theory of relativity and winning the Nobel Prize in Physics are just a couple of his impressive achievements. But have you ever wondered how he became such an accomplished man?

Explore this detailed infographic to gain more insight into the great Einstein’s fascinating life.

Photo Credit: Adioma

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15 People Share What DNA Tests Revealed About Themselves

Have you ever wondered who your ancestors were? With sites like Ancestry.com and 23andMe, it’s easier than ever to find out about your DNA.

AskReddit users opened up and shared what they learned when they took DNA tests.

1. Crazy story

“The chair of my department at work told me his story recently. He has a brother (we will call him Jeff) and a family friend (we will call him Henry) who was best friends with his brother growing up. Henry’s sister did one of those DNA kits. Her results came back saying she had a first cousin in the area, who happened to be Jeff’s first cousin. After more investigating they found out that Jeff and Henry were actually switch at birth in the hospital. My department chair’s biological brother is actually Henry.

His mother remembers there being some confusion with the babies in the hospital but never thought anything of it again after that. This is probably one of the craziest stories I have ever heard.”

2. Whiteness

“My sister did this, and we found out we were even whiter than we realized (she had believed we had some Native American in there. We do, but it’s way less than she thought).”

3. Mama mia!

“We did this for my grandma for her birthday a few years ago, it was really interesting! She knew she was mostly Italian, but we found out that she is actually (genetically) more Italian than most people who currently live in Italy.

She got a kick out of that.”

4. Not related

“I was adopted as a baby, never knew my birth parents. For my wedding, my wife’s best friend got us both Ancestry kits. At the time the joke was it would be funny if we found out we were related. We weren’t. Flash forward to about a month ago when I got an email in Ancestry from someone saying we may be related. Ancestry classified the connection as very high probability of parent child relationship. So I found my birth father. Trying to figure out how to go forward now.

Since this has come up a lot. My wife and I were not related. 3.5 years after taking the test my biological father reached out to me and said Ancestry.com says we’re related and would I like to find out how we were related. I think he was unsure if we were father/son or grandfather/grandson. After a few additional emails back and forth he provided information that confirmed he was my biological father. We are going to meet for coffee at some point in the near future.”

5. That’s too bad

“Found out that my 16th great grandfather owned a castle in Wales that is still there today! He was beheaded though.”

6. Distant cousins

“My mom is super into her family tree. She is 99.9% Rusyn (a specific kind of eastern Slavic from the Carpathian Mountains). She was born and raised in North Eastern Pennsylvania and had a feeling that her parents had to be distantly related somehow.

Got both of her parents DNA tests for Christmas this year… and they are indeed distant cousins.”

7. Not very Korean

“I just got mine today. I used Ancestry but because I’m Korean all I got was 100% East Asian (wow so insightful! /s). Anyway then I uploaded my raw data to Wegene that pinpointed my DNA better. I was SHOCKED. I expected Chinese, Mongolian and Korean.

I got:

55.43% Northern Han Chinese (this makes sense because my dad’s side is North Korean and my last name can be traced to Chinese ancestry).
44.21% Japanese (the surprise)
2.8% Other (stuff they couldn’t figure out)
0.32% Korean (I don’t know if I can classify myself as Korean after that low percentage….. lmao)
So I found out I’m very not Korean and my mum was the most shocked because she absolutely hates the Japanese… and the Japanese dna is most likely from her side.”

8. Reunion

“I’m adopted and did both ancestry and 23 and me. I found my maternal great aunt on ancestry and my paternal uncle contacted me through 23 and me.

I’ve spoken to my uncle a couple times and my great aunt a couple times but that’s it. I’ve seen my bio mom and Dad via Facebook and that’s enough for me. If you find yourself really uncomfortable and not wanting to go any further, don’t let anyone push you into a meeting or relationship you’re not ready for or comfortable with.

To me, it’s like opening Pandora’s box. You have no idea what could happen or who these people really are, so just remember that you have all the power and should be able to control where you and your bio dad go from here. I wish you the best of luck, it’s a very very strange situation to find yourself in.”

9. Secrets

“I have a crazy story. The ancestry results were definitely unexpected in this case.

My friends mom did the ancestry test. She loved the whole thing and got her dad to try it, too.

The results showed he wasn’t her father. They weren’t connected via the site. She performed a paternity test (saying it was part 2 of the ancestry test) and confirmed that he is not biologically her father.

Then she nonchalantly brought up her (late) mom being pregnant and her father said that they had difficulty getting pregnant so her and her brother and sister were all conceived via artificially insemination. This was like the 1950s. Freezing sperm wasn’t a thing then and her father claims to have been there. So there’s probably only one to two other men in the room – the doctor and maybe an assistant.

Idk what happened in the doctors office 60 years ago (for three children) but secrets were definitely kept.”

10. Welsh

“Brother did one. Turns out the family rumor of Irish/Native American descent was in fact incorrect and we are 98.9% Welsh, with the rest being a mixture of French and German.”

11. NOPE

“I grew up being told I was primarily Cherokee Native American among many other things. My aunt and grandmother collected Cherokee artwork and artifacts to honor our heritage. Got my test results back… NOPE! I’m all white.”

12. Quite a ride

“I signed up for 23andMe, primarily to do research on possible markers for some hereditary health concerns that run in my family line (all is good there). While I was there, I started digging into the ancestry side of the site. That is when my life split open.

Turns out I have a half-sister. My mom gave birth to a baby girl a few years before marrying my dad, and put her up for adoption. I had no idea about this, and I actually kinda doubt that my dad knew either.

You can imagine that this kind of new can really rock a family. With us, it’s all been positive. Both of my parents have passed away, which eliminates a lot of the possibilities for awkward or problematic fallout. Basically, it just means that my brother, sister and I have another sister that we just have never met. All good! She has now met my (our) sister, and she is coming out to visit me in a couple months.

For her, it’s been quite a ride. She has been searching for family for her whole life, and she finally found us! Of course, she was also very interested in finding out about her father. My mom never once mentioned old boyfriends to me, so I really didn’t know how to help her, but now she had a bit more info to go on, and her search continued.

But wait, there’s more! So, when she visited our sister, they were digging through old photos, and they came across a dated one of her with a guy, that was more than likey taken right around the date she was conceived. So she manages to track this guy down (she’s been searching for decades, and apparently is damn good at it by now). She gives him call, and learns that the photo was taken at a party at one of his friend’s house.”

13. Worth it

“My dad never knew who his father was; I’ve spent my adult life helping him search with what little information we had (which all turned out to be total red herrings) and it’s basically been my life mission to find this person while my dad is still alive.

I bought him one of those ancestry DNA kits for his birthday last year, which brought up some “connections” that didn’t make sense; first, second cousins we couldn’t figure out. Luckily one of the people he connected with was really into geneology and had done a lot of groundwork themselves. They went through their photos and found one of a man at his wedding, said “Hey, you look a lot like my uncle”; the resemblance was totally uncanny but we didn’t want to get too excited.

So from that, the children of the man in the photo did their own DNA tests to corroborate what we thought we were looking at. Yep – turns out that the man in the photo was my dad’s father. He now has a whole new extended family he never knew about (he was an only child) and can finally finish searching for this piece of his life puzzle.

So yes, worth it.”

14. Feels like a lie

“I have believe my whole life that I was half Native American and half German. My father is Lumbee Native American and he and I both are registered and enrolled in the Lumbee tribe. I took a DNA test and the results came back that I was 88% European and 12% Sub-Saharan African. No Native American whatsoever. It kind of feels like my whole life was a lie.

This especially affected my father, because he grew up with this tribe in North Carolina and they’ve been fighting for federal recognition from the government for years. Just doesn’t make sense.”

15. Royalty

“Apparently, I’m a fourth degree relative of Te Atairangikaahu (Maori monarch) family line on my father’s side, and a very distant relative of the Norwegian Royal Family on my mother’s side

So, technically, I’m part of the goddamn royalty. I’m still waiting on the gold, land and peasants.”

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12+ People Shared Their Grandfather’s Best War Stories

Both of my grandfathers served in WWII, and while one enjoyed talking about it more than the other, there’s no doubt my life is richer for them sharing their experiences. If you’re lucky enough to have a grandfather around to tell you stories, then I hope you’re smart enough to listen.

Now, thanks to the magic of the internet (and Reddit) we can all benefit from these 15 secondhand grandfathers, too.

#15. The women in the family.

“He was ineligible/exempt from the draft during WW2 because he had horrific eye sight and he was going to school for a mining engineering degree. He was infinitely more useful at home than abroad anyway. However, my grandmother (his future wife) got bored of waiting for him to finish his degree in his faraway university, so she joined the Women’s Army Corps and was sent to India. She was eventually promoted to the rank of Captain. Then it was my grandfather’s turn to wait for his woman to return home from war. When she got back, they went to Las Vegas and got married.

They are buried in a military cemetery and their gravestone is one of maybe three that say “her husband” underneath the man’s name. That means there aren’t very many couples where the wife served but the husband did not.

My mother herself eventually joined the Army during the Vietnam War as a nurse, and by the time she got out, she was also a Captain. We have both of their Captain’s bars sitting side by side in a case on the mantle.”

#14. The only time he was scared

“Grandpa was a tank commander during WWII.

One night he was sitting in his tank guarding a crossroads when he heard the distinct sound of German soldiers coming down the road. I guess their boots had metal on the soles that made them click on pavement.

His gunner wanted to open up on them but Grandpa knew there was an orphanage down range from the Germans. So Grandpa hopped out of the the tank with his .45 to get them to surrender.

He snuck up on the Germans and ordered them to surrender. It was late in the war so these guys just threw their hands up immediately. Grandpa marched them back to his tank and handed them over to a nearby infantry unit who took them to the rear.

When he got back to his tank he went to clear his .45 and realized he never chambered a round. My Grandpa was at the Battle of the Bulge and was one of the first tanks into Aachen. He liberated a concentration camp and had four tanks shot out from under him. He said realizing that his gun wasn’t loaded when facing down those Germans was the only time during the war he was really scared.”

#13. You’re now a Colonel.

“My grandfather had graduated from college.

The Chinese army was like “O shit lol we’re made up of farmers and factory workers. We need to find some nerds to run the military.”

My grandfather began teaching at a university or high school (Dont remember) and a Chinese military official whose son was going to the school came up to him and offered to double the teachers salary (They didn’t) if he joined the military. My grandfather didn’t have any military background or training but the official said “Doesn’t matter. You’re now a Colonel and you’re in charge of our Logistics.”

He eventually rose up to the equivalent of a US 2-Star General, iirc. Didn’t fight at all. Instead he traveled the world, to the US, USSR, England, Germany, Vietnam etc. selling or purchasing weapons, vehicles, food supplies, clothing, all that stuff.”

#12. Make sure you never have to go.

“WWII. He shipped out from South Africa to fight Rommel in North Africa. Was captured and transferred to a POW camp run by Italians. He said the conditions and the treatment were absolutely abhorrent. Escaped with his best mate from SA and a French guy. It was winter, they had to trek across the mountains in decimated boots and hardly any warm clothes – zero food. The French chap fell down the mountain. They tried to get him but they were too weak. He didn’t make it. They were apparently in sight of Allied lines when they were picked up by a German patrol. Must have been devastating. However he was with the Germans for only a few weeks before he was liberated. Interestingly he said the treatment in the German POW camp was significantly better than the Italian one. He didn’t go into too many details about anything but he used to say ‘war is hell – make sure you never have to go’ whenever the subject came up. He was one of the happiest, kindest and most well adjusted men I have ever known. Miss you Herb.”

#11. A quarter of an inch from a Purple Heart.

“My Pahpah used to always say he was “a quarter of an inch from a purple heart”. He saw a lot of action in the war and even aided in the liberation of a concentration camp. Well, during one of the battles he got shot in the buttocks, said it burned like hell but only really skimmed the surface of his butt cheek.

After the battle, he went to the medic and it was actually the medic who laughed and said he was a quarter of an inch from a purple heart. Apparently, that little joke stuck with him for over 70 years and now I pass it on to people when I can since it made him laugh so much.”

#10. A wild ending.

“He didn’t talk about much with us or my father, so I don’t have locations, etc, but we do know that he was in the pacific in WW2. He was an aircraft mechanic with the Navy.

One day, the Japanese attacked, and ignited their ammo dump. My grandfather jumped on a bulldozer and pushed the flaming, igniting mess off a small cliff/rise. He was injured in the process and received the Purple Heart.

–related:

When he returned home, he sat his bags down on the ground next to him in San Francisco to get his bearings and someone took nearly everything he had.

Fifty years later, my grandmother received letter informing her that her husband had passed away. She was amazed, especially considering he was watching TV in the armchair right in front of her.

Apparently the guy who stole his stuff stole his identity for years and was receiving benefits in his name.”

#9. He always drank tea.

“My nonno joined the Italian army at the age of 18. It was the first time he had experienced 3 meals a day. He ended up getting shot twice and put in PoW camp in Algeria. He was then liberated by the British, who gave him tea for the first time in his life. He lived to 94 and always drank tea.”

#8. On the Western front.

“My great grandfather was a boy in WW1. He met a New Zealand soldier in Albany, Western Australia where he lived. It was the last drop off point before the ANZACs left Aussie soil.

The soldier agreed to be his pen pal and started writing letters back to my great grandfather as well as sending a collection of badges from both sides.

Then the letters stopped. He knew what had happened, but didn’t find out definitive proof until the mid 1920s when he was older and the records became available, he had died on the Western Front. I think off the top of my head it was the Somme.

I have the badges sitting in my drawer next to me. My only real family heirloom, but I’ll always respect and appreciate the soldier whose name my great grandfather had forgotten by the time I came around.”

#7. He became deaf.

“He was a kid in WWII (in Asia, pacific theatre and the baddies were the Japanese). He walked past a Japanese soldier and didn’t stop to bow. The soldier called him over, gave him a slap on his left cheek so hard he became deaf in his left ear.”

#6. The swap

“My grandpa landed on Utah Beach on D-Day +7. They came under heavy artillery fire, and while in a shelled out building hiding out, his CO asked “you weren’t scared were you?” “No, sir!” He replied. “Well, I saw your kidneys act 7 times, you sure about that?”

His boots were only on the ground for a few days when his platoon was captured by Germans. He was imprisoned in Stalag IVD for several months. He was fortunately treated very well, all things considered. I remember one of the stories he always told was about another prisoner, I don’t recall his nationality, hated potatoes, and my grandpa hated carrots. So they would swap. One day, my grandpa would have cold potatoes, and the other guy would have hot carrots, the next day my grandpa would have hot potatoes and the other guy would have cold carrots. They were liberated from Leipzig, Germany later on.

I actually have a transcribed audio recording of his stories from the war that was recorded before he passed away, in case anyone is interested in more stories! RIP grandpa, I love and miss you.

Edit 1: Stalag IVD, not IVB

Edit 2: I’ve had some interest in the original audio. I’ll have to get these from my mother and digitize them before I can upload! It’ll probably be the weekend before I can do this! Stay tuned and I’ll do my best to deliver for you guys! These are stored on old microcassetes, so they need to be digitized anyway! There are quite a few more stories and pictures in the original, I can’t do them justice. When I get home I’ll snap some pictures to sate you guys!”

#5. How it ended.

“He was a guard during the Nuremberg War Crime Trials after WWII. He stood guard over all of the top Nazis, including Hermann Goering.

My Grandpa said that Goering had been wearing a fancy ring on one of his hands, and that he said that he was going to give it to one of the guards before he died (I don’t think he ever did.) But before Goering committed suicide, and the other Nazis were executed, he had all of them sign a dollar bill. He kept that dollar bill inside an old book for years.

Unfortunately, my grandparents divorced back in the early 70s (and it was far from amicable) and my Granny sold a bunch of my Grandpa’s stuff in a garage sale… that book was unknowingly included.

Someone somewhere has that dollar bill.”

#4. I hope I never forget it.

“My grandpa (the one I knew, anyway) was born in ’39 in a small town on the coast of Norway, the 5th of 10 kids. Norway was occupied by the Nazis in 1940, but not much of that was noticed way out on the coast.

But some time in 1943, the Nazis came to town looking for resistance fighters. They went house to house, and eventually came to my grandpa’s. He clearly remembered a small squad of 6-10 guys coming in and going through the whole house while his family huddled in the living room, scared shitless.

During the course of the search, my grandpa’s infant brother began screaming. My great-grandmother tried in vain to calm the child. She was convinced that the Nazis would just kill them for the inconvenience of a screaming child.

A Nazi soldier came into the living room and walked straight to the crib. He looked down at my great-uncle, and began crying. Everyone was shocked. He reached into his pack and pulled out a wrinkled photo of another infant who looked very similar to my great-uncle. The commanding officer explained that this soldier had a son at home he had never seen, but his wife had sent this photo to him.

The soldier then sat down with all the kids and shared his chocolate ration with them. It was the first time my grandpa ever tasted chocolate (and probably the last for a long time). He never forgot that, even through Alzheimer’s dementia.

He always told me that story to illustrate that soldiers on any side are just people dealing with their own trauma and difficulty. I hope I never forget it.

EDIT: I wanted to add another story from the time that didn’t involve my family so much, just to show the flip-side of the coin.

The town my family comes from is very small. It has been a farming and fishing community for pretty much as long as anyone can remember. Everyone says hi to everyone, and is usually very pleasant. So it came as a surprise to me one summer when I saw an old man I’d never met before walking down the road. I asked my grandma who he was, and she told me his name and that no one really spoke to him. I was curious why.

Turns out he was a teenager during WWII. When the Nazis were coming through looking for people (around the time the above event with my grandpa happened), they came to this family’s house. They collected all his family in one room, and demanded to know where the resistance members were in the community. The whole family swore up and down they didn’t know of any. So the soldiers pulled their oldest son aside, and demanded he tell them, or they would shoot his family. He told them to go next door.

So they did, and killed several members of the neighbor family. One of the few survivors was the oldest son in that household, and he never forgave his neighbor for pointing the Nazis in their direction.

I’m pretty sure the whole family moved after that, but they kept ownership of the property, so this old guy would show up every summer and stay for a few weeks with almost no one in town talking to him.”

#3. An agreement.

“Grandpa served in Vietnam during the height of the war. He’s from Saigon (South Vietnamese) and worked with the US Pentagon so he had some weight to his name. His duty was to ID soldiers and send home letters to the families that their son has been KIA. My dad told me that one Tet (huge Vietnamese holiday) that there’s was a mutual agreement between North and South to not fight so people can go home and be with their families. My grandpa and grandma took my two-month-old dad to a family member’s home on the night of Tet and when the three of them returned home, many of their neighbors were standing outside of their house for some reason. Turns out that the North found out my grandpa was working with the US and came to their home to kill them, but they messed up and killed the family that was living next to them. My dad told me this story a few years ago and also said something like “They wouldn’t have needed to waste a bullet on me, all they had to do was pinch my nose shut.”

Edit: Typos”

#2. Some of that metal.

“My grandfather served in the Pacific theatre in WWII. The only story I remember well is that he and a buddy were manning a machine gun on a hill and they saw a handful of Japanese soldiers crossing a field. They opened fire and shot all but one. According to Grandpa, they had to reload and the soldier took off running. When they did, they shot at him and only managed to make a circle around his feet. This happened once more (I think) and Grandpa and his pal decided that if they missed that many times, the Japanese soldier must not have been fated to die that day. They stopped shooting, and the Japanese soldier bowed to them (general direction of the hill) before he went into the jungle.

I really admire my grandpa and miss him a lot. His doctor told him to quit smoking or it would kill him (mid-70s) and he stopped that very day. I hope I inherited some of that metal. I really miss him, the old bear.”

#1. Often in public.

“I loved listening to Papa’s stories from WWII, but my favorite is how he earned a Purple Heart. He was an engineer and built bridges. They were under attack in France and a bomb landed near by. Shrapnel caught in him right in the ass. My mother hated when he told me this story because he always shared the scar on his buttocks with it, often in public, mostly on golf courses.

Love you, Papa.

EDIT: Another one – he made wine his whole life (Italian-American) and would tell stories about making “prison wine” in the field. He was never in prison, but you get the idea from the ingredients: grapes or raisins, water, bread. Let is sit in a cup until it ferments; drink.”

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7 Surprising Facts About The Vikings

I know what you’re thinking, but no we’re not talking about football.

Photo Credit: Minnesota Vikings

Nope, nothing epic about those Vikings. Also, that helmet is bullshit. But we’ve got that covered with #1 on this list.

Photo Credit: vikingssubtitles.com

Well, that’s closer.

This list definitely has less eroticism and bloodshed, and it doesn’t wish it was called Game of Thrones and aired on HBO, but at least you’ll probably learn a thing or seven, you heathen.

#7. They basically invented unicorns.

Photo Credit: DYK

Source 1, Source 2

#6. They’re still makin’ babies.

Photo Credit: DYK

Source

#5. They were entirely capable of discovering the Americas.

Photo Credit: DYK

Suck on that, Columbus!

Source 1, Source 2

#4. They loved cats.

Photo Credit: DYK

Pussy control.

Source

 

#3. They made Dublin.

Photo Credit: DYK

Guinness, U2, Thin Lizzy… Thank you, vikings!

#2. They had raven BFFs!

Photo Credit: DYK

That’s so Viking!

#1. Their horniness is a complete lie.

Photo Credit: DYK

See? Not horny. Myth: busted.

Source

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