November 20

The Royal Navy shipped its landship prototypes to France disguised as water tanks. The term "tank" was used when secretly referring to the new vehicles, and the nickname stuck.

November 19

The secret call-sign of the Dutch merchant ship the Kormoran was imitating was IIKP. When the Sydney signaled "IK", Detmers was supposed to properly identify himself by completing the quartet with the first and last letters, "IP".

November 18

Talk about adding insult to injury. On his way home after surrendering his command at Vertieres, French commander the Viscount of Rochambeau was captured by the British and imprisoned for nine years.

November 17

Krasnoi was not the last place in Russia where Michel Ney distinguished himself. As the Grand Armee neared safety, Ney was charged with holding a vital bridge near Kovno, in present day Lithuania. Still in command of the rear guard, legend has it that Ney was the last Frenchman to cross the bridge and escape to the west.

November 16

The Luftwaffe had a bomber capable of reaching New York City from bases in France, a distance no Allied plane of the war could have covered. High production costs and precious little fuel prevented a raid on the U.S. from ever being launched.

July 3

In 1771 George Washington purchased the mountain meadow on which Fort Necessity once stood. From then until his death, Washington owned the land where he fought the first battle of his career.

July 2

General Daniel Sickles, who exposed his Corps by moving it out in front of the Union line at Gettysburg, made U.S. Justice System history. He killed his wife's lover in a jealous rage, and beat the murder rap with the first ever temporary insanity plea. To his troops, his nickname was Crazy Dan.