This is why the rituals of the tattooed Maori Warriors live on
New Zealand’s national rugby team – as well as a lot of other New Zealanders – perform a foot-stomping, tongue lashing, rhythmic battlefield dance before every match.
The dance, ca…
These are the slave soldiers that defeated the Mongols
The rulers of the Islamic world in the 1200s were not born into aristocracy or priesthood, as was the custom in Europe. They were an army of former slaves. Trained in combat and Sunni Islam from a young age, these “Mamluks” (from the Arabic for …
4 awesome facts about Shaolin Kung Fu
Shaolin Kung Fu is one of the oldest and most intense forms of Chinese martial arts. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and a number of other martial arts movie stars have also made Kung Fu one of the most famous forms.
This is when the Pope’s Swiss Guard was deadlier than 300 Spartans
Military history is full of famous last stands – the Greeks at Thermopylae,
3 legendary leaders who made America’s special-operations units into the elite forces they are today
An unconventional visionary: Col. Charles “Chargin’ Charlie” Beckwith Charlie Beckwith commissioned in the Army in 1952, volunteering for Special Forcers a few years later. In 1960, he deployed to Laos…
How Mongol hordes drank horse blood and liquor to kill you
While everyone likes to talk about how scary the Spartans or Romans could be, it was the Mongols who pioneered new warfare tactics, used them to win battle after battle, and survived on a diet of horse blood and liquor to ride across whatever terrai…
This is why there are four musketeers in every ‘Three Musketeers’ movie
It never fails. You sit down to watch a “Three Musketeers” movie or TV show and you’re quickly introduced to Athos, Porthos, and Aramis…and also D’Artagnan.
Not one of the movies ever takes the time to explain why the Three Muske…
This is how the Praetorian Guard of Rome held so much power
Few military units have ever had the effect on world history as did the Praetorian Guard. From the foundation of the Roman Empire until the reign of Constantine in 306, the Praetorians protected – and sometimes controlled – the leader of the mos…
Why is Saudi Arabia recruiting former Navy SEAL contractors?
It appears that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is looking to send some of its military members to U.S. Navy SEAL training (BUD/S) and they are really shooting for the…
The Pentagon isn’t the only one with special operators. Here are the 5 most elite forces outside the military
The military isn’t the only one with special-operations units. Numerous US government agencies and departments have specially selected, manned, and trained units with some unique mission sets. Because of the…