Friday Blog

In 1976, Congress posthumously promoted George Washington to “General of the Armies of the United States”, the highest rank ever awarded in the U.S. military. Furthermore, Congress proclaimed that no other individual will ever rank at Washington’s level or higher.  That is quite an award for a leader who lost more battles than he won. Washington’s true value was his ability to rally his troops during adverse times and then selecting the right moments to pounce on the enemy. Exhibit A is Washington’s nighttime retreat after losing The Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776. Remarkably his troops stole away from New York in total silence, trekked across New Jersey and regrouped in Pennsylvania. On December 25, Washington led his forces across the Delaware River and launched a devasting attack on unsuspecting British and Hession soldiers.  Washington never directly commanded more than 17,000 Continental soldiers. Approximately 231,000 men served in the Continental Army over the course of the war. The high turnover was due to the demands of the colonists’ agricultural economy. Most of the soldiers enlisted for only a one-year term so they could return to their farms. Another major impediment to the revolutionary cause was lack of funding. Washington was constantly imploring The Continental Congress for additional funds for weapons and supplies. Help on the Way The American victory at the Battles of Saratoga in 1777, prompted France to join sides with the revolutionaries. France provided the Americans with much-needed manpower and supplies.  When France joined the war, it became a global conflict. Nations including the Netherlands attacked the British across the globe. Battles were fought in Europe, the Caribbean, and even India., The British military became so thinly stretched that it was unable to successfully prosecute the war in America. French soldiers were invaluable in supplementing our troops at the decisive Battle of Yorktown in 1781. Most importantly, the French navy prevented the trapped British army from retreating by sea.  British General Cornwallis was forced to surrender thus effectively ending the Revolutionary War.  A brilliant strategy of the Continental Congress was the commissioning of approximately 1,700 armed private vessels. These privateers successfully captured 2,283 British ships, scuttling British commerce while enriching themselves with stolen booty. Their success contributed to an astonishing 40,000 desertions by British sailors.  The Opposition Despite the strong British presence in major cities such as New York and Philadelphia, it was nearly impossible to control the general populace, 90% of whom lived in rural areas. The home sickness experienced by young English soldiers was exacerbated by the increasingly hostile colonists.  British morale declined dramatically when its army suffered 1,000 casualties at Bunker Hill. British authorities were stunned while the Colonists were invigorated.  30,000 German professional soldiers known as “Hessians” supplemented the British Army’s roughly 22,000 troops. However, more than 5,000 Hessians deserted because America presented unique opportunities including land ownership and religious freedom.  Casualties Disease was far deadlier than battlefield wounds throughout the war. Poor sanitation contaminated water, and crowded military camps bred epidemics of smallpox, typhus and dysentery. More than 17,000 colonial soldiers died of disease compared to 6,800 men who died in combat.  More than 8,000 colonial soldiers died on British prison ships. Prisoners could gain release by agreeing to serve in the British Navy, but most prisoners refused the offer. British casualties numbered around 24,000 men, including woundings, battlefield deaths, and deaths from disease. Approximately 1,200 Hessian soldiers died in combat, while a staggering 6,000 died from disease.  The Colonists Only an estimated 40% of colonists actively supported the Patriot cause.  Approximately 40% of colonists remained neutral and about 20% remained loyal to Britain. Many family relationships suffered irreparable damage due to conflicting loyalties.  Revolutionary War veterans received minimal government support after the war and many struggled with disabilities, and poverty.  On a positive note, Esther Sumner Damon received a war widow’s pension until 1906, 125 years after the Battle of Yorktown., In 1848, 21-year-old Esther married a 75-year-old veteran. When he died five years later, she began receiving pension payments. Esther was the last person to receive a Revolutionary War pension.  Happy 250th. Have a great summer. I will resume blogging in September.                                                    .

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On the morning of June 20, 1837, British Princess Alexandrina Victoria was awakened and informed that her uncle, King William IV, had died. The eighteen-year-old became Queen Victoria and would reign for an unprecedented 63 years (her record was eventually overtaken by Queen Elizabeth II). Victoria’s path to the throne was fortuitous bordering on bizarre. She was fifth in line for the throne when she was born. Her father, Edward, The Duke of Kent, died shortly after her first birthday. Next in line were Edward’s three brothers but none of those men had heirs that survived childhood. Thus, when King William IV passed away, the teenage princess ascended the throne. Victoria’s mother raised the child under a rigid set of rules that became known as the “Kensington System”. Victoria was required to follow a strict diet, exercise vigorously, and was required to sleep in her mother’s room. Victoria had almost no contact with commoners or other children. However, once she was thrust into the spotlight she was embraced by the British public. One reason is that she was the first Queen to rule in over a century.  The 4’11” monarch was always making news. In 1839, she proposed to her first cousin, Prince Albert of Germany (a man proposing to a Queen was forbidden). Victoria resisted tradition by wearing a white wedding dress (most brides wore colored gowns) and she requested that no guests wear white.  The loving couple produced nine children. When Prince Albert died of typhoid fever at the age of 42, the grief-stricken Queen donned black clothing and would wear black for the rest of her life. The Victorian Era The Victorian Age is usually associated with strict moral codes, but it was so much more. Victoria’s reign was characterized by great works of art and literature. Britian’s Industrial Revolution continued unabated, marked by breath-taking scientific advancements, the dramatic growth of factories, and the rise of the middle class. British military power became dominant, and the United Kingdom extended its empire to all corners of the world.  The Grandmother of Europe A decade after the Queen’s 1901 death, World War I commenced. Some of Victoria’s grandchildren were major players including Kaiser Wilhelm II, King William V, Alexandra, Empress of Russia. In addition, Victoria was grandmother to the queen of Spain, and the queen of Norway. The current monarchs of England, Spain, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are ancestors of Victoria. Although Victoria was not a hemophiliac, she was the first in her family to carry Hemophilia B. The bleeding disorder became known as “the royal disease”.  Hemophilia  was passed among European royal families, and most famously claimed Aleksei, the son of Alexandra, the last empress of Russia.  One Tough Mother Victoria survived at least six assassination attempts between 1840 and 1882. Once, when she was threatened by a gunman, a group of students from Eton fended off the assailant with their umbrellas. After each assassination attempt Victoria immediately resumed her duties. She also demonstrated compassion for her assailants and in some cases called for a reduced criminal sentence. Victoria’s brave response to these attacks made a lasting impression of the populace. Victoria became a symbol of.British fortitude. One More Thing Victoria and Albert brought a yuletide tradition from Germany to England – the Christmas tree. In 1848 Albert distributed decorated trees to schools and army barracks throughout Britain. When an image of the royal family decorating their Christmas tree was published, families across Britain adopted the new tradition. Now, that’s a bit of trivia you can discuss with your family when you are sipping eggnog this December.   Have a great weekend. For those in the Boston area I am having another book signing at The Blue Bunny Book Store in historic Dedham Square on Saturday, June 20th from 2-4. Come on over if you need a last-last minute Fathers’ Day gift. If you can’t attend, you can order a signed copy online at https://bluebunnybooks.com/event/2026-06-20/ted-curtin.                                                      .

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When I saw that June 6 marks the anniversary of Nathan Hale’s birth, I immediately began questioning if Nathan’s last words were really: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Furthermore, is the entire doomed schoolteacher story that I was taught just a myth?  Background Born in Coventry, Connecticut in 1755, Hale was raised by devout Puritan parents who extolled the virtues of faith and hard work. At the age of fourteen, Nathan enrolled at Yale College where he excelled in literature and debating. Following his graduation in 1773 Hale became a schoolmaster. His teaching career ended abruptly with the dawn of the American Revolution. Continental Army leaders were impressed by Hale’s educational credentials as well as his patriotic fervor. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and his unit was dispatched to Boston to support General Washington’s campaign against the British. Although Hale yearned to be part of the action, he was relegated to administrative duties and would continue serving as a non-combatant when Washington moved his troops to New York.  Washington had successfully forced the British to evacuate Boston however his troops began suffering heavy losses in New York. Concerned that the British were planning an invasion of Manhattan, Washington asked intelligence expert Thomas Knowlton, leader of Knowlton’s Rangers, to send a spy to Long Island to learn about British attack plans.  Nathan Hale eagerly volunteered for the assignment. Donning a plain brown suit, he assumed the character of a Dutch schoolmaster and arrived on Long Island on September 16, 1776. Yale classmates would later remark that Hale lacked the cunning to be a spy. Furthermore, Hale’s superiors never trained him in codes and ciphers. Instead, the young Yale graduate maintained his notes in Latin, a language known to many well-educated British officers. Knowlton provided no backup support for the woefully unprepared and naïve spy. Just after landing, Hale met a man who claimed to be an American soldier stranded in British territory. The gullible aspiring spy bought the man’s story and immediately began sharing details of his undercover mission. Unfortunately, Hale’s new acquaintance was a loyalist officer who was setting a trap for the suspected rebel. Hale was arrested and taken to New York City where he was hanged on September 22, 1776.  One Life to Lose Observers were impressed by Hale’s calmness and dignity on the gallows but there were no eyewitness reports of him saying “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”.  His dying words were first reported decades later by the daughter of a Yale classmate who had heard the tale from a British observer of the execution. Thus like most history we learned in school it must be taken with a grain of salt.  Hale’s sacrifice and execution went unacknowledged for the rest of the war. However, in the next century, writers became obsessed with American heroism and thus romantic tales about Nathan Hale, Paul Revere, and George Washington’s cherry tree became widely read.  Adding Insult to Injury As it turns out Hale’s undercover assignment was totally unnecessary. On the day that the young man set out for Long Island, the British began their invasion of New York City. Washington didn’t need updates on British plans when he could see the advancing Redcoats with his own eyes.   Hale’s failed mission was not without benefit to the Colonists. Washington realized that he could not continue to send untrained solitary men to infiltrate the British. Under Washington’s direction, the Culper Spy Ring was created, and the intelligence network recorded many successes over the next five years including the uncovering of a planned British attack on Rhode Island and the apprehension of British Spy, John Andre. Nathan Hale helped pave the way for improved American intelligence gathering. Maybe that’s why his statue stands in front of the CIA’s Langley Headquarters.  Have a great weekend. Remember that Father’s Day is June 21st. For a great gift, go to www.tedcurtinstories.com to obtain copies of my book, “Get Smarter- Be Amazed”.                                                          .

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This weekend let’s give thanks to all those serving in the military and to all our veterans. It is also important that we recognize the sacrifice of the families of those who serve or have served. Incredible Bravery As someone who did not serve in the military, I find many narratives of American heroism almost incomprehensible. Here is an example of astounding bravery: In 2005, an IED exploded under the Humvee of Sergeant Alwyn Cashe. His fuel-soaked uniform caught fire while he was pulling the driver to safety. Cashe returned to the burning vehicle five more times even though he was aflame and under heavy machine gun fire. Cashe saved six comrades but died an agonizing death from his burns in a Texas hospital. Cashe received the Medal of Honor posthumously.  Not all heroes carry a weapon It takes special courage to do your job under constant enemy threat when you aren’t provided a weapon. An excellent example of those who have provided vital services to our military efforts are the Seabees. After World War II broke out, the U.S. Navy created the Construction Battalions which became known as the “CBs” and soon thereafter “Seabees”. The Navy enlisted thousands of skilled tradesmen and engineers to create the extensive network of airfields, bridges, and roads that would be necessary to achieve victory in the European and Pacific theaters.  On D-DAY, the Seabees were among the first Americans to land at Normandy. Despite relentless German fire, the Seabees cleared German obstructions and established a path for the allied forces. During World War II, over 2000 Seabees were awarded the purple heart.  The Seabees continue their essential duties with the motto “can do”.  Tomb of the Unknowns If you haven’t visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery you need to put it on your “must see” list. It is one of the most powerful symbols of veterans’ sacrifice. Three soldiers representing the unknowns of World War I, World War II, and Korea are interred at the tomb.  A Vietnam veteran was interred at the tomb but with the advent of DNA testing, his remains were exhumed and he was identified as Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie. His remains were moved to a cometary near his home in Missouri.   The inscription over the crypt now reads “Honoring and Keeping faith with America’s Missing Servicemen, 1958-1975.”  The era of recognizing unknown soldiers has probably concluded because DNA testing can confirm the remains of fallen combatants. The Sentinel The guards who watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are held to the most rigorous possible standards. The badge earned by the sentinels is the second least awarded badge in the military. (the first is the astronaut badge) In 1996, Sgt. Heather Johnson became the first woman to earn the tomb guard badge, and six women have followed her.  When my family and I visited the tomb twenty years ago, we were astounded by the guidebook’s details on the stringent requirements placed on tomb guards. I recently did some research to check the veracity of the book.  “Applicants for guard duty must be between 5′ 10″ and 6′ 2″ tall with a waist size that cannot exceed 30.” My research indicates that the maximum height for a guard is 6’4 and waist size “must be proportional to height”. Women must be a minimum of 5’8.  “Guards must spend eight hours pressing and preparing their uniform before duty”. This turns out to be an exaggeration- It’s only five hours! “Guards must abstain from alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives.” It turns out that this is a myth and somewhere a couple of ex-guards are playing beer pong. “Guards cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives. “This is also a myth, so ex-guards are free to play golf or raise children.           Speaking of Arlington National Cemetery, can you name the only two presidents buried there? You will probably be surprised when you Google it.    Enjoy the long weekend. If you are looking for a great Father’s Day gift, go to www.tedcurtinstories.com to order my book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”.                                                          .

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Here are some random factoids you can bring up this weekend to amaze your friends.  Malaria is Italian for “bad air”.  It goes back to a time when people thought swamp fumes not mosquitoes caused the disease.  Ever wonder why the “B” in dB (the abbreviation for decibel) is capitalized? It is because the B stands for Alexander Graham Bell.  To be totally honest, I never wondered about the “B”.  Bluetooth is named for Harald Bluetooth, a Viking king known for uniting tribes. The technology was meant to “unite” devices in the same way.  Michelin created its restaurant-star system in 1926 to encourage people to drive more and accordingly wear out their tires.  The golf term, “Birdie” comes from early 1900s American slang, where “bird” meant something cool or excellent. When a golfer hit one stroke under par, his buddies called it “a bird of a shot”. I always thought Hat Trick was a hockey term. Turns out in 19th-century cricket, a bowler who took three wickets in a row would receive hats from the fans.  Originally, “dive” wasn’t a derogatory term. it described bars located below street level that patrons would need to dive downstairs to access. The plastic or metal ends of shoelaces are called aglets.  The small strips of wood, plastic, or metal between individual panes of glass are called muntins. These should never be confused with decorative strips between panes. Those are mullions.  The bit of fleshy skin around a turkey’s neck is called the snood. According to an oft-cited 1995 study in “Animal Behavior”, the longer the snood on a male turkey the more likely he is to find a mate. Gynecomastia is the correct and polite term for man-boobs. I can’t wait to ask my ophthalmologist if he knows the proper name for his eyechart. It is called The Snellen Chart after Dutch ophthalmologist Herman Snellen, who designed it in the 1860s.  The space between the thumb and forefinger is properly called the purlique.  The vertical groove between your nose and upper lip is called the philtrum.  The space between your eyebrows is called the glabella.  Chankings are the parts of food that can’t be digested and are instead discarded such as rinds, pits, and seeds,  The pizza’s outer crust. is the cornicion. It is universally adored by overly pampered dogs.  If you are worried about misgendering one of your nieces or nephews, try this alternative: Nibling, a gender neutral term. Careless handwriting” is also referred to as griffonage.  That spot on your back that you can’t reach to scratch? That’s called your acnestis  or the section between your shoulder blades. That dot above a lowercase “I” or “j” is called a tittle.  The wedge-shaped end of the head of a hammer that is opposite the face” is called a peen. In 1964, scientists came up with “petrichor” to define the smell of rain.  Blackberries and raspberries are among a class of fruits called bramble fruits or fruits that are produced by any tangled, prickly shrub.  BTW, the little bumps you see on these berries are called drupelets. But don’t use that term for the little bumps on a ping pong paddle. Those are “pips”.  Ping Pong is just one of many party games that I avoid because of gross ineptitude. Therefore, I didn’t know that experienced players prefer shorter pips because longer, more pronounced pips don’t give players as much control over the ball.  The good news is that ping pong is widely recognized as a great way to stave off dementia. However, the way I play would only lead to terminal depression. Have a great weekend. To discover more interesting factoids, check out my book on www.tedcurtinstories.com                                                         .

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Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful moms out there.  Here is some Mother’s Day food for thought I wrote down five years ago. The roots of the holiday trace back to the Civil War. Julia Ward who wrote the lyrics to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” started a campaign in Boston for a mother’s day that celebrated peace and protested war. Meanwhile in West Virginia, Ann Jarvis, who had spent years helping poor mothers, formed a committee to foster friendship between mothers from the North and the South.  After Ann’s death, her daughter Anna Jarvis decided to continue her quest for a national day for moms. Anna’s efforts were rewarded in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson set aside the second Sunday in May as a nationwide holiday. Businesses immediately seized the opportunity to sell flowers, candies, and cards. Anna Jarvis felt the commercialization was detracting from the spirit of Mothers’ Day and began staging boycotts of the holiday she created. Jarvis eventually used her last dollar in the unsuccessful fight. She died broke and blind at the age of 84 in a sanitarium. Interestingly, there is evidence that persons connected with the floral and greeting card industries paid the bills to keep Anna in the sanitarium. Trivia Because one of the first utterances babies make is a “ma” sound, most languages around the world use that sound as the basis for their word for “mother. The Mandarin word for “mom” is “mama”, the Icelandic word is “mamma” and the Vietnamese word is “me”. Most countries set aside an annual mother’s day and some have unique traditions. For example, mothers in Serbia are tied up with rope or ribbon until they give sweets and gifts to their children.   47% of moms think that fathers should buy the mother of their kids a gift while only 6% of dads agree.  Cheating websites such as Ashley Madison claim that on the day after Mother’s Day there is a dramatic increase in mothers signing up. Could it be because of the gift disconnect? On average, people spend $196 on Mother’s Day compared to $133 on Father’s Day. When landline telephones were the norm, Mother’s Day was the busiest day of the year for long distance calls. Father’s Day set the record each year for number of collect calls. Each of those sweaters that helped make Mr. Rogers famous were hand-knit by his mother. Hugh Hefner went to his father for a loan to finance a magazine that would become Playboy. His public accountant father refused because he thought it was a bad investment. Hefner’s mother grabbed Hugh before he left the house and gave him $1,000 to kick-off his venture. Some Bad Muthas Most mothers I know are wonderful women and perform feats I cannot even imagine. However, history and fiction are rife with examples of horrible moms. Here are my awards for the worst fictional moms (apologies to Mrs. Robinson who missed the cut): Bronze Medal: Betty Draper from “Mad Men” – The ultra- self-centered housewife, brilliantly played by January Jones, perpetually ignores her children. When her son complained that he was bored, Betty responded “Go bang your head against a wall. Only boring people are bored.” Betty gets a mulligan for being married to a serial cheater, but she is still a dreadful human being. Silver Medal: Livia Soprano of “The Sopranos”- One of the most miserable characters in TV history, played superbly by Nancy Marchand. I’m sure many moms have thought about putting out hits on their sons but Livia actually ordered one. Gold Medal: Eleanor Shaw Iselin from “The Manchurian Candidate (1962) – Angela Lansbury plays the sadistic, creepy puppet master of both her politician husband and her tragic war-hero son. Special Lifetime Achievement Citation – Norma Bates from Psycho – She certainly did a number on her cross-dressing serial killer son. Happy Mother’s Day and have a great weekend.    Remember that Father’s Day is just around the corner. Go to  Books (tedcurtinstories.com) to order Dad (or Mom) a copy of my book “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. “Mother’s Day Ramblings” is one of 100 stories contained in the compendium.                                                   .

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