Historical Info for Historical Fiction Readers discussion

Authors and historians, including amateurs, are invited to add to our historical eras lists. This can include times from WWII on back through history. If there is, say, a section on WWII in Japan, another section can be started on WWII in Europe. Different areas had a different experience. All historical sections should be added to the Historical Data folder.

Please put the era and location in the Topic bar.

You may add a historical fiction or reference book link or links that correspond to the time being discussed, but this is not a section to discuss the books. Another section has been provided.

There will be only one section for any given era and location to make it easier for readers to find the information they are seeking. Further information may be posted as a comment. For example, under:

Victorian Era (widely considered to be from 1832 to 1901.) There may be comments on:
Victorian Era Background
Victorian Royalty and Aristocracy
Victorian Class Structure
Victorian Fashion
(Any Victorian topic)

Please write some about the history here on Goodreads, but you may add links to outside posts on your blog or elsewhere if lengthy description is beneficial.

Any posts on the subject of any given time and location added by another person should be in the same section as the first post. You may add information as a comment. Realize that there may be differing opinions on a fact and that both may have references to prove their points. History is past, and we cannot ask the persons from that time. Please present differing views in a respectful way or comments may be deleted.

I am Joyce Shaughnessy, and Debra asked me to write something about WWII in the Pacific since I had written two books about it. I put it under topic "WWII in Pacific", but I was afraid too many people would miss it, and it was an important part of our history.

Everyone has heard about Pearl Harbor. Just nine hours after Pearl Harbor, Japan attacked the Philippine Islands the same way. MacArthur was under the mistaken belief that they wouldn't attack, if at all, under the following summer. So all the planes were lined up on the tarmac, wing to wing (they were destroyed), and most of what the Philippines called a Navy was destroyed.

Our troops had to leave Manila and inhabit the Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor. There were women nurses who were with them and fought side by side, even being injured themselves. They rendered aid whenever possible. Their problem was that the U.S. refused to send anything to them. They would not send food, medicine, ammunition, arms, anything. They had already promised the European front. Then they ordered MacArthur to Australia. Finally, our troops had to surrender. They were already starving, sick from malaria and other maladies, and they were forced to walk the 65 mile Death March. This year is the 70th anniversary of the Death March, and it was called that because the Japanese cruelly slaughtered around 12,000 men for things like drinking from a canteen or helping another soldier walk. They did it for fun. The slaughter continued for the entire walk.

It was 3 years before the U.S. came to the Philippines to aid the men and women there. The Japanese had separated the men and women into different internment camps, and were extremely cruel, starving most of them. Nine out of ten POWs under Japanese rule were murdered by them (not in battle) but out of cruelty and neglect.

I am now researching the wonderful men and women who went into the hills of the Philippines who formed Guerillas groups. They did a wonderful job of helping the Filipinos live even though the Japanese preferred them dead. They also helped the U.S. when they finally did come and helped them guide planes and ships where they were needed. Their help was courageous and invaluable.

I hope everyone will do his or her best to remember our men and women in uniform, especially in April of 2012, the anniversary of the Death March. They are still doing a wonderful service to their country, to our country.

Joyce Shaughnessy blessedarethemerciful.net

Im thinking of opening a thread on more of a place in history than a particular era: the Silk Road. It has been around for centuries, and spans a large area. A friend and I would like to open up any discussion people might have on the silk road and the cultures that would be found along the way there. Would this be a good group to post that? Or should I go elsewhere?

Absolutely, I think we'd all be thrilled to tally up the info.

OK thank you!

Thanks, Sharon. Sounds great.

Done! :D under general threads as Silk Road...

I think that sounds wonderful! Joyce Shaughnessy

I did a lot of heavy research for Coachman into the transport patterns and postal systems of the 1830s. I have blog posts about:

Bluffer's Guide to Horses and Carriages (part 1): http://suemillard.blogspot.co.uk/2012...

Bluffer's Guide to Horses and Carriages (part 2): http://suemillard.blogspot.co.uk/2012...

Bluffer's Guide to Horses and Carriages (part 3) Horsedrawn transport (video links) : http://suemillard.blogspot.co.uk/2012...

A stagecoaching entrepreneur: http://suemillard.blogspot.co.uk/2013...

Take a Letter - the postal system and Mail coaches: http://suemillard.blogspot.co.uk/2012...

Comments and shares welcome.

Sue, those are really useful posts! I struggle with all things to do with horses and coaching, so many thanks for passing on your own research.

hope it's in the right place, Debra! I wasn't sure!

Quite interesting and potentially useful info. Thank you, Sue.

Thanks for this, Sue.

Sue, thanks for the great links! They are something that I, too, will make good use of.

It would be great if you would start a thread about it in the Historical Data section. Just copy it to there. Thanks!

I tweeted some of those, Sue, and if it weren't so far past my bedtime, I'd tweet the rest. :D