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What was Project Excalibur?

Introduction Project Excalibur was a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Cold War-era research programme to develop an X-ray laser system as a ballistic missile defence (BMD) for the United States. The concept involved packing large numbers of expendable X-ray lasers around a nuclear device, which would orbit in space. During an attack, the device would… Read More

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What was Zenith Star?

Introduction Zenith Star was a Directed-energy weapon that started development as part of the US Strategic Defence Initiative. Background Zenith Star included the Alpha laser, a high energy hydrogen fluoride chemical laser, and the LAMP mirror which was a 7 segment adaptive optics mirror. It was never put in orbit, but the Alpha LAMP Integration… Read More

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What was the Thornton Affair (1846)?

Introduction The Thornton Affair, also known as the Thornton Skirmish, Thornton’s Defeat, or Rancho Carricitos was a battle 25 April 1846 between the military forces of the United States and Mexico 20 miles (32 km) west upriver from Zachary Taylor’s camp along the Rio Grande. The much larger Mexican force defeated the Americans in the… Read More

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What was the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714)?

Introduction The War of the Spanish Succession (July 1701 to 11 September 1714) was an early-18th-century European war, triggered by the death in November 1700 of the childless Charles II of Spain. It established the principle that dynastic rights were secondary to maintaining the balance of power between different countries. Related conflicts include the Great… Read More

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What was the Battle of Bagrevand (775 AD)?

Introduction The Battle of Bagrevand was fought on 25 April 775, in the plains of Bagrevand, between the forces of the Armenian princes who had rebelled against the Abbasid Caliphate and the caliphal army. The battle resulted in a crushing Abbasid victory, with the death of the main Armenian leaders. The Mamikonian family’s power in… Read More