A Note From Bob
The war that started 75 years ago this week
In the early hours of June 25, 1950, North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel and poured into the South. Within days the United Nations had condemned the invasion, President Truman had committed American troops, and a conflict that many at home would call the Forgotten War was underway. It would last three years, cost millions of lives, and leave Korea divided to this very day.
Seventy-five years on, the dates still tell the story. Today's featured quiz walks through the Korean War one milestone at a time, from that first crossing to the armistice at Panmunjom. Let's see how well you remember the timeline.
Trivia Question of the Day
When the Korean War began in 1950, the country was split into a communist North and a U.S.-backed South along a line that still divides the two Koreas today. By what name is that dividing line best known?
The answer is at the bottom of this email.
Today's Featured Quiz
The Korean War by the Dates
30 questions. Roughly 10 minutes. Trace the war from the June 1950 invasion through Inchon, the Chinese intervention, and the 1953 armistice. If you came of age in the 1950s, some of these dates may bring back the headlines.
More to Explore
The Soviet Union
Korea was one front in a much larger struggle. On this day in 1963, President Kennedy stood before a crowd of West Berliners and declared "Ich bin ein Berliner," one of the defining moments of the Cold War. The nation on the other side of that wall shaped the better part of the 20th century. Our Soviet Union quiz covers it from the 1917 revolution to the fall of the wall. 32 questions for those who want to keep going.
The Answer
The 38th parallel
The line of latitude was chosen as a temporary divide between Soviet and American occupation zones at the end of World War II. It hardened into the border between North and South Korea, and after three years of war the 1953 armistice left the two sides separated almost exactly where they began. The Demilitarized Zone that follows it remains one of the most heavily guarded borders on earth.
Want the full timeline? Today's featured quiz walks through it date by date.
On This Day
June 26, 1963: President John F. Kennedy delivered his "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech to roughly 120,000 people in West Berlin. There is a long-running myth that he accidentally called himself a jelly doughnut. He did not. The line was good German, and the crowd roared.
Stay
Curious.
Bob
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