Snapshot · The Rest Is History
Ten days after the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse, a French fleet of 10 ships of the line, 4 frigates and 4,000 soldiers sailed into Delaware Bay.
Where this was said
At 1:07:05 · chapter starts 1:04:15
For months the Continental Army has pinned its hopes on French intervention. The French have sent arms covertly, but official recognition keeps not coming. Then in the dying days of April 1778, news arrives from Versailles: Franklin has pulled it off. France officially recognises the American Republic, a military alliance is signed, and a month later war is declared between Britain and France. The reaction at Valley Forge is extraordinary. Lafayette kisses Washington on both cheeks. The troops fire their guns, read the treaties aloud, shout 'Long live the King of France' — a chant that never quite became a national anthem — and drink heavily. Most remarkably, Washington himself cracks: he shows 'a countenance of uncommon delight' and agrees to play cricket with the junior officers [1] — Dominic Sandbrook "French fleet: 10 ships of the line, 4 frigates, 4,000 troops: Ten days after the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse, a French fleet of 10 ships …" 1:07:05 . London's strategic calculus shifts immediately: the Caribbean sugar islands now matter more than the North American colonies. A third of the British force in Philadelphia is ordered to the Caribbean, the position becomes untenable, and the British begin their evacuation to New York.
Almost any other commander would have let the Continental Army fall apart at Valley Forge. Washington's iron self-control, his refusal to abandon his men, and his conscious performance of Roman republican virtue kept the army together at its lowest ebb. Without that winter, there might have been no revolution.
Joel de la Garza noted that the CISO role is a relatively recent invention, with Steve Katz widely credited as the first-ever CISO.
Superficial adoption of electricity gave factories only 6% efficiency gains; fully redesigning factories around it delivered a 3x productivity improvement that powered 20th-century US growth.
Harold Ramis recounted that during Caddyshack filming, storms kept the cast cooped up in a Florida hotel for days, during which they partied and did drugs all day and night.
In the 1820s, China accounted for 25% of global economic output, making it the world's largest economic machine — a historical precedent for its current AI superpower ambitions.
66 Americans held hostage at the US Embassy in Iran were released after 444 days, within hours of Reagan's inauguration.
In the first round of the secret arms deal, 508 TOW missiles were transferred from Israel to Iran in exchange for hostage releases.
America secretly transferred 2,000 missiles and missile parts to Iran across 8 separate shipments over just over a year.
Despite all the missile sales, only 3 of the 7 American hostages held by Lebanese terrorists were ultimately released.
The CIA supply plane that blew open the scandal was flying at only 2,500 feet in broad daylight when it was shot down on October 5, 1986.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.