My history kick

I can't quite place the exact beginning, but somewhere in the past couple weeks I have started up on this history kick. I think it started as a result of three different triggers: browsing a war book at Borders, finding a page from my grandpa's own war journal, and coming to the realization that I know very little about some of the most important things that have happened in this world.

Every time I need a break from work, I head across the street to Borders. Not too far away, but enough to get a little walk, some fresh air, and then the variety of items to browse and play with are enough to keep me entertained. But one day, I stumbled upon a book in the discount section called "Turning the Tide of War: 50 battles that changed the course of modern history." Very interesting summaries of specific battles, complete with diagrams, maps, etc. I found it all very intriguing because I really didn't know that much about most of those wars.

Sometime around that day (possibly before Borders, possibly after) I was rumaging through old papers in a box, mostly old elementary school art projects, old reports, stuff I hope to show my kids one day. But I found on the back of one of my sketches (a picture of my fictitional comic book character: eXtinguisher) a detailed account from a World War II vetrans' experience flying a B-52 bomber named the "Vicious Virgin." Intrigued by it and figuring it must be my grandfather's journal/memoir, I asked my dad if any such document existed. Regrettedly, he said nothing that he knows of, but he wishes he had obtained something like it before Grandpa died. Confused, I asked my dad what Grandpa's plane was named and immediately started a family mystery when my dad confirmed that indeed, Grandpa's plane was the Vicious Virgin. Now the hunt in on to find out where my found page had come from. Something exists, somewhere, and it is something my dad did not know about.

Between these two events an overriding feeling of ignorance hung over me. There's a heck of a lot of history that I know virtually nothing about, and should learn. Added to that feeling, a friend recommended a new historical war board game to me, Memoir '44. I've now got a full fledge history hunger, particularly World War II. Off to the local library, google.com, and my mom and dad's basement.