At 10:58 am on Wednesday, April 7, 1926, the 50 year old daughter of the former Lord Chancellor of Ireland stepped out of a crowd, drew a revolver, and shot Italian prime minister Benito Mussolini in the face. Had she done so a decade later, she might have been hailed as a hero. Had she been a better shot, history might have been different.
By September of 1944, the Western Allies had broken out of the Normandy beachehead, and suddenly and quickly moved across northern France . By September 7th, the 90th division was stretched across the northern sector on Patton’s Third Army’s left, advancing slowly northeast. As they did so the German defenders made a risky attack in an effort to spoil the allied advance, cutting through Allied lines in a surprise action at the small town of Mairy-Mannville.