useless mental tidbits | fantastic lists

Great lists we've run across recently:

10 More Ancient Inventions You Think Are modern [ListVerse]
10 Truly Bizarre Scientific Studies [ListVerse]
10 Scientific Objects That Changed The World [NewScientist]
15 Amazing Science Facts [ListVerse]
Top 10 Ways to Provoke a Geek Argument [wired]
10 More Ways to Provoke a Geek Argument [wired]
20 More Ways You Know You're married to a GeekDad [wired]
Top Funny Science T-Shirts [teenormous]
10+ Places to Get a Free Education [jimmyr]
50 Most Useful Web Resources for University Students [educhoices]
10 Awesome Tools to Get More Out of Wikipedia [dumblittleman]
50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive [moskalyuk]
8 Powerful Career Lessons They Should've Handed Out on Graduation Day [ptb]
10 Busted Myths about Canadian Health Care: for Americans [TransGriot]
4 Ways to Make Life Lighter [ptb]
The Stories Behind 10 TV Theme Songs [neatorama]
45 Ridiculous Pictures of Boy Bands [buzzfeed]
10 Notable Grunge Bands [ListVerse]
10 Most Creative People in the Music Biz [FastCompany]
10 Memorable Web Series [cbc]



<>
10 Incredibly Memorable Movie Quotes [ListVerse]
Top 10 Most Evil Disney Villains [ListVerse]
Top 10 Survival Tips for People in Horror Flicks [ListVerse]
Ten Tips for Turning Your Kids into Trekkies [wired]
The Seven Types of Book Store Patron [RocketBomber] [via kottke]
Another 10 Books That Changed The World [ListVerse]
48 Best Classic Books to Read [LifeOptimizer]
25 Places to Read free Books Online [educhoices]
Top 10 Longest Novels in the English Language [ListVerse]
18 Challenges in Contemporary Literature [wired]
25 Awesome Cross-Platform Games You Can Download for Free [DLsquad]
10 Internet Memes You Can Share With Kids and a Bunch You Can't [wired]
Top 10 Utterly Useless Military Commanders [ListVerse]
Top 10 Significant Historical Coup d'Etats [ListVerse]
10 Things to Know about the American Army in WWII [HNN]
Top 10 Incredibly Dangerous Sports [ListVerse]
10 "You Might Be A Redneck" Limos [Jalopnik]
20 Notes on 365 Days on 2 Wheels (Tips for Biking in Vancouver) [beyondrobson]
Canda's 10 Most-Visited Tourist Attractions 2009 [forbes]
15 Fascinating Facts about Toilets [ListVerse]
35 Tip Jars Designed to Make You Want to Give More [TopCultured]

Doomed by History | John L. Burns at Gettysburg

Today marks he third and final day of fighting during the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War.

One of the bushwhackers (non-uniformed civilian combatants) that fought on the side of the Union was John L. Burns, a veteran of the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War. I encourage you to read Mr. Burns' entry in wikipedia, as his story, which I only allude to below, is fascinating. (I mean, I don't even mention Bret Harte's poem.)



On the first day of combat, July 1, 1863, the 70-year-old Burns presented himself to the Union forces and eventually found himself fighting alongside the Iron Brigade. He was wounded, and the Union soldiers were forced to leave him on the field as they were pushed back. Injured and exhausted, he managed to crawl away from his rifle, bury his ammunition, and convince the Confederate soldiers that found him that he was a non-combatant wandering the field looking for aid for his ailing wife. (He was lucky: By the rules of war, Bushwhackers were summarily executed upon discovery.) His wounds were dressed by Confederate surgeons, and he escaped into the night and found his way home.

After the war he was elevated to the status of national hero, and met President Abraham Lincoln during the same time Mr. Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address.

John L. Burns died of pneumonia in 1872 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

[Thanks to kottke for the original idea.] [From Shorpy.]