"The formidable Dartmoor Prison was the first permanent facility for prisoners of war on British soil. Known as the 'hated cage,' American captives--Black and white--from the War of 1812 languished in it for years, even after the war ended, stewing in frustration and rage. Although the prisoners had been racially integrated as sailors on American naval ships, Dartmoor became deeply segregated, like the United States itself. Then, on April 6, 1815,...

"At age twenty-four, Winston Churchill was utterly convinced it was his destiny to become prime minister of England one day, despite the fact he had just lost his first election campaign for Parliament. He believed that to achieve his goal he must do something spectacular on the battlefield. Despite deliberately putting himself in extreme danger as a British Army officer in colonial wars in India and Sudan, and as a journalist covering a Cuban uprising...