What are some funny rabbit holes you've gone down on the internet?

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NonZeroSum
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What are some funny rabbit holes you've gone down on the internet?

Post by NonZeroSum »

I searched Pyrrhic victory to make sure I was spelling it right.

Started reading about all the recent Pyrrhic wars
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhic_victory#Battles
Battle of Bunker Hill (1775)[11][12] – American Revolutionary War – After mounting three assaults on the colonial forces, the British won control of the Boston peninsula in the early stages of the war. The engagement cost many more casualties than the Americans had incurred (including a large number of officers) and led the British to adopt more cautious methods, which helped American rebel forces; the political repercussions increased colonial support for independence.
Battle of Guilford Court House (1781)[13][14] – American Revolutionary War – In this short battle, the British force defeated a superior American army; the British lost a considerable number of men and their drive to conquer the southern colonies changed course.
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands (1942)[15][16][17] – World War II, Solomon Islands Campaign – Japanese and Allied naval forces met during the struggle for Guadalcanal and nearby islands. After an exchange of carrier air attacks, U.S. surface ships retreated with one carrier sunk and another severely damaged. The Japanese carrier forces achieved a tactical victory but the loss of irreplaceable veteran aircrews was to the strategic advantage of the Allies.
Battle of Chosin Reservoir (1950)[18][19] – Korean War – The Chinese army attempted to encircle and destroy the UN forces but in a 17-day battle in freezing weather, the UN forces inflicted crippling losses on the Chinese while making a fighting withdrawal. The Chinese occupied northeast Korea but they did not recover until the spring, and the UN maintained a foothold in Korea.
Battle of Vukovar (1991)[20][21] – Croatian War of Independence – The Serbian militant Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) laid siege to the city of Vukovar, held by the Croatian National Guard and civilian volunteers. After 87 days the ruined city fell to the JNA. The siege exhausted the JNA and was a watershed in the Croatian War.
Read into the UN retreat out of North Korea after the Chinese entered the war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chosin_Reservoir
While the Marines succeeded in withdrawing it was mainly due to Task Force Faith to their east who took on the full brunt of the Chinese offensive. Without Task Force Faith taking heavy casualties and becoming prisoners of war the Marines in the west would have more than likely been encircled. The Chinese succeeded in pushing the UN forces out of northeastern North Korea but suffered heavy casualties.
Read into the grim details of Task Force Faith
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Task_Force_Faith
The march south was interrupted when the Corsairs mistakenly bombed short, spraying the lead platoons of the task force with napalm, killing and burning troops. The napalm drop had a demoralizing effect on the task force. As the front of RCT-31 made their way against close-range fire, heavy small arms fire from across the small valley caused many members of the rear guard to seek shelter below the road, instead of protecting the trucks. The enemy fire killed or wounded those already in the trucks as well as the drivers who viewed the job as a form of suicide. In the late afternoon, with light fading, Faith got the column moving again, albeit slowly, until it approached Hill 1221 overlooking the road. One battalion from the PLA 242nd Regiment had set up a strong defensive position on the Hill and a roadblock beneath it to block Faith's retreat. Several units attacked Hill 1221 trying to clear it. As Faith led an assault on the roadblock, he was hit by an enemy grenade and badly wounded.

At this point, darkness closed in, ending the protective Marine air cover. Chinese infantry assaults grew bolder, penetrating closer to the convoy. RCT-31 began to disintegrate. Almost all of its officers were dead or seriously wounded. Separate attacks were made on the hill which cleared part of it, but many of the leaderless soldiers, instead of returning to the column, continued out onto the frozen reservoir immediately behind the hill and walked on the ice toward Marine positions several miles to the south, seeking safety.
. . .
Here the Chinese renewed their attack, swarming among the trucks, throwing white phosphorus grenades into vehicles loaded with wounded, setting some of them on fire.[5]
. . .
Chinese officers and soldiers involved in this battle were new to international conflicts. They had been used to allowing their Chinese Nationalist opponents to survive and surrender after the combat on their own volition. They often just stood by as American soldiers dropped their weapon and left once the combat was over. There were instances in which they actually let go of prisoners who already surrendered.
Then found a ridiculously inappropriate blockbuster voice guy bigging up the documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGO1qQKFPAo

Then pretty great animation produced by Veterans Expeditionary Media
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJDX2_ZISj0
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