...a dedicatory speech by President Abraham Lincoln at the historic event of dedicating the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on 19 November 1863 (The Gettysburg Address) was as follows:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought fourth upon this Continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We are met to dedicate a portion of it as the final resting place of those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here; but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work that they have thus so far nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that the dead shall not have died in vain; that the Nation shall, under God, have a new birth of freedom; and that governments of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

...the British Challenger-2 is the only main battle tank of the world that is provided with a coffee-machine. To prepare coffee for the crew is the responsibility of the loader.

...the real name of Leclerc – the French general, in honour of whom the most contemporary French tank was named – was Philippe de Hautecloque.

...before its break-up – as well as before the beginning of the Second World War – the Soviet Union had more battle tanks than the rest of the world combined.

...the 'father' of the American main battle tank 'Abrams' is Philipp Lett.

...whenever the Israeli Merkava battle tank fires a shot at Hizbullah's positions, the tank barrel 'spits out' at least fifteen hundred US dollars.

...the 'tank capital' of China is Baotou. This city is situated close to the Mongolian border.

...'Merkava' (name of the Israeli battle tank) means 'chariot'.

...it has been estimated that, on average, 12-15% of battle tanks will suffer some form of breakdown on the initial move to their deployment locations. This figure does not include between 5-10% of tanks which cannot be brought up to a serviceable state in time before deployment, assuming a 90-95% overall availability. In the worst case therefore, up to 20% of front line tanks may not even reach their initial battle positions.

...you are on Page 2 of this section of the site now, and it may be expedient to have a look at the previous and following pages.