Events 1451 – Sultan Mehmed II inherits the throne of the Ottoman Empire. 1488 – Bartolomeu Dias of Portugal lands in Mossel Bay after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, becoming the first known European to travel so far south. 1509 – The Portuguese navy defeats a joint fleet of the Ottoman Empire, the Republic… Read More
Events 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King Louis III is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony. 1141 – The Battle of Lincoln, at which Stephen, King of England is defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda. 1438 – Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt are… Read More
Events 1329 – King John of Bohemia captures Medvėgalis, an important fortress of the pagan Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and baptizes 6,000 of its defenders. 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights (Prussia). 1662 – The Chinese general Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan… Read More
Asbestos, a furry silicate mineral was woven into textiles and incorporated into building materials so that they would not burn. It found its way into cement, pipes, tiles and shingles. During World War One, Kaiser Wilhelm, the German monarch, sheltered in a portable asbestos hut. During World War Two, the United States armed forces used… Read More
“By contrast the 500 residents of Swastika, Ontario held fast to the name despite Adolf Hitler’s appropriation of the Hindu symbol of good luck. They had it first, the locals reasoned. It may have helped that the Swastika mine, after which the town was named, produced gold, not asbestos.” Reference The Economist. (2019) Welcome to… Read More
“The inhabitants of Berlin, Ontario, whose heritage is largely German, decided during the first world war to call the town Kitchener, after Lord Kitchener, the British field-marshal and secretary of war whose face appeared on recruiting posters.” Reference The Economist. (2019) Welcome to Toxic Town. The Economist. 14 December 2019, pp.29.
Did you know that the election of December 2019 saw the election of a number of MP’s with military experience? There are currently 45 veterans and Reservists sitting as MP’s in Westminster. Approximately 7% of the House of Commons is made of of ex-personnel. While the Conservatives boast the largest military presence, both Labour and… Read More
