History with Descriptions - A through Z

[Handley_Page]

Brexit

Not yet history but on this day the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU, the largest free trade zone in the world. History will judge if this was a good or bad decision.

Oh won't it just.
The problem is that "What to do about it" is in the hands of politicians who value their expenses, & not concentrate upon what should be done.

 

[JKendallDane]

Archibald Cox

Cox became internationally famous when under mounting pressure and charges of corruption against persons closely associated with Richard Nixon, Attorney General nominee Elliot Richardson was forced to appoint him (on account of his reputation for integrity and his independence from the President) as Special Prosecutor to oversee the federal criminal investigation into the Watergate burglary and other related crimes, corrupt activities and wrongdoings that became popularly known as the Watergate scandal.

His investigation led him directly to the President himself, and he had a dramatic confrontation with Nixon when he subpoenaed the tapes the President had secretly recorded of his Oval Office conversations. When Cox refused a direct order to seek no further tapes or Presidential materials, Nixon fired him in an incident that became known as the Saturday Night Massacre.

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[Hard_Rom]

Osman Digna

Osman Digna (c. 1840 – 1926) was a follower of Muhammad Ahmad, the self-proclaimed Mahdi, in Sudan, who became his best known military commander during the Mahdist War. As the Mahdi's ablest general, he played an important role in the fate of General Charles George Gordon and the loss of the Sudan to Egypt. In Britain Osman became a notorious figure, both demonised as a savage and respected as a warrior. Winston Churchill describes him as an "astute" and "prudent" man, calling him "the celebrated, and perhaps immortal, Osman Digna."

 

[Boxlicker101]

Xerxes governed the Persian Empire (as did his father, Darius I) at its apex. He is most known in western culture for his assaults on Greece, around 480 BC. The stand of the Trojans at Thermopylae against Xerxes is now popular culture. He was defeated by the Athenians in a naval battle at Salamis, which some historians regard as one of the most pivotal battles in the history of western culture.

Xerxes was assassinated by his bodyguard.

Wasn't the Greek army mostly Spartans and others, rather than Trojans?

 

[SamScribble]

The Age of Enlightenment

There is much to like about the Enlightenment; but perhaps the best bit was the separation of church and state. It is a pity that not every state bought into it.

 

[Boxlicker101]

The Age of Enlightenment

There is much to like about the Enlightenment; but perhaps the best bit was the separation of church and state. It is a pity that not every state bought into it.

I agree, but there are many, mostly members of the clergy, who would otherwise have a much easier life.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

The one the only Sigmund Freud

There are too many great quotes from Freud to choose only one.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/10017.Sigmund_Freud

 

[JKendallDane]

Grace Brothers

The fictitious London department store setting of the long running and wildly hilarious British sitcom "Are You Being Served?"

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[EmpressJosephine]

Hoplites

Hoplites were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Hadendoa

Hadendoa is the name of a nomadic subdivision of the Beja people, known for their support of the Mahdiyyah rebellion during the 1880s to 1890s. The area historically inhabited by the Hadendoa is today parts of Sudan, Egypt and Eritrea.

Osman Digna, one of the best-known chiefs during the Mahdiyyah rebellion under Muhammad Ahmad, was a Hadendoa, and the tribe contributed some of the fiercest of the Dervish warriors in the wars of 1883–98. So determined were they in their opposition to the Anglo-Egyptian forces that the name Hadendoa grew to be nearly synonymous with rebel.

Their elaborate hairdressing gained them the name of "Fuzzy-wuzzies" among the British troops during the Mahdist War. Osman Digna was a Mahdist general who led the Hadendoa to break a British infantry square in the Battle of Tamai, although he ultimately lost the battle itself. This was the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's poem, Fuzzy-Wuzzy. They earned an unenviable reputation during the wars by their hideous mutilations of the dead on the battlefields. After the reconquest of the Egyptian Sudan (1896–98) the Hadendoa accepted the new order without demur.

(certainly not what would be called politically correct today, if not plain racist)
Fuzzy-wuzzy

We've fought with many men acrost the seas,
An' some of 'em was brave an' some was not:
The Paythan an' the Zulu an' Burmese;
But the Fuzzy was the finest o' the lot.
We never got a ha'porth's change of 'im:
'E squatted in the scrub an' 'ocked our 'orses,
'E cut our sentries up at Sua~kim~,
An' 'e played the cat an' banjo with our forces.
So 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan;
You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man;
We gives you your certificate, an' if you want it signed
We'll come an' 'ave a romp with you whenever you're inclined.

We took our chanst among the Khyber 'ills,
The Boers knocked us silly at a mile,
The Burman give us Irriwaddy chills,
An' a Zulu ~impi~ dished us up in style:
But all we ever got from such as they
Was pop to what the Fuzzy made us swaller;
We 'eld our bloomin' own, the papers say,
But man for man the Fuzzy knocked us 'oller.
Then 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an' the missis and the kid;
Our orders was to break you, an' of course we went an' did.
We sloshed you with Martinis, an' it wasn't 'ardly fair;
But for all the odds agin' you, Fuzzy-Wuz, you broke the square.

'E 'asn't got no papers of 'is own,
'E 'asn't got no medals nor rewards,
So we must certify the skill 'e's shown
In usin' of 'is long two-'anded swords:
When 'e's 'oppin' in an' out among the bush
With 'is coffin-'eaded shield an' shovel-spear,
An 'appy day with Fuzzy on the rush
Will last an 'ealthy Tommy for a year.
So 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, an' your friends which are no more,
If we 'adn't lost some messmates we would 'elp you to deplore;
But give an' take's the gospel, an' we'll call the bargain fair,
For if you 'ave lost more than us, you crumpled up the square!

'E rushes at the smoke when we let drive,
An', before we know, 'e's 'ackin' at our 'ead;
'E's all 'ot sand an' ginger when alive,
An' 'e's generally shammin' when 'e's dead.
'E's a daisy, 'e's a ducky, 'e's a lamb!
'E's a injia-rubber idiot on the spree,
'E's the on'y thing that doesn't give a damn
For a Regiment o' British Infantree!
So 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan;
You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man;
An' 'ere's ~to~ you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, with your 'ayrick 'ead of 'air --
You big black boundin' beggar -- for you broke a British square!

Rudyard Kipling

 

[Hard_Rom]

Hoplites were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields.

Quicker on the draw! Damn!

And it tied in so well with my "D" contribution.

 

[NotWise]

Wasn't the Greek army mostly Spartans and others, rather than Trojans?

Sorry, my screw-up. I meant Spartans and wrote Trojans.

 

[NotWise]

Sorry, my screw-up. I meant Spartans and wrote Trojans.

Irrigation is the method of supplying water to crops to artificially supplement the natural supply of rain water or snowmelt.

Irrigation was used in Mesopotamia and in Egypt at least 6000 years (or so) BCE. It could be considered a fundament of human civilization. In the US, the Anasazi and Pueblo people used irrigation. Pre-Columbian irrigation systems still remain in Arizona and New Mexico.

 

[JKendallDane]

The Buick Invicta

A full-size automobile marketed in between the entry level LeSabre and luxury Electra models. It was only produced from 1959 to 1963.

http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/1959-1960-buick-invicta-1959.jpg

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[JKendallDane]

James Buchanan

Fifteenth President of the United States and the only one that was a bachelor. The first states to secede leading up to the Civil War occurred under his administration and left him with a legacy of "Worst President ever" reputation.

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[Boxlicker101]

Sorry, my screw-up. I meant Spartans and wrote Trojans.

There were Trojans there too, but they were mostly intended to prevent pregnancies.

 

[NotWise]

The Buick Invicta

A full-size automobile marketed in between the entry level LeSabre and luxury Electra models. It was only produced from 1959 to 1963.

http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/1959-1960-buick-invicta-1959.jpg

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That's an angry-looking car. It could be the model for Stephen King's "Christine."

 

[NotWise]

There were Trojans there too, but they were mostly intended to prevent pregnancies.

So, the Persians were wearing Trojans? So unlike a conquering force.

 

[NotWise]

That's an angry-looking car. It could be the model for Stephen King's "Christine."

Actually I guess that Christine was a Plymouth Fury. The Invicta could have been a better choice.

 

[Handley_Page]

Wasn't the Greek army mostly Spartans and others, rather than Trojans?

It was the Spartans (all 299 of them), and a few score of Thespians Thebans.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

K. Kneazle

(Harry Potter lexicon)

Kneazles are small creatures that look like large cats, but have spotted fur, large ears and a tail like a lion. An independent, intelligent creature, capable of aggression which it shows occasionally, a kneazle will make a great pet, if it likes you. It can be relied upon to guide its owner home if they should get lost. A kneazle requires a license for legal ownership.

Apparently Kneazles can interbreed with cats; the resulting cat/kneazle hybrid is relatively intelligent and larger than the ordinary cat. Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, is probably just such a cross-breed. We are led to believe that old Mrs. Figg is actually making a living by creating such hybrids.

(You never said it had to be Muggle history).

 

[MatthewVett]

Lycurgus, the Spartan lawgiver. It was he who decreed the changes to the Spartan state that made it so famous. Although some of his actions, like getting rid of gold coins in exchange for worthless iron bars, are obviously anachronistic, he still gets the credit for the reforms of the agoge, the Spartan public school that raised its citizens and soldiers, and the extremely equality (among Spartiates). Even kings could be fined for refusing to eat in the common mess with everyone else. The Spartan state, despite its dual kingship, massive slave underclass, and unique culture, was the most stable government in Greece.

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Lycurgus*.html

 

[JKendallDane]

Methuselah

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IVDd_mr1K-U/URFtwV0JsdI/AAAAAAAAAIg/rSSHCCaWkoA/s1600/C4---Methuselah-Tree.jpg

At 4,841 years old, this ancient bristlecone pine is the oldest known non-clonal organism on Earth.

Located in the White Mountains of California, in Inyo National Forest, Methuselah's exact location is kept a close secret in order to protect it from the public. Today you can visit the grove where Methuselah hides, but you'll have to guess at which tree it is. Could this one be it?

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[Handley_Page]

I believe that Genesis has it that Methusala lived 969 years.
That's a L o n g time

 

[Hard_Rom]

Nancy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_(1789_ship)

Nancy was a schooner, built in Detroit and launched in 1789. She served for several years in the fur trade on the Great Lakes, but is best known for playing a part in the Anglo-American War of 1812. She served for several years as a vital supply ship for the Provincial Marine. The Royal Navy took over the Provincial Marine in 1814 and so acquired Nancy. After HMS Nancy was blocked in by an American fleet near the mouth of the Nottawasaga River, her crew set her on fire on 14 August 1814 to prevent the capture of the ship and the cargo she carried. Forgotten for many years, the wreck was re-discovered in July, 1927 and raised to form the centrepiece of the Nancy Island Museum.

On 13 August, 1814 Captain Arthur Sinclair led three American ships (Niagara, Scorpion and Tigress) into Nottawasaga Bay. The Americans believed that the Nancy was still out on the lake and heading back to the Nottawasaga, and intended to wait in ambush for her in the bay. However, Sinclair landed some of his embarked troops to make an encampment on the spit of land between the river and the lake shore, and some wood-cutting parties discovered the schooner's hiding place.

The next day, three companies of American regular infantry, supported by a 5.5-inch mortar and the guns of Sinclair's ships, attacked Worsley's position. Faced with overwhelming odds, Worsley determined to scuttle Nancy to prevent the enemy from capturing her or her valuable stores. A line of powder was set running to Nancy and from there to the blockhouse. At four o'clock, Nancy was set alight, which in turn by way of the powder train, set off an explosion in the blockhouse. The blockhouse explosion surprised Sinclair, causing him to think that one of the howitzer's shots had found its mark.

After the action, the gunboats Scorpion and Tigress were left to guard the river to prevent canoes and bateaux from getting supplies to Fort Mackinac. Eventually the river mouth was blocked with felled trees, and the two gunboats proceeded along the north shore in the hope of intercepting fur-laden canoes on the lake. Worsley and his men removed the obstructions and reached Mackinac in a large canoe on 31 August after paddling and rowing for 360 miles. They subsequently surprised and captured both American gunboats in the Engagement on Lake Huron.