Archive for October, 2009
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Remember WWII Veterans
June 6 is D-Day. Or the 65th anniversary of D-Day, to be exact. It’s hard to believe that that momentous day, when Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy and marked the beginning of the end of World War II, is now old enough to qualify
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American Revolution and War for Independence
This paper is dedicated to the history of American Revolution and the War for Independence. The primary purpose of the survey given here is to carry out an analysis of the events of the late 18th century in the British colonies in North America on the basis of vast historical material published in the United States
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The Lost City of Z
Having just finished David Grann’s wonderful book The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, which examines the obsessive hunt of Colonel P.H. Fawcett for a lost city in the Amazon, I felt compelled to write on the legend of El Dorado. This book is a wonderful read, offers some surprising insights
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Who were the Teutonic Knights
The Order of the Teutonic Knights of St. Mary’s Hospital in Jerusalem was one of the three major military-religious Orders that emerged in the 12th and 13th century, along with the Knights Templar and the Knights Hospitaller
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The influenza epidemic of 1918
World War I claimed an estimated 16 million lives. The influenza epidemic that swept the world in 1918 killed an estimated 50 million people. One fifth of the world’s population was attacked by this deadly virus. Within months, it had killed more people than any other illness in recorded history.
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Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in China, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire during the rule of successive dynasties.
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Remembering the Blitz of England
Are you hungry for information about the Blitz of England trivia? Of the many horrific wartime occurrences that have taken place throughout history, The Blitz of England was, by far, one of the most devastating. The Blitz began in London on the 7th of September in 1940, amidst World War II, and did not end until the 10th of May, 1941. During this time, the people of London endured an amazing 57 days of continuous bombings from those fighting for Nazi Germany. This repetitive bombing strategy was Hitler’s way of scaring the civilians, as well as the government, into submission by decreasing their morale. However, regardless of the number of bombs dropped on any given city, the death and devastation that surrounded them, and the impending German invasion on their doorstep, the British refused to surrender.
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The origins of Halloween
The origins of Halloween date back 2000 years to the times of the Celts who lived around the British Isles and Northern France. 1st November was their new year, the end of the summer after the harvest had been collected. The night before was their Samhain festival when they believed the worlds of the living and the dead were closest and the dead could return to earth. On the night of 31st October the Druids lit huge bonfires where people offered crops and animals as sacrificial offering to the Celtic deities
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An overview of the Knights Templar
Around 1119, nearly two decades after the First Crusade (1095-1099), Hugues de Payens and Godfrey de Saint-Omer, two French noblemen and Crusade veterans, gathered a group of nine knights to create a monastic Order under the approval of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem. Aiming to protect the Christian pilgrims, who were en route to the Holy Land to visit the temple sanctified to their faith, the nine knights offered to serve as a military force. The King granted the knights a wing in the Al Aqsa Mosque on the southeastern side of the Royal Palace on the Temple Mount, which was then known as Solomon’s Temple. There, the knights established their headquarters in order to organize their mission. From the Solomon’s Temple, they became known as the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, which later changed to the Knights Templar.
In the early nine years, the Templars were facing a relative difficulty in recruiting new members because not everyone liked their lifestyle and mission. Moreover, they remained eight out of nine. This caused financial problems and the Order had to rely on donations to survive. To emphasize on their poor resources and poverty they used as their emblem two knights riding on a single horse.
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The lasting effects of the Crusades
The Crusades kept all Europe in turmoil for two centuries (1095-1291). Aiming to regain control of Jerusalem from the Muslims and to impede the expansion of Seljuk Turks into Anatolia, Christian Western Europe engaged into a series of military campaigns that cost Christendom millions of lives. Interestingly enough, despite the war, suffering, disorder and crime, the Crusades contributed immensely in the history of the progress of civilization in Europe. At the same time, they greatly affected the Arab world. For many, the effects of Crusades on the Arab world are still visible today