|
Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 120 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
Special Topics
|
 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Mixed Bag
Garum. Garum was made by layering mackerels and salt in wooden barrels,sealing them, then standing the barrels in the sun til the mackerel decomposed and rotted down making a thick dark brown sauce
| China was first unified under the Qin dynasty of 221-207bc, the tomb of the first Qin emperor Qin Shi Huangdi is located next to China's most amazing archaeological discovery, what is it? | A Tough Older Historical Miscellany
|
The Terracotta Army. The tomb is near Xi'an in the Shaanxi province and in 3 separate pits are more than 7000 life size terracotta figures presumed to be the personal guards of the emperor.
The Jacobite rebellion. The monument marks the spot where the standards were raised on 19 Aug 1745 for the Jacobite rebellion, on top is a statue, not of Prince Charles Edward Stuart,but of an anonymous highlander, one of those according to the dedication 'who fought and bled in that arduous and unfortunate enterprise'.
| The first prophecy to bring fame to Nostradamus as a seer was: "The young lion will overcome the older one, in a field of combat in a single fight,he will pierce his eyes in their golden cage, two wounds in one, then he dies a cruel death". Whose death did he foresee? | A Tough Older Historical Miscellany
|
Henry II of France. Henry II of France, using the lion as his emblem, jousted with a younger opponent whose lance pierced the King's gilt helmet and the latter died after a prolonged period of agony.
Caer-Lud. The Romans named it Londinium, from which the present day name is derived but the ancient name of Caer-Lud is preserved in the district name of Ludgate
Surrender to the will of God. All peoples of Islamic faith are expected to conduct their lives by the traditional values set by the prophet Mohammed AD570-AD632
Roanoke . The Roanoke colony settled on a Virginian coastal island (now Nth Carolina). The governor, John White, sailed back to England for supplies, and on his return all had vanished including his daughter and grandchild.
Nephthys. No temples or shrines dedicated to Nephthys have ever been found, her name means Lady of the House and she became protector of the dead and was carved on canopic jars and the corners of sarcophagi with the wings of a kite like her sister Isis. She is also thought to have mated with her brother Osiris to produce the god Anubis.
Police violence. This was a time of Coercion in Ireland (limits on civil rights). An Irish M.P., William O'Brien was imprisoned, 10,000 marched to Trafalgar Square demanding his release. They were met by 2,000 police and 400 soldiers. Miraculously, no one died but marchers were beaten severely by the police and the leaders were arrested.
Freak waves. 35,000 people gathered on Bondi Beach on what appeared a gorgeous day. Three fluke waves came in such rapid succession that the water could not recede. 250 were caught in the backwash, of whom 100 needed medical help. In spite of valiant efforts five died. It's called Bondi's Black Sunday.
Poland. WW2 was three days old, and the city was caught between the advancing Nazies and the retreating Poles. When the Nazies finally took the city mass executions and deportations began immediately.
Police violence. This was the time of the Civil Rights Marches. A crowd were marching peacefully in Selma, Alabama. They were attacked by police who used tear gas and baton charged them. No one died but marchers were beaten and brutalized.
Revolution. Thousands of protestors marched to the Winter Palace to present a memorandum or protest to the Tzar. The Imperial Guard panicked when they saw the crowd and opened fire, killing dozens. The event is a water shed in Russian history as it forced the Tsar to grant a Duma or parliament and give up his absolute power.
(London)Derry. NICRA, (Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association), held a peaceful march although it had been banned by the authorities. 13 civilians were killed by British soldiers who opened fire and since have claimed they were fired on first.
Explosion. 56 people were killed in Celaya when the gunpowder used in fireworks exploded.
Killing spree. Martin Bryant went on a killing spree in the Port Arthur Historical Site, killing 35 men, women and children and injuring another 18.
Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth was known as the "virgin Queen" and thanks to the fervour with which England explored and colonised the world during her reign, had many things named after her. These include Virginia, the Virgin Islands and "crassostria virginica", a breed of oyster.
A sacrifice to the gods. Juanita was sacrificed along with two boys in order to prevent a volcanic eruption near Arequipa.
Benazir Bhutto. Benazir Bhutto became prime minister of Pakistan in 1988, following the footsteps of her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. She led Pakistan again between 1993-1996. Tansu Ciller was the prime minister of Turkey in the same period, while Sheikh Hasina gained leadership of Bangladesh in 1996. Srimavo Bandaranaike was prime minister of the mainly Buddhist nation of Sri Lanka.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The Brigadier-General seized power not much later, Marc Bazin was the civilian leader installed by the military in 1992. "Papa Doc" was the Haitian dictator who ruled from 1957 to 1971.
Hephaistion Amyntoros. Alexander and Hephaistion had been friends since childhood, studying together under Aristotle at his school in Mieza. Harpalos was another close friend, and was Alexander's treasurer, but absconded with a small army and a war-chest to Athens. He was later captured and killed. Philotas, son of Alexander's general Parmenion, was executed for masterminding a plot to assassinate Alexander. Krateros was Alexander's other second-in-command (and a rival of Hephaistion).
| Which Athenian was credited with devising the military strategy that led the Greeks to a decisive victory over the Persians at Salamis in 480 BC? | Mixed Bag of World History
|
Themistocles. Pericles was the great Polemarch (military leader) of Athens. Alcibiades was the general who succeeded Pericles, and led the Peloponnesian War - until he defected to the Spartan side, anyway. Miltiades was the Athenian general who masterminded the victory at Marathon.
Men who roamed ports seizing civilians for enforced Naval service. The press gang basically kidnapped able-bodied men for the war effort. Although the concept had been in existence for centuries, sets of rules had evolved within the press-ganging field by the Napoleonic era. See http://www.nelsonsnavy.co.uk/broadside7.html for more information.
Never. William Wallace never actually attacked York. This is one of the facts that the otherwise excellent film "Braveheart" gets completely wrong!
| I was born in 1918 to a Romanian peasant family. I was active in the Communist Party, rising to become the president of my country. I had a reign of terror lasting until 1989, when I was overthrown by a popular uprising, and executed along with my wife. Who am I? | Mixed Bag of World History
|
Nicolae Ceausescu. Mussolini ruled Italy (but died in similar circumstances to Ceausescu). Todor Zhivkov was the communist dictator of Bulgaria. George Hagi was a Romanian footballer. Somewhat unusually for an Eastern European, perhaps, Ceausescu had a love for rugby, and founded the Romanian Rugby Federation - the national squad are regular participants in the World Cup.
An elephant. The elephant is the royal animal of Thailand, and all elephants in the nation belong to the King. They were widely used for military purposes throughout Thai history, and were one of the primary mechanisms by which the Thai monarchs held onto power. King Rama V famously offered American President Lincoln elephants to aid him in the Civil War.
| The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tze founded the system of belief known as Taoism. What does the name Lao-Tze mean? | Mixed Bag of World History
|
Teacher. Lao-Tze is Mandarin for "teacher". The philosopher's real name was Mo Di.
| Which was the most famous of the Indian "hill stations", known as the summer capital of the British Raj? | Mixed Bag of World History
|
Simla. Maxwell Hill is the oldest hill station in Malaysia. Ootacamund and Darjeeling are also Indian hill stations, but Simla was where the British colonials flocked to cool off during the sweltering Indian summers. India was partly governed from Simla during summer.
| What was the capital of the Nabatean kingdom, which existed circa 300 BC in what is now the Middle East? | Mixed Bag of World History
|
Petra. The Nabateans were an early Arabian civilisation. Petra, the "Rose-Red City", lay on a trading route between Damascus and Arabia. The Nabateans were annexed by the Roman Emperor Trajan in 106 AD and Petra was inexplicably abandoned in 551 AD.
Portuguese. The Portuguese landed on Tanegashima Island in 1543 introducing the Japanese to cakes and firearms, which were welcomed.
Beijing, Nanjing, Xi'an, and Luoyang. Many, many cities have been the capital of one or another of China's dynasties. These are traditionally known as the four ancient capitals because they have had that role several times in Chinese history.
|
Fun Trivia | 
Quizzes | 
Games
| 
People | 
Services | 
Help | 
Me
