Historical Snippets 1 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Initial approval only

When women of the western world first began breaking free from the rigid clothing restrictions of previous years, one of the first fashions that caught their eye were the loose pantaloons worn in Turkey under shorter skirts. This fashion made its debut in the USA in the early 1850s, and shocked reports soon began appearing in newspapers everywhere. It was scandalous, sirrah! Clerics thundered from the pulpit that women were trying to usurp male authority, and delighted newspaper editors often depicted these shocking creatures wearing trousers, sitting with the legs crossed, and even puffing away on large cigars.

The new craze of bloomers made its appearance in the USA at a time when feminists were strongly advocating for the rights of women, especially that of the right to vote. They referred to their bloomers, which they wore everywhere as a matter of course, as "Freedom" pants and determinedly donned them at any public meeting where they agitated for equality. Unfortunately though, this had a detrimental effect on the very causes for which they were fighting. The women found that newspapers who sent their representatives to report on these meetings were concentrating more on the new scandalous clothing the feminists were wearing, instead of the issues at hand. Reluctantly then, many of the leading reformists, to keep the attention of the public focused on those issues - and not the ones on their legs - found themselves having to return to wearing long dresses, corsets, and more traditional clothing once again.

Answer: The prisoner himself

Being shot at dawn was, and in some countries still is, the supreme penalty carried out by the military for crimes of "cowardice, desertion, espionage, murder, mutiny or treason" (Wikipedia). It is debatable whether choosing the first light for this punishment was to get it over and done with for the condemned prisoner, or for the unfortunate members of the execution squad chosen for the task. To spread the diffusion of responsibility for this punishment, each of the rifles to be used was taken from the soldiers, loaded with one bullet, but with one of those bullets being either a blank or a wax bullet, so that, in theory, it was unknown who had actually fired the fatal shot.

In a bizarre twist to this form of execution, in the French military at least, it was once the case that if the prisoner was an officer, and had always fought bravely during his career, then he himself could give the order for the execution squad to fire. An example of this could be seen in the execution of Michel Ney, one of Napoleon's eighteen original Marshals of the Empire, who fought for Napoleon to the bitter end in the 1815 Battle of Waterloo. After his arrest and subsequent trial by the French Chamber of Peers, he was condemned, but allowed that privilege of giving that final order at his execution.

Answer: The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China, which runs approximately east to west across the northern border of that great nation, was constructed in order to hold back the marauding hordes from the steppes of Eurasia. With construction commencing in the 7th century BC, the Great Wall was initially a series of walls built over the centuries that followed, before finally being combined into the whole in the 1st century BC by the then reigning emperor. Little of that original wall remains though, but over the centuries that followed, it was repaired, built onto, replaced, veered off into various branches, and continually updated. Its history is so long that it's hard to quote definitive figures, but the Wall is generally stated as being over 13,000 miles in length.

Oh, but at what a cost. The Encyclopaedia Britannica informs one that over 1,000,000 workers died during its 2,000 year old construction period, giving it the famous nickname of "the longest cemetery on earth". The most dreadful fact of all, when coupled with that, is that the wall didn't prevent invasions at all. It was constantly breached in various sections over the centuries, before, finally, the 13th century witnessed Genghis Khan and his armies sweeping easily into China. Images of this magnificent architectural wonder takes the breath away even today. It is a tribute to the ingenuity and determination of man, however much it failed to serve its purpose.

Answer: All of these above

When Pope Clement IV died in 1268, it took three years before another Pope (Gregory X) was elected, because of political infighting between the college of cardinals, with opposing sides lobbying for their particular candidates. This took place in the Italian city of Viterbo, where the late Pope had died. After two months of bickering following Clement's death, the General Superior of the Order of Servites visited the cardinals to reprimand them for their slowness, but when he found, to his horror, that they wanted to elect him instead, he made a hasty departure. By the close of 1269, the cardinals were sequestered to a part of the newly built Palazzo dei Papit di Viterbo over which a makeshift roof had been erected - but still they argued on. In 1270, and still with no decision, Charles I of Anjou ordered the makeshift roof removed altogether, and that the cardinals be put on a diet of bread and water to improve their decision making abilities.

1271 rolled around with still nothing resolved but with the cardinals looking a lot trimmer. Finally, following pressure from various rulers throughout Europe, they reluctantly agreed that a committee of six be formed to elect a new Pope. Gregory X took up the burden and was consecrated in Rome early in 1272. Today, the aftermath of this astonishing debacle is that during Papal elections, cardinals are secluded for the entire time it takes to make a decision, and meals are passed through a small opening to them. After three days, however, if no decision has been reached, those meals are reduced to only one a day, and, if another eight days pass without a new Pope selected, reduced further to only bread and water, with perhaps a very little wine. But at least the roof remains intact.

Answer: Selling poison to would be widows

Guilia Tofana ran a very profitable business is Palermo, Italy, for over fifty years selling her specially manufactured poison to hopeful would be widows keen to be rid of their husbands. So successful was her business that she employed her daughter and several other women to help meet the demand for this product. Known as Aqua Tofana, this delectable brew, which was tasteless when mixed with wine or water, comprised arsenic, belladonna and lead, and was given over four days before the recipients finally expired.

This gave their spouses time to encourage them to write their wills. Aqua Tofana was sold in bottles marked "Manna of St Nicholas of Bari", with the accompanying spiel stating it could be used for cosmetic or devotional purposes. More than 600 unlucky men met their maker in this devotional way.

When the authorities finally caught up with her, Giulia confessed to her crimes and was duly executed. Needless to say, her thriving business also died with her.

Answer: One day

Demologos was designed by the great American engineer and inventor, Robert Fulton (1765-1815) during the War of 1812. Her purpose was to defend New York against any invasion by the United Kingdom, but she took so long to built that, by the time she was launched in late 1815, the war was already over. To add insult to injury, and because Robert Fulton died that same year, Demologos was then renamed in his honour to Fulton.

The first warship built that incorporated a steam engine in its design, Demologos didn't get to see any service on the high seas at all. She had one somewhat inglorious day of active service only, when she took President James Monroe on a tour of New York Harbour. Then she was more or less retired, with no other ships of her design built. For the remainder of her short life, she was laid up, kept in reserve, or used as a floating barracks. The end of her life was considerably more exciting though. She went out with a bang, when she exploded in 1829 while still lying in harbour. Poor little unloved ship.

Answer: Arrows

When cannons first appeared in Europe, circa mid 14th century, they fired grapeshot and, astonishingly, arrows as well. It seems hard to believe this was the case, but the combination of the two projectiles was first used with devastating effect during the Battle of Crecy (England versus France, 1345-46).

These cannons were known as ribaldis. Grapeshot was a canvas bag packed with small round metal pellets, and the arrows used were of a larger design than those used in bows. The cannons were small, compared to the much larger ones of later centuries, but their advantage was that they could be easily transported. Later cannons were much bigger but very hard to transport.

Their advantage was that they could demolish the walls of previously impregnable castles.

Answer: A fast horse drawn vehicle

"Tally-ho!" is thought to have originated with French horsemen in the 1770s in order to urge dogs on when hunting deer. It also became associated with hunting other animals, including the poor little fox as well. The French word was "taiaut" and it evolved from a 13th century war cry "taille haut", which roughly translated to "swords up" in preparation for battle.

By the 19th century it was being used to describe some fast horse drawn vehicles, before evolving once again in the 20th century, when it was used by RAF pilots to warn fellow airmen of enemy planes, and by NASA to alert astronauts of debris floating in space.

Answer: Suleiman made her his consort and wife

Also known as Roxelana, Hurrem was the daughter of a Polish orthodox priest. As a young girl, she was kidnapped by Crimean Tartars during one of their periodic raids into the Slavic lands, taken to the Ottoman slave trading centre, and eventually selected by the mother of Suleiman as a concubine for his harem when she was fifteen. Her cheerful nature and laughing face soon bewitched Suleiman and he fell in love with the little concubine. At a time when it was customary for a concubine to produce only one son, before being sent to a distant part of the empire with the child until, and if, it was time for him to reign, Suleiman had several sons with Hurrem, and kept her by his side while she rose through the ranks of the harem. To the astonishment of all around, he eventually married her in 1533. As his wife she went on to become one of the "most powerful women in Ottoman" history, playing a role in local, state and internationals affairs with ease, intelligence, competence and compassion. And still he loved.

Predeceasing Suleiman's own death by eight years, Hurrem died in 1558, aged in her mid-fifties, and was buried in an exquisitely decorated mausoleum, adjacent to Suleiman's own resting place that short time later. Written by Suleiman himself, a beautiful poem remains today that expresses the deep love this mighty Sultan felt for the woman he chose to remain by his side. As follows:

"Throne of my lonely niche, my wealth, my love, my moonlight.
My most sincere friend, my confidant, my very existence, my Sultan, my one and
only love.
The most beautiful among the beautiful...
My springtime, my merry faced love, my daytime, my sweetheart, laughing leaf...
My plants, my sweet, my rose, the one only who does not distress me in this
world...
My Istanbul, my Caraman, the earth of my Anatolia
My Badakhshan, my Baghdad and Khorasan
My woman of the beautiful hair, my love of the slanted brow, my love of eyes
full of mischief...
I'll sing your praises always
I, lover of the tormented heart, Muhibbi of the eyes full of tears, I am happy."

Answer: A chunk of barley bread and cheese

This practice to test the guilt or innocence of an accused dates back at least to the times of Aethelred the Unready (966-1016) where it was recorded in the laws of the time. "Unready", incidentally, refers to ill-advised, rather than unprepared. Weighing about an ounce or ten pennyweights each, the bread in question was made from barley and the cheese from milk obtained from an ewe during the month of May.

It was thought that if the suspect was indeed guilty, he or she would turn pale, begin to convulse, and would choke to death.

However, if innocent, the suspect could swallow the fare easily and it would nourish the body instead. A solemn prayer calling on the Lord to close the suspect's throat, if guilty, was recited by a member of the clergy beforehand.

This, combined with the thickness and dryness of unbuttered barley bread and chunk of cheese, would have had a powerful psychological effect on the trembling accused in the dock, drying out the mouth and making swallowing anything extremely difficult even at the best of times. Gulp, indeed.