The Articles of Confederation
These were the basis for the original constitution of the United States, it took the 13 rebelling colonies, as they were at that time, many months to finally agree them…
Shays’ rebellion of 1786
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”Robert Brault – American Author I bet you never realised that a rebellion by a farm hand called Shays led to the American Constitution as we know it today. It was all because of high Taxes. You see […]
Democracy or Dictatorship?
It is interesting to note that authoritarian governments don’t appear to last as long as democratic ones, unfortunately, they tend to be replaced by even more totalitarian regimes. Why is that? Authoritarian systems have a structural weakness, which is that those opposing them are removed, normally not that peacefully! The effect of this is that […]
To vote or not to vote, that is the question?
Many years ago, in another century, I stood for the local council and I lost by two votes! Almost immediately after this there was a general election and I went out knocking on doors for my candidate. I lost count of the number of doors I knocked on and was told they hadn’t voted for […]
Was this the Start of British Democracy?
The Putney Debates The Putney Debates took place from 28 October to 8 November 1647, and they were a series of discussions over how they would run the country should they, Parliament, win the civil war. Basically, it was a discussion as to what they would do if they were in charge of the country […]
Who were the Egyptian Gods?
Egyptians worshipped hundreds of gods over long periods of time. Some gods changed over the years, while others were forgotten and then rediscovered. Sometimes animals represented gods. The Jackal, Anubis, was the Protector of the Dead. The God of Wisdom, Thoth, and the Moon God, Khonssu, were represented by a baboon. Here is just a […]
Who were the Ancient Egyptians?
Did you know who was the oldest ruling Pharaoh? Pepy II holds the record for the longest reign of any pharaoh. He came to the throne when six years old, and he was still the King of Egypt at the grand old age of 94. How many Gods did they worship? Egyptians worshipped hundreds of […]
What is the Stone of Scone?
With King Charles’ coronation you will have heard them talk about the Stone of Scone, but do we know what it is, and why it is so important? What is it? It is simply an oblong block of red sandstone. This block of stone has been used for many years for the coronation of the […]
Battle of Beverhoutsveld – was it the first official drunken battle!
It became famous because the Ghent army beat a drunken one from the nearby town of Bruges. I am sure it has happened before, but it is the first time an army has actually admitted they were all drunk! Though it could also have been recorder as the first use, in battle, of The Organ […]
The End of the Aztec Civilization
The Aztec Civilization was brought to an end by the Spanish. What was it? The Aztec Empire was a confederation of three city-states established in 1427: Then the Spanish arrived! It was left basically untouched until 1517 when Hernandez de Cordoba visited and reported back to the Spanish Governor, Diego Velasquez, in Cuba, what he […]