Crossing the Rubicon
How often have you heard the expression “Crossing the Rubicon”, which is one that describes when you make an irrevocable decision. I am asking if you know that the expression came from an event that actually happened on January 10, 49 B.C! The Gallic Wars. At this time the Roman Republic was teetering on the […]
Newsflash – Punch and Judy is not English!!
I know, we all thought it was a traditional British seaside entertainment, it isn’t. It came from Italy in the 16th-century from the Italian “commedia dell’arte”. While the “commedia dell’art” in fact had roots going all the way back to Roman times. So where did it come from. How did Punch and Judy come to […]
What happened to Alice’s Adventures Under Ground?
Well, it became Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland! It was all Alice Liddell’s fault! All this happened because a girl called Alice Liddell was being rowed down the Isis, (the name of the Thames at Oxford) for a picnic by Charles Dawson, a friend of her father, who was always telling her and her sisters stories. […]
Why did the Modern Olympics start?
Because of one man, Pierre de Coubertin. It came about in 1889 when he had the concept of reviving the Olympic Games. Then, he spent the next five years just trying to get a meeting of athletes and sports enthusiasts, and, of course, when they finally got together, they loved it! That was in June […]
Why in 1588 were there 30,000 soldiers in Calais?
The Spanish Armada failed because the Duke of Parma was late on his meeting with the Spanish Fleet? The Spanish King had a clever plan. He built an armada of ships that were enough to bring 30,000 soldiers across the channel. His plan was to sail the fleet up the English Channel to Calais, there […]
The benefites of Republics over Monachies in the 17th Century?
In Dutch history, the year 1672 is referred to as the Rampjaar (The year of Disaster). In that year the Dutch found themselves at war with all their surrounding countries and even, across the North Sea, with England! They were fighting the French, in what was naturally called the Franco-Dutch War, at the same time […]
Stories about ancient Rome?
Did you know that: The Romans had built a road network of 53,000 miles by the early fourth century. Each Roman mile was about 4,800 feet and marked by a milestone, giving birth to the saying “All roads lead to Rome.” In Ancient Rome, only free-born men were allowed to wear togas, a sign of […]
Letter of marque- legal pirates
Yes, there were legal pirates. A letter of marque was given by governments in the 16,17 & 18th Centuries as a license for that private person to attack and capture ships of a nation with which that the government was at war . The best way to describe it was that it legalised piracy. Some […]
Steamboat Willie
“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.” Walt Disney, Disneyland; October 27, 1954 Do you know that Walt Disney himself was Mickey Mouse’s voice in the the first Disney Cartoon with sound? This is why on November 18, 1928 the Disney company celebrates […]
Odd sayings that come from The 1500s
Do you know where the tradition of the bride carrying a bouquet on her wedding day came from? It was because in the 1500’s people got married in June. They chose June because they took their annual bath in May, so they still smelt pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell a […]