A Brief History On August 23, 1305, William Wallace, a military leader of the Scots against English rule was executed in the English style of execution for traitors, being drawn and quartered! Digging Deeper Far from seeking a humane way to execute people, the English of 1305 were looking for a way for execution to have a chilling and preventative effect on any would-be traitors. In the 1995 movie, Braveheart, Wallace is depicted as courageously defying his executioners and screaming, “Freedom!” The reality was far worse than depicted in the film. Wallace was hanged until almost dead. He was then…
Browsing: August 23
A Brief History On August 23, 1244, the main central citadel of the city of Jerusalem, the Tower of David, fell to the invaders from the remnants of the Khwarezmian Empire, a vast polyglot land that included parts of what is now Iran and Afghanistan along with other areas in Central Asia. Afghanistan has a long history of war and fighting, and the people there have been battle hardened by centuries of conflict. In August of 2021, the lone military super power in the world, the United States of America, has found out the hard way that Afghanistan may be…
A Brief History On August 23, 2019, the third in the movie series starring Gerard Butler as the super duper Secret Service agent Mike Banning, is set to make its debut across the US in the wrappings of Angel Has Fallen. The previous films, Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and London Has Fallen (2016) were financially successful films, making more than double and more than triple their budgets respectively, meaning it was only good business sense for the producers to add another film to the series. Digging Deeper The film series features Butler as a fiercely loyal and dedicated public servant,…
A Brief History On August 23, 2007, the bodies of the remaining Romanov family members were found near Yekaterinburg, Russia, the remains being mere skeletons. Still, the discovery of the remains of Czarevich Alexei Nikolaevich Romanov and his sister, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanov put an end to any realistic claims that either of these 2 children of the last Czar of Russia, Nicholas (Nikolai) II of the Romanov dynasty would be alive or have had children, thus producing possible heirs to the throne of Imperial Russia. For nearly a century people have claimed to be Alexei or Anastasia, or…
A Brief History On August 23, 1904, Harry Weed of Canastota, New York, patented the automobile tire chain. In those days before snow tires and before Four Wheel and All Wheel Drive, tire chains undoubtedly saved many a would be stranded motorist. Here we list 10 Nifty Automotive Inventions, some of those great things that might not be of great necessity, but that make our motoring lives easier and even more fun. Digging Deeper 1. Tire Chains, 1904. As stated above, this invention is not only helpful, but in some circumstances an absolute necessity, especially in the mountains. Tire chains are…