A Brief History On August 15, 1947, India became an independent country, thereby making George VI of the United Kingdom the last British emperor of India and signaling the end of one of history’s largest empires. No leader has ever conquered the entire world. Some have conquered whole countries, while others have taken over the greater half of continents. Europe has been one of the most densely populated continents for centuries. The first humans arrived in Europe approximately 1.75 million years ago. Prehistoric Europe consisted of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations that collapsed around 1,200 BC. The majority of early…
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A Brief History On August 15, 1950, Princess Anne was born to the future Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburg. Though the second child of a reigning monarch, she is only 11th in line of succession. She does, however, hold a title that currently no one else in the entire world is entitled to, namely that of Princess Royal. Digging Deeper The title of Princess Royal is an honorary title awarded to the eldest daughter of the reigning British monarch. It is the highest honor a female member of the royal family can receive.…
A Brief History On August 14, 1880, work on the Cathedral of Cologne was finally finished after it had been started 600 years earlier! One of the most iconic landmarks in Germany, the cathedral survived World War II despite having been hit by at least 14 bombs in the many bombing raids on the city. Allied bomber crews even used it as a navigation point. Nonetheless, the product most often associated with Cologne is, of course, Eau de Cologne, a perfume. Many products are associated with the names of cities. Here 10 of them are listed, in no particular order. Digging…
A Brief History On August 13, 1521, Cuauhtémoc, ruler of the Aztecs, was captured while fleeing Tenochtitlán by crossing Lake Texcoco in disguise with his wife, family and friends. He and the surviving pipiltin (nobles) surrendered to Hernán Cortés and, according to Spanish sources, he offered Cortés his knife and asked to be killed. His death was a critical moment in the decline and fall of the Aztec Civilization! Digging Deeper History is told from the perspective of the winners. One can assume that many great civilizations have been lost to history. What does it mean to be a great civilization? The examples that come to mind…
A Brief History On August 12th, 30 B.C., after the naval defeat of her and Mark Antony’s forces against those of Octavian, and in fear of the public humiliation of being dragged through Rome in chains, Cleopatra committed suicide by snake bite. Cleopatra VII, last Ptolemaic Queen of Egypt, is one of the most written-about women in history, and she has been portrayed in numerous movies. Because she captivated and beguiled two of the most powerful men in the Roman world, it has long been assumed that she possessed beauty of epic proportions. Archaeological finds, however, indicate that this may…