A Brief History On November 30, 1718, while manning a front line trench in a battle in Norway, the King of Sweden, Charles XII, was killed by either a musket ball or a grape shot ball right through his head. Despite the horrific wound, he immediately grasped his head at the entrance wound with his left hand, leaving his glove soaked in blood. Not only are we not sure if the fatal shot came from a musket or a cannon, but we are also left with various conspiracy theories that the King may have been accidentally or purposely shot by…
Browsing: November 30
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A Brief History On November 30 1016, Edmund Ironside, also known as Edmund II or even Ēadmund Isernside (in Old English), was murdered on his “throne,” stabbed to death as he attended to “business.” Digging Deeper Why the quotation marks around “throne” and “business?” Because the poor guy was trying to go to the bathroom at the time of his assassination! What a “crappy” way to die! In fact, Edmund had only been king since April 23, 1016, so he barely got to enjoy the benefits of his time as king. Other chroniclers have claimed the doomed king was done…
A Brief History On November 30, 1786, Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo I of The Grand Duchy of Tuscany initiated the first ban on capital punishment of any modern state. Contrary to other European leaders, and for that matter, virtually all World leaders, apparently Leopold (later Emperor Leopold II of the Holy Roman Empire) must have thought the death penalty was not essential for those in power to remain in power. A proponent of “Enlightened Absolutism” (alternately called “Enlightened Despotism”), Leopold believed in the power of a monarchy to be used for the benefit of the people, but in a benevolent…
A Brief History On November 30, 1982, Michael Jackson, known as “The King of Pop” for good reason, released his 6th solo album, the “monster” hit Thriller. Although actual sales numbers are hard to pin down, it is likely Thriller has sold between 1/3 and ¾ more copies than the next best-selling album. Today, we list our nominees for the 10 Greatest Record Albums of All Time, based on sales, impact on the music industry and what we consider to be great music. (Hey, it is our opinions, but feel free to nominate those albums you think should be on…
A Brief History On November 30, 2005, John Sentamu was given the title 97th Archbishop of York, making him the first Black (of sub-Saharan African origin) Archbishop in the Church of England. Digging Deeper With this event taking place so recently, it can be clearly seen that normalization of integrating people of diverse backgrounds into British society is no less trying than seamlessly integrating people of all backgrounds in the United States, a country often referred to as “The Melding Pot” (or sometimes “Melting Pot). Modern European countries, especially ones with far flung former colonies such as Britain are by…
