A Brief History On October 23, 1812, the mad General Malet seized control of the police of Paris and attempted a coup d’état against Napoleon’s Empire. Digging Deeper During the summer of 1812, Napoleon led his army on campaign against Russia, traveling deeper into enemy territory than he intended and eventually reaching Moscow. Napoleon and his ministers back in Paris were used to receiving messages from each other on a daily basis, even if the messages took a few weeks to reach their destination. Due to the distance covered, the routes between Napoleon and his capital of Paris were not…
Browsing: Politics
A Brief History On October 20, 2011, the former King of Kings of Africa’s gruesome murder was recorded and posted all over the internet. Digging Deeper Muammar Gaddafi was once one of the longest “reigning” leaders in the world. After a revolution overthrew Libya’s monarchy in 1969, Gaddafi seized power, holding a number of ever more lofty sounding titles. From 1969 through 2011, he at various times referred to himself as the Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution in Libya, Prime Minister of Libya, Chairperson of the African Union, and yes, toward the end of his life, he even…
A Brief History On October 16, 1384, Jadwiga, a woman, was crowned KING of Poland. Digging Deeper Jadwiga was the daughter of Louis I the Great, who reigned simultaneously as king of Hungary and Poland. When Louis died, his eldest daughter, Mary, inherited the Hungarian throne. The Polish nobility, however, instead chose the younger daughter Jadwiga as their ruler. To make it clear that she was not a mere queen consort, but a ruler in her own right, Jadwiga was crowned as king rather than “queen”. She is one of maybe only five or so such women in all of…
A Brief History On October 14, 1912, a certain badass former U.S. president was shot while giving a speech…and he continued to speak!? Digging Deeper Without any doubt, T.R., or “Teddy” Roosevelt, was just about one of the most manly of American presidents. A war hero and big game hunter, T.R. had a forcefulness about him that few other presidents really matched. Maybe George Washington who campaigned in fierce conditions in the French and Indian and American Revolutionary wars, Andrew Jackson who fought in duels, or Abraham Lincoln who was an accomplished wrestler merit recognition as physically imposing and brave…
A Brief History On October 13, 54 A.D., Roman Emperor Claudius was poisoned to death, possibly by his wife, via tainted mushrooms! Digging Deeper Claudius is most famous for being Roman Emperor when the Roman Empire added Britain to its territory. As such, he is generally remembered for his expansion of Roman control over a territory that would remain in Roman possession for centuries. Yet it is with his personal life, particularly in his marriages, that we find all sorts of less impressive accomplishments. His first marriage was to Plautia Urgulanilla (try saying that five times fast!). This marriage ended…
