Your favorite historical assides/footnotes

[DRBUZZ0]

Lets try to keep this to real ones and no "good luck Mr. Gorski" or other rumored history.



1. Taking Advantage of a Bad Name - What do you do when your uncle is the furer of Germany, and you're a young man living in 1930's Great Brittan? Well, obviously you go over there and use it to get some @$$. That's what William Patrick Hitler did. Not only that, he blackmailed his uncle by threatening to reveal "Family Secrets" (that takes some balls). Although the secret was that his father, Hitler's brother, had multiple wives, Adolf Hitler panicked and thought Willy may have found information about Jewish heritage, so he paid him off.

When the war started to heat up, Willy high-tailed it to the USA where he went on speaking tours against his uncle and made money on it. After the war he changed his name and lived anonymously in suburban Long Island. Although his choice of name, which was similar to one of Hitler's favorite anti-simites has caused some to wonder where his loyalties actually lay.

He had four sons, one of whom died in a car crash and the other three live in the US, rather anonymously. They have not had children, so it's possible that the blood line will end there, with Hitler's three great nephews.


2. An Odd Couple - Samual Clements, better known as Mark Twain was something of a gadget-o-phile in his later life, having his home wired with an early telephone and electricity. He became close friends with Nicola Tesla, and has been shown in photographs demonstrating such things as Tesla's high frequency lighting system. Reportedly, Tesla enjoyed tricking Clements into touching electrified devices and being shocked. He'd swear and curse and then fall for the same thing all over again a little later. I'd imagine there would be some interesting conversations if the two of them went out drinking and such.

[grayman]

Twain's name is Clemens, no "T".

[DRBUZZ0]

Twain's name is Clemens, no "T".

oops...duely noted

[grayman]

Check out Lies Across America (http://www.uvm.edu/~jloewen/liesacrossamerica.php) by James W. Loewen.

[Spindrift]

In 1868, Red Cloud of the Oglala Sioux, became the only Indian to win a war against the United States. The Treaty of Fort Laramie gave Red Cloud all his demands.

Thornton Wilder's Our Town is the most produced American play of all time. High schools love this play because the bare set makes it a very cheap production. The song Love and Marriage was written for the musical version and was also the theme song for the TV Show Married with Children.

Some presidential trivia:
Martin van Buren was the first president born in the United States (after 1776). He was also the only President who grew up not speaking English as a first language, he spoke Dutch.

John F. Kennedy was the first president born in the 20th century. Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan were older than Kennedy.

George W. Bush is the only president born in Connecticut. Thankfully most of the country doesn't know this and blames Texas.

[DRBUZZ0]

The Soviet upolev Tu-4 bomber is a copy of the American B-29. Stalin ordered that an aircraft be created from the reverse-engineering of a couple of B-29's which were in Soviet hands after having to make emergency landings in Soviet territory.

So feared was Stalin that nobody wanted to be the one who cut corners or questioned his orders for an exact copy. Because of this all the details were copied, whenever possible, even ones that are not of consequence. For example, patches were added to copy the patches used to repair flack damage on the example aircraft they had. The same style hooks, seatbelt and instrument knobs were used. Because the same gauge of aluminum was not available in the Soviet Union, thicker aluminum sheets were milled down.

An American historian visited a preserved Tu-4 and noticed that the inside was painted in one color up to a point and then roughly transitioned to another. He found out later that the aircraft used for the reverse-engineering of the interior was produced during a shortage of corrosion-resistant paint at the Boeing plant, and because of this different color paint was substituted when a bucket ran out.

[Kiwiwriter]

Lets try to keep this to real ones and no "good luck Mr. Gorski" or other rumored history.



1. Taking Advantage of a Bad Name - What do you do when your uncle is the furer of Germany, and you're a young man living in 1930's Great Brittan? Well, obviously you go over there and use it to get some @$$. That's what William Patrick Hitler did. Not only that, he blackmailed his uncle by threatening to reveal "Family Secrets" (that takes some balls). Although the secret was that his father, Hitler's brother, had multiple wives, Adolf Hitler panicked and thought Willy may have found information about Jewish heritage, so he paid him off.

When the war started to heat up, Willy high-tailed it to the USA where he went on speaking tours against his uncle and made money on it. After the war he changed his name and lived anonymously in suburban Long Island. Although his choice of name, which was similar to one of Hitler's favorite anti-simites has caused some to wonder where his loyalties actually lay.

He had four sons, one of whom died in a car crash and the other three live in the US, rather anonymously. They have not had children, so it's possible that the blood line will end there, with Hitler's three great nephews.




I read that they agreed not to have any kids, so as to avoid continuing Adolf's genes.

By the way, Time magazine found a Pfc. Adolph Hitler among the draftees into the US Army of 1941, and he was asked if he would change his name.

"Heck, no," retorted Pfc. Hitler. "Let that other jerk change his." :)

[bigred]

In 1868, Red Cloud of the Oglala Sioux, became the only Indian to win a war against the United States. The Treaty of Fort Laramie gave Red Cloud all his demands..I'm curious what "war" this was-? If you mean battle, Sitting Bull might have something to say about that. :)


Martin van Buren was the first president born in the United States (after 1776). He was also the only President who grew up not speaking English as a first language, he spoke Dutch.And was also the first prez not of British heritage, and also is where we got the phrase "OK" from (for "Old Kinderhook," a nickname).

Actually prez trivia should be a thread in itself......

[DRBUZZ0]

The empire state building was originally supposed to be 86 stories tall. The remaining 26 stories above the main structure is the iconic metalic tower. However it's official purpose was to be a "mooring mast" for zeppelins. Unfortionately, despite three tries, they were never ever to get an airship to dock with the structure. It's just as well though, because it would have required qalking a rope bridge or gangplank over the city. Of course the Hindenburg also kinda put a damper on the public's opinion of airship travel. (not to mention the Akron, Makon, R-101 and Shenandoah). The area which is not a gift shop and tourist area for the observation deck would have been the passenger terminal.

[bigred]

I can't confirm but found this:

Columbus Day falls on October 12th. History tells us Columbus landed in America on October 12, 1492, but did you know it was NOT 1492? It was really 1493!

While Columbus was crossing the ocean, Portuguese scientists recalculated the calendar. They added three months. The king made it law BEFORE Columbus landed. When Columbus landed he thought it was October 12, 1492, but back in Portugal it was really January 12, 1493. He had a real shock when he landed in Portugal to report to Queen Isabella.

[Admiral]

I'm going to borrow from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmer_McLean)

Wilmer McLean (May 3, 1814 – June 5, 1882) was a wholesale grocer from Virginia...

The initial enagagements on July 18, 1861, in what would become the First Battle of Bull Run, fought on July 21, took place on McLean's farm, the Yorkshire Plantation, in Manassas, Prince William County, Virginia. Union Army artillery fired at McLean's house, headquarters for Confederate Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard, and a cannonball dropped through the kitchen fireplace. Beauregard wrote after the battle, "A comical effect of this artillery fight was the destruction of the dinner of myself and staff by a Federal shell that fell into the fire-place of my headquarters at the McLean House."[1] McLean was a retired major in the Virginia militia, but was too old to return to active duty at the outbreak of the Civil War; he did make his living during the war as a sugar broker supplying the Confederate States Army. He decided to move because his commercial activities were centered mostly in southern Virginia and the Union army presence in his area of northern Virginia made his work difficult. He undoubtedly was also motivated by a desire to protect his family from a repetition of his battle experience. In the spring of 1863 he and his family moved about 120 miles (200 km) south to Appomattox County, Virginia, near Appomattox Court House.

On April 9, 1865, the war came back to Wilmer McLean when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant in the parlor of McLean's house near Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the Civil War. Later, McLean is supposed to have said "The war began in my dining room and ended in my parlor".

[arthurchappell]

My favourite footnote is that of the demise of one Colonel Arthur Aston in the civil war (British) in 1650 - after losing the genuinely horrific siege of Drogheda to Cromwelll in Ireland, he was beaten to death by his own men, who used his own wooden leg to batter him.

[Chaos]

My favourite footnote is that of the demise of one Colonel Arthur Aston in the civil war (British) in 1650 - after losing the genuinely horrific siege of Drogheda to Cromwelll in Ireland, he was beaten to death by his own men, who used his own wooden leg to batter him.

Marcus Licinius Crassus, reputedly the richest man of the world in his day, was executed by the Parthians after being captured in the battle of Carrhae, 55 BC. He is said to have been killed by having molten gold poured down his throat.

[marksman]

My favorite historical footnotes:
In the late 12th century, Maimonides, the foremost philosopher of all Judaism, served as the personal physician of Saladin, the most powerful Muslim in the world. Saladin sent Maimonides to heal King Richard II, the hero of Christendom, during Richard's Crusade. Richard was so impressed he offered Maimonides the job as his court physician. Maimonides politely declined. Jews were better treated in Arabia than in England.

About sixty years later, Raziya (http://www.indiasite.com/delhi/history/raziasultan.html), the only woman ever to hold the title of Sultan (rather than Sultana) and to rule India (until Indhira Gandhi). She led battles, tried to bring peace between Muslims and Hindus, and was judged by her peers to be as capable a leader as India had ever seen. She ruled more territory than any woman before her, and would not be surpassed until the Russian Tsarinas more than five centuries later.

[Retrograde]

History tells us Columbus landed in America on October 12, 1492, but did you know it was NOT 1492? It was really 1493!

"Columbus sailed the ocean sea/ In fourteen hundred ninety three" just doesn't have the same elan.

One of my favorite bits of historical trivia: the Titanic carried more lifeboats than required by law at the time. Existing British maritime requirements were based on the tonnage of the ship rather than number of possible passengers, and hadn't been updated to take into account the new fad for humongous ocean liners.

[Kiwiwriter]

In 1976, during her Royal Visit to the United States to celebrate the American Bicentennial, Her Majesty the Queen signed Royal Pardons for all the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

[Jorghnassen]

I can't confirm but found this:

Columbus Day falls on October 12th. History tells us Columbus landed in America on October 12, 1492, but did you know it was NOT 1492? It was really 1493!

While Columbus was crossing the ocean, Portuguese scientists recalculated the calendar. They added three months. The king made it law BEFORE Columbus landed. When Columbus landed he thought it was October 12, 1492, but back in Portugal it was really January 12, 1493. He had a real shock when he landed in Portugal to report to Queen Isabella.

I'm afraid not (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar).

Here's an interesting tidbit that tends to go unmentioned: Vincenzo Galilei's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Galilei) empirical influence on his son...

[Spindrift]

In 1976, during her Royal Visit to the United States to celebrate the American Bicentennial, Her Majesty the Queen signed Royal Pardons for all the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

So George Washington is still wanted for treason?

[Kiwiwriter]

So George Washington is still wanted for treason?

He and other key American Revolutionary figures were also pardoned in the same ceremony.

[HistoryGal]

Re George Washington:

He and other key American Revolutionary figures were also pardoned in the same ceremony.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford posthumously appointed George Washington as General of the Armies of the United States, and specified that he would always outrank all officers of the Army, past and present.

Which, incidentally, was basically the Final Jeopardy Q/A that my father missed in his fifth game, although that did not keep him out of the Tournament of Champions that year.

HG

[Beady]

While Columbus was crossing the ocean, Portuguese scientists recalculated the calendar.


So? He was sailing for Spain.

[billyb1012]

I'm writing this from the future: Mars, year 2347c.e., by your calculations, a full century after humans learned to bend space-time in order to achieve faster than light travel, and hence to communicate effectively with the past (actual time-travel, alas, still eludes us). Of the approximately 1 billion people left alive on the home planet Earth, an astounding 4% still believe that the original moon landing in 1969 c.e. was faked.

I thought you'd like to know.

[dangerbot]

This thread rocks!

The Tunguska event is probably my favorite. A HUGE meteoroid airburst over Siberia in 1908 that was a bit of a foretaste of what a doomsday event would be like. Had this occured in a populous area it would have been akin to a nuclear bomb blast. As it was, it was largely ignored due to the explosive political events occuring in Russia at the time and wasn't investigated until 1927.

[Ove]

The first working Jet engine was produced by Frank Whittle in the 30's but thanks to conservatis'm in the air force and ministry ("we don't need any newfangled devices, prop's are more than adequate and nothing beats a good piston engine" ) the Germans was the first to fly a jet engined plane and also the first to put a jet fighter into service (ME262).
But that is actually a old story. During WW1 the Bristol compagny designed a truly great fighter (MC1 - http://www.ukskies.co.uk/index.htm?http://www.ukskies.co.uk/B/pages/Bristol%20Aeroplane%20Co%20-%20M1C%20Bristol%20Monoplane%20Replica.htm )which was never put into front line service despite the fact that it outperformed most contemporary German planes. WHY ?? It was a monoplane and the air ministry believed that monoplanes were "unsafe"....

[SimonD]

I always thought that the similarities between lincon and Kennedy are pretty cool

http://www.school-for-champions.com/history/lincolnjfk.htm (http://www.school-for-champions.com/history/lincolnjfk.htm)

Not really related, but the best ever "comeback" for an insult was with Churchill.

"Sir, if I was your wife, I would put arsenic in your tea"

"Madam, if I was your husband, I would drink it"

[Ove]

Yes i like that quote too. Was it WC Fields who once shot back so beautifully a "Your'e drunk" with a "Yes maa'm and your'e ugly but tomorrow i'll be sober" :) :)

[Hutch]

John Crittenden was a politician from Kentucky in the 1850's who worked to try to find a compromise between North and South right up to (and even after the start) of the American Civil War.

His two sons both were promoted to General rank; however, George was a Brigadier General for the Confederacy while Thomas rose to the rank of Major General for the Union.

[hgc]

My favorite historical footnotes:

In the late 12th century, Maimonides, the foremost philosopher of all Judaism, served as the personal physician of Saladin, the most powerful Muslim in the world. Saladin sent Maimonides to heal King Richard II, the hero of Christendom, during Richard's Crusade. Richard was so impressed he offered Maimonides the job as his court physician. Maimonides politely declined. Jews were better treated in Arabia than in England.

King Richard I (Lionheart)


Maimonides might have been aware that the blood libel originated in England half a century earlier.

[marksman]

Oh, Crud. I got the wrong King Dick. Ah, well.

And, yeah, Maimonides had a lot of reasons not to move to England. Heck, weather and cuisine spring to mind! And where was Mainonides supposed to find a decent brisket?

[KingMerv00]

Tycho Brahe the great astronomer in wikipedia:


Tycho was said to own one percent of the entire wealth of Denmark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denmark) at one point in the 1580s and he often held large social gatherings in his castle. He kept a dwarf named Jepp (who Tycho believed was clairvoyant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clairvoyant)) as a court jester (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jester) who sat under the table during dinner. Pierre Gassendi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Gassendi) wrote[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tycho_Brahe#_note-fn_1) that Tycho also had a tame Moose (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose), and that his mentor the Landgraf Wilhelm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_IV%2C_Landgrave_of_Hesse-Kassel) of Hesse-Kassel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesse-Kassel) asked about an animal faster than a deer. Tycho replied writing there were none, but he could send his tame Moose (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose). When Wilhelm replied he would accept one in exchange for a horse, Tycho replied with the sad news that the Moose just died on a visit to entertain a nobleman at Landskrona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landskrona). Apparently during dinner the Moose had drunk a lot of beer, fell down the stairs, and died.

I've actually heard these stories from several sources, not just wiki. I think they might actually be genuine.

[Jon.]

Tycho Brahe the great astronomer in wikipedia:



I've actually heard these stories from several sources, not just wiki. I think they might actually be genuine.

Didn't Tycho Brahe also have an artificial nose made of silver and/or gold, as a result of losing his real one in a duel?

[KingMerv00]

Didn't Tycho Brahe also have an artificial nose made of silver and/or gold, as a result of losing his real one in a duel?

Back to wiki:

While a student, Tycho lost part of his nose (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nose) in a duel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duel) with rapiers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapier) with Manderup Parsbjerg (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Manderup_Parsbjerg&action=edit), a fellow Danish nobleman. This occurred in the Christmas season (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_season) of 1566 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1566), after a fair amount of drinking, while the just turned 20-year-old Tycho was studying at the University of Rostock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Rostock) in Germany (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany). Attending a dance at a professor's house, he quarreled with Parsbjerg. A subsequent duel (in the dark) resulted in Tycho losing the bridge of his nose. A consequence of this was that Tycho developed an interest in medicine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine) and alchemy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy). For the rest of his life, he was said to have worn a replacement made of silver (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver) and gold (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold) blended into a flesh tone, and used an adhesive balm (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adhesive_balm&action=edit) to keep it attached. However, in 1901 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1901) Tycho's tomb was opened and his remains were examined by medical experts. The nasal opening of the skull (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull) was rimmed with green, a sign of exposure to copper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper), not silver or gold. Some historians have speculated that he wore a number of different prosthetics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosthetic) for different occasions, noting that a copper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper) nose would have been more comfortable and less heavy than one of precious metals (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precious_metal).

Tcyho Brahe is almost as cool as Phil.

[Gord_in_Toronto]

“E pur si muove!” -- Galileo Galilei

Generally considered to be apocryphal, unfortunately.

[SimonD]

Yes i like that quote too. Was it WC Fields who once shot back so beautifully a "Your'e drunk" with a "Yes maa'm and your'e ugly but tomorrow i'll be sober" :) :)

WC Fields, when asked "How do you like your children?", said "bolied"