What is the world's bravest nation

[Verbose]

Snails

(and yes I have tried them)

In garlic! Yummy!

Me and my girlfriend buy them in tins and usually end up eating them directly out of it as snacks.
Posh, in a sort of low-brow way.



However, if the nauseating qulities of the foodstuffs a nation ingests is the true measure of valour, the Swedes have you all beat.

I give you... the "surströmming"! The legendary "fermented herring."

Aaah, it's heady aroma of bumhole has made more than of German family, neighbours to Swedes in exile, throw themselves on the phone to call the fire brigade suspecting a gas leak. [We need a toxic smily!]

These little fish will literally make entire cities smell like it has passed one gigantic collective fart. Which is partly why their consumption is limited to the yearly "season". (Thank god! )

Their pungency is such that common wisdom, passed down from father to sun since the dawn of time, dictates that...
...the tin should only be opened under water, so as not to overwhelm the olfactory systems of those present.

Personally I can't stand the stuff.

By comparison snails are charming, delicious little critters!

 

[Verbose]

i have never heard of anyone eating eel pies, except cockneys in plays and musicals but i dont think they are real, if you think that is bad then you have never had haggis

It's kind of a foolish London East End touristy thing. Find an "Eel and Pie Shop". Baaad mistake.

 

[SquallKLeonhart]

Back on topic for a moment.

The Byzantines, they held on even after the western half of their empire was overrun, they conquered a good deal of it back, shielded Europe during the middle ages along with the francs from muslim invasions which, had they taken place, may very well have changed history dramatically. They also came back from the crusades and held off the ottomans until they got a big cannon to blast a hole in the mighty walls of constantinople.

India, for just holding together and fighting off the british and various others who have tried to invade them while maintaining their own culture.

 

[bigmeat]

i don't think you can say what nation is bravest, it was some greek who said "courage can be taught to a soldier as a child can be taught how to walk"

 

[Arminius]

I don't think nations are brave. Men (and women) are brave. Now I believe that bravery is based on belief in a cause. So if you asked me what country in history had the highest concentration of brave men, I'd have to insist on the Confederate States of America. They entered virtually every battle outmanned and outgunned. The men were willing to continue fighting to the last man. They also (for the most part) displayed a large amount of honor. When Lee surrendered his army wanted to keep fighting. They obeyed the order even though they hated it.

 

[Ramius75]

But, that is hardly special...look at the Spanish Civil War for example where people volunteered from all over the World to join the Internationale Brigades. As a country and as a people, the USA didn't choose to join WW2, they got dragged screaming and kicking into it.

haha, maybe

like to add that, there are both brave and coward ppl in a nation, some are thought to have more cowards. But maybe thats becoz they dont believe the fight.

Most can be brave, just a matter of want to fight or not.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

In Scotland, the wee Jimmys were lining up to join as soon as War was declared...

No matter where you go in Britain, you may at any time be accosted by a drunken wee Jimmy and his tiny dog

 

[Betrayed]

I'd say Finland. As they fought Soviet Union in WW2, neither Finland nor Soviet Union won. (Although it was Finland who had to pay) Finish people were greatly outnumbered by men, vehicles AND air forces. Plus finnish did most of it in cold winter. (though I think that was a part reason for Finland's succession)

 

[~Corsair#01~]

Well, Russia has been history's whipping boy, and they'd have to be brave to survive.

 

[EquinoxOmega]

Sparta,
they fought against the Persians superior army and knew that they won't survive the battle but they slowed them down and protected Greece.

 

[Kafka2]

Though Spartans were the minority of the forces facing the Persians at Thermopylae- heavily outnumbered by Athenians, Thebans and Thespians.

 

[Marla_Singer]

There's no "bravest people". Some nations had their brave moments, but we can't say that one nation is "brave".

For instance, I would say that the bravest moment in France's History had been the 1st battle of the Marne at the end of the summer 1914. A country of 40 million succeeded to stop a far richer country of 65 million people from taking over Paris. Hey, that was brave.

The French population represented only 60% of the German population. The French GDP represented 45% of the German GDP. And despite that, we've succeeded to block the German advance. British troops were still rather small at that time so you can't say that it is thanks to the Brits as I know you're thinking.

But anyway, what happened next is rather ugly, so I don't want to talk about this.

 

[Constantine]

Sure, but once you add in the colonial popluations the numbers are wee bit different.

 

[Jawz II]

afghanis (afghans?)

 

[Lonkut]

Every country has been brave because the people fight for their own survival.

 

[brinko]

imperial japan were the bravest. especially the kamikaze

 

[Gladi]

imperial japan were the bravest. especially the kamikaze

Bright day
Nope they were stupid (wastefull if that pleases you).
And most brave, in normal sense, I would say Czechs during Hussite period, they had naught, but bravery.

But most brave are those: german peasentry during 30years war, workers of industrial revolution, it takes great bravery to take all the beating and live.

 

[Ramius75]

Bright day
Nope they were stupid (wastefull if that pleases you).
And most brave, in normal sense, I would say Czechs during Hussite period, they had naught, but bravery.

But most brave are those: german peasentry during 30years war, workers of industrial revolution, it takes great bravery to take all the beating and live.

The kamikaze are actually very effective and not wasteful actually. The plane they flew are often old or half finished. and the pilots are not fully trained too and are most often or not, noob pilots themselves.

Brave ? yes, but most ppl are drafted and mostly thru peer pressure that they "join" the Kamikaze corp. They are no more bravier than those infantry fighting on the ground.

 

[Steve Thompson]

FINLAND!

And, also, a bunch of others.

 

[MattII]

A lot of people on this forum seem to have national bravery confused with personal bravery ie, Taiwan nowadays and Britain back after the fall of France in WWII were brave (plus others), but Irans being willing to die for their cause counts as personal bravery, not national bravery. Before you start bashing British plumbing Verbose, I suggest you read up about such plumbing as was happening at Skara Brae in 3000 B.C. (it included primitive toilet seat covers).