Your favourite little piece of history

[Camikaze]

What little chunk of history makes your life worth living? What historical event, however small or trivial, do you enjoy or take pride in knowing about?

I'll get the ball rolling with an example.

One of my favourite lil' bits of history involves the Lena goldfield strikes in Russia in 1912. The funny bit of history is- the Lena goldfield strikes started due to the realisation by the miners that the meat they were being fed was, in fact, horses' penis.

So, does anyone have any other interesting historical incidents or anecdotes?

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

I always found it tragically ironic that the Gran Chaco in fact contained not a drop of anything worth the time to find it.

 

[Camikaze]

Speaking of irony: Hindenburg was the last barrier protecting democracy in Weimar Germany.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Another interesting piece of South American history is Peru's secret weapon during the War of the Pacific: the submarine! They had a submarine that scared away the whole Chilean fleet on more than one occasion, which was vastly superior to the Peruvian-Bolivian fleet.

 

[Dachs]

Well, other than my well-known Baktria fetish, I gotta say that I always enjoy reading about the tragedy of Nikephoros II Phokas, Byzantine Emperor, even if it is the saddest historical story I know. He was a brilliant general, an able administrator, and loved his wife Theophano (who married him to have a guardian for her children by the previous emperor, who had suffered an untimely death). But she didn't love him back, partly because he was ugly as sin and a pretty ascetic dude, so she started up an affair with Ioann Tzimiskes, Nikephoros' old buddy and a general in the army. When Nikephoros found out about them, Tzimiskes was smuggled into Theophano's chamber to escape the imperial guards, and then launched a palace coup, killing the emperor.

 

[North King]

Probably the story of Razia Sultana, the first female sultan of the Muslim world. She was of the slave kings of the Sultanate of Delhi, dressed after the manner of a man, commanded troops in battle not too shabbily, and was overthrown by her men because they were sexist pigs. Kind of sad, but a neat historical gem.

 

[Yeekim]

Speaking of irony: Hindenburg was the last barrier protecting democracy in Weimar Germany.

You mean the airship or the man?

 

[Masada]

Probably the story of Razia Sultana, the first female sultan of the Muslim world. She was of the slave kings of the Sultanate of Delhi, dressed after the manner of a man, commanded troops in battle not too shabbily, and was overthrown by her men because they were sexist pigs. Kind of sad, but a neat historical gem.

She was also accused of being 'intimate' with a black slave which was also particularly objectionable... even more so than just being female apparently

 

[Camikaze]

You mean the airship or the man?

Yeah, once the zeppelin came down there was no stopping him.

Another interesting piece of South American history is Peru's secret weapon during the War of the Pacific: the submarine! They had a submarine that scared away the whole Chilean fleet on more than one occasion, which was vastly superior to the Peruvian-Bolivian fleet.

How'd they manage that?

 

[RedRalph]

I like the Siamese king laughing himself to death when he heard Venice was a republic, myself

 

[kulade]

My favorite little historical tidbit/fable is that at the Battle of Stamford Bridge a massive viking warrior allegedly held off scores of Saxon soldiers until eventually an soldier floated under the bridge and stabbed him in his nuts. 'Tis a good bedtime story for your kids.

 

[mitsho]

the french king paying half of the Swiss army to go home so he could defeat the rest and retake Milano thus ending Swiss expansionist tendencies forever?

 

[Love]

A swedish kind Adolf Fredrik eating semlor to death.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

How'd they manage that?

It was 1880, and one of only a few operational submarines in the world. The Chileans for the most part only knew it as "the Peruvian Secret Weapon" and were scared to hell of it. That, and the Chilean Navy was considerably less well-run than the Peruvian Navy, who apart from their secret weapon, generally found employment during the war in pissing off the Chileans repeatedly, especially because the Peruvian Navy was much smaller.

 

[Tee Kay]

I like the Siamese king laughing himself to death when he heard Venice was a republic, myself

Which King was this? Has to be in the Ayutthaya period.

 

[Masada]

A certain Maori chief believing that white women in their form altering dresses were some kind of exotic animal and offering to buy one

 

[Dachs]

Which King was this? Has to be in the Ayutthaya period.

Nanda Bayin, Bayinnaung's son. Wasn't Siamese, but Burmese, of the Taungoo dynasty.

 

[Camikaze]

I've always thought that Felix Faure's death mustn't have been too good for his reputation. 10 points for anyone who knows how he died.

 

[Tee Kay]

Spoiler :

Sexed to death?

 

[Camikaze]

Spoiler :

Sexed to death?

Ten points for taillesskangaru! I read somewhere it was exertion, but wikipedia says it was apoplexy.