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Most recently published stories in History.
This Is Me
I wasn't born a child prodigy under the bright lights and hustle and bustle of a big city but under the vast, dusty sky of a small town on the banks of the Columbia River in southeastern Washington State. My schooling kept me local, graduating in 1971 (this is so last century) with the rest of the pack. Before I could consider running away to join the circus (admit it, that was a tempting dream!), Uncle Sam came knocking with a ridiculously low draft number. Lowest number gets drafted first; you see.
By T Rain AKA Edger Ai Bingtonabout 16 hours ago in History
Otto Skorzeny: 'The Most Dangerous Man in Europe
Otto Skorzeny, often referred to as "The Most Dangerous Man in Europe," was a high-ranking officer in Nazi Germany's Waffen-SS during World War II. Known for his audacious and successful commando operations, Skorzeny's legacy is a mix of military brilliance, ruthless cunning, and post-war intrigue. His life, marked by extraordinary missions and controversial actions, has made him one of the most infamous figures of the 20th century.
By Deji Akomolafeabout 18 hours ago in History
Gone but evergreen. AI-Generated.
1. Honoring the Legacy In the fast-paced world of technology, trends come and go in the blink of an eye. However, there are certain timeless principles and strategies that remain evergreen, regardless of the latest fads. In this blog, we will explore some of these timeless strategies that have stood the test of time and continue to be relevant in today's dynamic business landscape. Stay tuned to discover how you can implement these strategies to achieve long-lasting success in your professional endeavors.
By Ajayi Olalekanabout 19 hours ago in History
Mysteries of the Ancient World
Have you ever stumbled upon a relic from the past so baffling that it seems to rewrite the annals of history? The world is teeming with such enigmatic artifacts, each offering a tantalizing glimpse into a past that defies conventional understanding. From spheres that spin on their own to hammers encased in ancient rock, these discoveries ignite our imagination and challenge our perception of history. Let's delve into some of these fascinating finds and the mysteries they harbor.
By Ellen J Williamsabout 19 hours ago in History
Why Does Western Law Not Apply to International Law?
In our interconnected world, the term international law often pops up in news reports, academic discussions, and diplomatic dialogues. It governs the conduct of nations, ensuring peace, stability, and cooperation across borders. However, one intriguing aspect is why Western law, despite its global influence, doesn't always apply to international law. This phenomenon, rooted in historical, cultural, and political intricacies, offers a fascinating exploration of how diverse legal systems coexist and interact on the world stage.
By Ellen J Williamsabout 20 hours ago in History
Oceanic Outlaw: The Pirate Cutlass Sword
Introduction The pirate cutlass sword, an emblem of maritime outlaws, evokes images of swashbuckling adventures, treasure hunts, and epic battles on the high seas. This iconic weapon, with its distinctive design and historical significance, is more than just a tool of combat; it represents the rugged and rebellious spirit of pirates. In this article, we will delve deep into the history, design, and cultural impact of the pirate cutlass sword, exploring its origins, evolution, and enduring legacy.
By Zara Sophiaa day ago in History
Oceanic Outlaw: The Pirate Cutlass Sword
Introduction The pirate cutlass sword, an emblem of maritime outlaws, evokes images of swashbuckling adventures, treasure hunts, and epic battles on the high seas. This iconic weapon, with its distinctive design and historical significance, is more than just a tool of combat; it represents the rugged and rebellious spirit of pirates. In this article, we will delve deep into the history, design, and cultural impact of the pirate cutlass sword, exploring its origins, evolution, and enduring legacy.
By Mai Sophiaa day ago in History
Lewis Carroll’s Illustrations for “Alice’s Adventures Under Ground” (1864)
W]hat is the use of a book”, asks Alice in the opening scene to Lewis Carroll’s Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, “without pictures or conversations?” This question from Alice is at once a critique of her sister’s pictureless tome, and a paving the way for the delight of words and images to follow. Indeed, John Tenniel’s famous illustrations — for both the first edition of Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass — have become integral to how we experience the story, in both books and film. Tenniel, however, was not the first to illustrate the tale. That honor belongs to Carroll himself, whose original manuscript of the story (then titled “Alice’s Adventures Under Ground”) is littered with thirty-seven of his own sepia-ink drawings. It seems this entwining of word and image — so important to the published version — was there from the beginning.
By Samiya khan a day ago in History
AMERICAN. Content Warning. AI-Generated.
The modern United States is the most powerful country in human history. With over 800 military bases and 37% of global military spending, the United States has become the leader of a vast interconnected global system that has helped usher in an era of unprecedented prosperity and low levels of conflict. To understand America’s position in the world, and why it’s so pivotal for world politics as we know it, you have to go back to the country’s founding — back to when America wasn’t a global power in any sense of the word. During the first 70 years of its existence, the United States expanded in both territory and influence in North America eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean in a wave of expansionism that resulted in the wholesale slaughter of the indigenous people who populated the continent. But early Americans were deeply divided as to whether the country should expand beyond the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. This became a major debate after the civil war, when some leaders, like post-war Secretary of State Seward, argued that America should push to become a global power. Seward succeeded in pushing a plan to purchase Alaska from Russia, but his attempts to buy Greenland and Iceland, as well as annex territory in the Caribbean, were all blocked by Congress. That’s because some Americans, including many on Capitol Hill, had a strong anti-imperialist bent. These people worried about America getting more involved in global politics, as well as having to integrate populations from “inferior” races. And this opposition applied major checks on the imperialist urge to expand. But something was happening in the late 1800s that would change the debate about American expansionism. The industrial revolution produced explosive economic growth, and the bigger US economy required a more centralized state and bureaucracy to manage the growing economy. Power became concentrated in the federal government, making it easier for expansionist presidents, like William to unilaterally push United States influence abroad. The key turning point came in 1898, when President McKinley dragged the country into war with Spain over the island of Cuba despite intense opposition. The rising US easily defeated the moribund Spanish empire, acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines in the process (1898). Over the next two years, the US would annex the Kingdom of Hawaii (1898), Wake Island (1899), and American Samoa (1900). A few years later the US took control of the Panama Canal Zone (1903) and sent troops to occupy the Dominican Republic (1916), it also purchased the American Virgin Islands (1917). This period of rapid acquisition of far flung territories put the US on the map as a truly global power. During this time, America also began using its influence to protect its growing commercial and military interests abroad, installing pro-American regimes in places like Nicaragua and playing a major role in international diplomacy regarding the Western presence in China. World War I showed how just how much America’s influence had grown. Not only was American intervention a decisive factor in the war's end But President Wilson attended the Paris Peace Conference which ended the war and attempted to set the terms of the peace. He spearheaded America’s most ambitious foreign policy initiative yet, an international organization, called the League of Nations, designed to promote peace and cooperation globally. The League, a wholesale effort to remake global politics, showed just how ambitious American foreign policy had become. Yet isolationism was still a major force in the United States. Yet isolationism was still a major force in the United States. Congress blocked the United States from joining the League of Nations, dooming Wilson’s project. During the Great Depression and the rise of Hitler, the US was was much more focused on its own region than on European affairs Ultimately, though, America’s ever-growing entanglements abroad made it impossible for it to stay out of global affairs entirely. In East Asia, the growing Japanese empire posed a the direct threat to American possessions and troops bringing the United States and Japan into conflict. This culminated in the Pearl Harbor attack bringing the United States into World War II. World War Two would transform America’s global presence forever. The United States was the only major power to avoid economic ruin during the war, and it was the sole country equipped with atomic weapons. As such, it was in unique position to set the terms of the peace — and, with the aim of preventing another war in mind, it took advantage. The most famous example of this is the creation of the United Nations. The UN charter set up a system of international law prohibiting wars of conquest, like the ones waged by the Nazis and the Japanese. It also served as a forum in which the international community could weigh in on disputes, and help resolve them. This way, the Americans hoped, great powers could resolve their differences through compromise and law rather than war. But while the UN is the most famous of the post-war institutions, it isn’t the only one. 730 delegates from all 44 Allied nations came together in a small vacation haven in New Hampshire. Their goal? To establish a global financial system that would prevent another Great Depression and World War. The resulting agreement, called the Bretton Woods Agreement ultimately became backbone of the global financial system. Resulting in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. By creating these institutions the United States committed itself to being deeply involved in the world’s problems. The issue, though, is that the world’s second-largest power — The Soviet Union — saw things differently. World War II had made allies out of the democratic West and communist East in the fight against Hitler, but that couldn’t last. The United States saw Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe and elsewhere as a direct threat to its vision of a free-trading world. "To a substantial degree, in one form or another" Socialism has spread the shadow of human regimentation Over most of the nations of the earth And... the shadow is encroaching on our own liberty. Fearful of Soviet intentions towards Western Europe, the US and other European nations created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance meant to stop Russia from invading other countries in Europe. Globally, the US committed to a strategy called “containment” — so called because it was aimed at containing the spread of Communism everywhere on the globe. This new global struggle meant that the US had to exert influence everywhere, all the time. Instead of disbanding the massive military machine created for World War II, its wheels mostly kept turning. This had two main results: first, the US was pulled into unlikely alliances with countries like Saudi Arabia, Israel, and South Korea, seeing each of them as bulwarks against communist influence in their region. Secondly, the US began intervening, often secretly, in dozens of countries to contain Soviet influence. Sometimes this meant propping up sympathetic dictators like in Iran, other times supplying rebels with arms and money like in Afghanistan in 1979 and Nicaragua in 1985. Over the course of the Cold War, the US intervened in hundreds of disputes around the globe, ending up with a complicated set of alliances, tensions, and relationships in basically every corner of the earth. After the Berlin wall fell, the US could have withdrawn from this system, severing ties with its allies and drawing down the size of its military. And while the US did military spending, much of the military infrastructure and alliances from the Cold War war remained. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton decided that it was in both America and the world’s interests for the United States, now the sole superpower on earth, to continue actively managing global affairs. " We should be and we must be Peacemakers" NATO, created solely as a tool for countering the Soviets, stayed together and even expanded, a way of keeping European nations united in the absence of the Soviet threat. Washington’s support for countries like Israel and Japan stayed intact, ostensibly as a means of preventing war in those regions. The global system of alliances and institutions created to keep the peace during the Cold War became permanent — as did the American military and political commitments needed to keep them running . This system remains in operation today, and no leading American politician since the Cold War has seriously called for dismantling them — except, perhaps for Donald Trump. Trump has said contradictory things about these commitments. But he’s consistently argued that American allies are not paying America enough for its protection, and questioned the value of free trade. That calls NATO and even the World Trade Organization into question. At some point, we have to say, you know what, we're better off if Japan protects itself against this maniac in North Korea. We're better off if South Korea is going to start to protect itself -- and Saudi Arabia?-- Saudi Arabia? Absolutely. This is a sharp divergence from the consensus that has dominated US foreign policy since 1945, and something closer to the isolationism that came before it. So will President Trump act on some of candidate Trump's ideas, and reverse decades worth of institution building and alliances? We'll find out, soon enough.
By Timothy Mwitia day ago in History
Which Greek philosopher taught at the lyceum?. AI-Generated.
In the annals of ancient Greek philosophy, one figure stands out for his profound impact on Western thought, his rigorous methods of inquiry, and his enduring influence across centuries of intellectual discourse. His teachings spanned ethics, metaphysics, politics, and the natural sciences, shaping the foundations of modern philosophical inquiry and scientific methodology. Born in Stagira, a Greek colony in the Macedonian region, he studied under Plato at the Academy in Athens and later established his own school, known as the Lyceum, where he delved deeply into the nature of existence and the pursuit of knowledge.
By Marveline Meraba day ago in History
What was the Inca terrace agriculture?. AI-Generated.
Inca terrace agriculture, also known as Andean or mountain agriculture, was a sophisticated agricultural system developed by the Inca Empire in the Andean region of South America. This innovative method of farming allowed the Inca to cultivate crops such as maize (corn), potatoes, quinoa, and various root vegetables in the steep and rugged terrain of the Andes Mountains.
By Marveline Meraba day ago in History