tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71146192835995083582024-02-19T13:14:12.250+00:00Historical FunHistorical Fun presents humorous history facts, on this day in history facts, and general fun facts. It's history made simple with added humour. Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.comBlogger443125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-82135016961194565462019-07-13T19:34:00.001+01:002019-07-13T19:34:25.501+01:00Fun Facts About King Louis VIII of France <div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDPe7A-5h5EAt3ug_Jj9ZR_5ZEDcrRk78OYvTRxeP3dR8xEJoK4rK0iq7uHgWAkl_D65Wg_Rc-iIQ9IoAuOnDGYFvG1aqoxZRrnbGtqX0XthjopXrPQ_COmzWNyWZYfTj94YihYO6drRm/s1600/king+louis+viii+of+france.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="977" data-original-width="991" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDPe7A-5h5EAt3ug_Jj9ZR_5ZEDcrRk78OYvTRxeP3dR8xEJoK4rK0iq7uHgWAkl_D65Wg_Rc-iIQ9IoAuOnDGYFvG1aqoxZRrnbGtqX0XthjopXrPQ_COmzWNyWZYfTj94YihYO6drRm/s200/king+louis+viii+of+france.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>King Louis VIII of France and his very brief reign as King of England.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">King Louis VIII's reign as King of France didn't last long, just a mere three years between 14th July, 1223, and 8th November, 1226.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">His reign as King of England didn't ever happen. There's a signed bit of paper saying so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes, he was King of England. Well, not actually, but sort of, perhaps, nah he wasn't, get back to France you French pretender.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">To cut a long story short, Louis came to England on holiday as a not-yet-king-of-France. Whilst holidaying in the south of England, he got really plastered on an all night booze-up celebrating the fact his last remaining virgin dog had just got his leg over. Okay, it was with a teddy bear, but it still counts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Completely sploshed, Prince Louis climbed atop a large wall, pulled his pants down and declared, mid-stream, as he really needed to go, that he was the new King of England.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The longer version:</b> The English barons were a bit miffed with King John (the most hated king in English history, mainly due to Robin Hood) during the First Barons' War in 1215, as the King had banned them playing Pokémon Go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sheesh, and he wondered why nobody liked him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The barons invited Prince Louis over to England, along with his almost-not-a-virgin poodle. And an army. When the Prince arrived on 21st May, 1216, the barons offered him the crown of England, in return for the secret locations of Piccachuchuchu.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Prince agreed, entered London, as did his pet poodle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">London was not just the capital city, but also the name of a local peasant dog who was down on his luck after losing to four other dogs at poker.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lots of people were at St Paul's Cathedral to witness Louis declared as King, including King Alexander II of Scotland. All paid homage. Louis then went about conquering a few other cities, including Winchester (14th June, 1216) and Milton Keynes (not really), which, back then, was just a cow shed and a red light district for lonely dogs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was going so well for Louis, he was sure they would crown him proper, not just pretend, when he returned to London.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But then King John died in October, 1216.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The barons realised they were following a French prince, and that was bad. Very bad. They did a quick about-turn and proclaimed John's nine-year-old son, Henry, as King of England. They then tagged the number 3 onto his name, just to make it official.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Earl of Pembroke, acting as Regent for the boy-king, Henry III, made a rallying cry for the English to "defend our land" against the evil French imposter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The English army defeated Prince Louis at the Battle of Lincoln on 20th May, 1217. They whipped him again at sea. The Royal Navy crushed his tiny French ships at the Battle of Sandwich. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ironically, sliced bread hadn't been invented yet, so there were no sandwiches to celebrate the victory.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The French imposter was repelled back to Dover.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Since he was there anyway, Louis tried to conquer Dover castle. Not a chance Mr. Frenchy Prince, go back to Calais.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">All's well that ends well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At the Treaty of Lambeth (September 1217), an amnesty was given to all English rebels who supported the French Prince and future King of France, Louis VIII.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There was also a pledge from Louis that he would never attack England again on the condition he was paid 10,000 marks. It was also a condition of the money that Louis sign a written statement saying he was not, and had never been, the legitimate King of England.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also in the small print was an arrest warrant for the Prince's poodle for crimes against a tortoise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://twitter.com/HistoricalFun">Follow me on Twitter for daily Historical Fun and On This Day In History tweets - #OnThisDay</a></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><a href="https://twitter.com/HistoricalFun">https://twitter.com/HistoricalFun</a>Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-1303158650736223752019-07-01T13:28:00.000+01:002019-07-14T12:17:57.573+01:0026 Fun facts about Canada<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJW3pbEulmhlJW0LnacbSFobnndTZqLfbZLfgfNq6ijVAYRY1W3lX_9rtN2_kvv6DwZg5sGZu0Y3-huOkTvLgOR0TsX8-z8PAHvYfX8g0sbaDw4qKjoPJDItatL7UzIoTfKnPcQSISUgWb/s1600/Canada+flag.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJW3pbEulmhlJW0LnacbSFobnndTZqLfbZLfgfNq6ijVAYRY1W3lX_9rtN2_kvv6DwZg5sGZu0Y3-huOkTvLgOR0TsX8-z8PAHvYfX8g0sbaDw4qKjoPJDItatL7UzIoTfKnPcQSISUgWb/s320/Canada+flag.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>26 Fun Facts About Canada</b></div>
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Happy Canada Day to Canadians around the world.</div>
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Today is Canada day, previously called Dominion Day, which has nothing to do with the Federation's victory over the Dominion during Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.</div>
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Canada Day celebrates the anniversary of the Constitution Act of 1867 (which was originally called the British North American Act), uniting the three colonies of the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswich, into a single Dominion within the British Empire, thereafter known and called Canada. </div>
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<b>Fun Fact #1.</b> It was renamed as Canada Day in 1982.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #2.</b> In 1980, "O Canada" was made the official National anthem of Canada.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #3.</b> Did You Know these people are actually Canadians: Jim Carrey, Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds, Michael J. Fox, Dan Ackroyd, Mike Myers, and William Shatner are all Canadians.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #4:</b> Kiefer Sutherland might be a Canadian as well.</div>
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Perhaps, maybe, yeah he is, kinda. I'm sure it still counts.</div>
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Kiefer was born in London, then moved to California soon after. His parents were Canadian, though: Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #5.</b> A recent study found, 86% of Canadians felt like they lived in the best country in the world.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #6.</b> After the results of a recent study were published, 14% of Canadians have been deported for treason. ***</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #7.</b> A recent study found the letter "A" is a Canadian's favourite letter in the alphabet.***</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #8.</b> Since 1998, makers of Alphabetti Spaghetti, Heinz, removed all the letters from their tin, except the letter "A". ***</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #9.</b> Canada's national symbol is the Beaver. </div>
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Why not?</div>
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Who doesn't like a nice beaver?</div>
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Beavers are cute and furry, but can bite if you don't stroke them right. They have been known to attack if aggravated enough.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #10.</b> Canadians call their $1 coin a "Loonie."</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #11.</b> Canadians call their $2 coin a "Toonie.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #12.</b> Canada Day is also called "Moving Day."</div>
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Although July 1st is known as Canada Day to most Canadians, those in Quebec call it "Moving Day" as this is traditionally the day their leases expire and they have to move.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #13.</b> Canada is colder than Mars.</div>
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On February 3rd, 1947, a temperature of -63C was recorded in the village of Snag. That's colder than the surface of Mars.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #14.</b> Canada has 563 lakes larger than 100 square kilometres. </div>
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<b>Fun Fact #15.</b> Canada's great lakes contain 18% of the world's fresh lake water.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #16.</b> Canada has more surface area covered by lakes than any other country in the world.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #17.</b> Canada is huge. It covers 9.98 million square kilometres. That's a lot of miles.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #18.</b> Canada is actually bigger than the whole of the European Union.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #19.</b> Canada is also bigger than Walt Disney World. In fact, it's bigger than nearly 82,000 Walt Disney Worlds put together.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #20.</b> The Capital of Canada is Ottawa. It has a population of about a million people, making it only the 4th largest city in Canada.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #22.</b> Ottawa was founded in 1826. Back then it was called Bytown, though. It didn't become Ottawa until 1855.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #21.</b> The largest city in Canada is Toronto. It has a population of 2,731,571.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #22.</b> Although the second largest country on the planet, 80% of the population of Canada is squeezed into large and medium-sized cities.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #23.</b> The word "Canada" is derived from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word "kanata" which means "village" or "settlement.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #24.</b> On July 1st, 1923, the Chinese Immigration act was enacted by the Canadian Government stopping all immigrations from China.</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #25.</b> Canada's national flag became official on February 15th, 1965 (nearly 100 years after becoming a country).</div>
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<b>Fun Fact #26.</b> Canada has it's own mythical monster. It's called the Ogopogo and allegedly resides in Lake Okanagan, British Canada.</div>
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<b>Note.</b> Those marked with *** are not real facts. They are just for laughs. </div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-55644408851712245512019-05-15T16:14:00.001+01:002019-07-01T14:47:11.140+01:00On This Day In History May 15<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>In 392, the 17 year old Roman Emperor Valentinian II was</strong></span><span style="font-size: large;"> found murdered by way of hanging. Although some have said it was suicide. Mainly the guy who did it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>In 1536, Anne-My-Head-Feels-Loose-Boleyn was tried for treason</strong>. And adultery, and incest, and also revealing spoilers about Game of Thrones before her husband, King Henry VIII, had seen the latest episode.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>In 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots</strong>, married her 3rd husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, just three months after her second husband, Lord Darnley was assassinated. Not saying she did it, but she probably did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>In 1800, King George III of he United Kingdom</b> survived two separate assassination attempts. That's crazy. But not as crazy-bonkers-nutso as the king, who was whacko-jacko. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ironically, James Hadfield, who unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate the king that day, was later tried and then acquitted by reason of insanity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On this day in history in 1928, Walt Disney introduced one of his most famous creations, Mickey Mouse</strong>, in his first cartoon - Plane Crazy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Check out these Fun Facts About Canada: https://jvcullan.blogspot.com/2019/07/26-fun-facts-about-canada.html</span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-19512341751319190892019-03-15T11:43:00.001+00:002019-07-09T13:18:58.233+01:00Fun Facts About Julius Caesar<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6yZFKaCEhyvrA7JXQaa8S9PF2XjxtUN9v0MCXhfdutK5VFhlAZ5czFFLv664IAXwcCJKpHfoi721NxnY0-5-ZZl8I5MdFENfCXm9TeX7d1tBIuOmyQDDD_TkkXX6Qh4a0qlUyEkcF1KB/s1600/Caesar1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6yZFKaCEhyvrA7JXQaa8S9PF2XjxtUN9v0MCXhfdutK5VFhlAZ5czFFLv664IAXwcCJKpHfoi721NxnY0-5-ZZl8I5MdFENfCXm9TeX7d1tBIuOmyQDDD_TkkXX6Qh4a0qlUyEkcF1KB/s1600/Caesar1.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Fun Facts About Julius Caesar: The Extraordinary Life of Julius Caesar.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Ides of March:</b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">On the 15th day of the third month in 44BC, Julius Caesar, the Dictator of Rome, was assassinated by Marcus Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Junius Brutus, and a whole host of other Roman Senators.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Julius Caesar was stabbed to death on the Ides of March by a consortium of Roman Senators led by Caesar's friend, Marcus-I-did-Eat-Two-Brutus.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Julius Caesar had been told to Beware The Ides Of March, but chose to ignore the prophecy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just before Caesar passed into the shadowy world of gonna-return-as-a-zombie-and-eat-your-face-off, he looked into the eyes of his friend and whispered, "Et Tu, Brutus." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This translates into English as, "Your mamma was a snowblower." ***</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">*** Real translation: "And you, Brutus?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>FUN FACTS ABOUT THE EARLY LIFE OF JULIUS CAESAR</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>1. Julius Caesar was the most famous Roman General in history, and a Dictator of Rome.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He is not, as some believe, the first Roman Emperor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That accolade went to his nephew Octavius, who changed his name to Julius Caesar after his uncle's death, and then to Augustus Caesar when he became Emperor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Julius Caesar, the Julius Caesar we actually know, not the other one, or two, if you read below, was a Roman General, Senator, and Consul of Rome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He was also awarded the title of Dictator for life. Never was he an Emperor, even though he really, really wanted to be one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>2. Julius Caesar was born Gaius Julius Caesar.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After his father died, he dropped the Gaius. His father was also called Julius Caesar, and who was originally also called Gaius Julius Caesar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wowser, that's not confusing at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>3. All subsequent Emperor's have used the title "Caesar" to denote "Emperor".</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's just a name, and isn't the Latin for Emperor. They used it to continue the belief they are all related to Julius Caesar (the second one, not his father. Although technically his father as well).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>4. Julius Caesar was born on July 13, 100 B.C</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">His parents were Aurelia and Julius Caesar. There is a misconception the baby Julius Caesar was born by caesarean section. There is no evidence of the future General being born this way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is unlikely Julius Caesar was born by caesarean, though. Back in the olden days of Rome, it was a dangerous procedure. Most mothers died. However, Caesar's mother didn't. In fact, she lived for almost another 50 years after the birth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The word caesarean comes from the latin "caesus" which means "cut". Although some historians have hypothesised one of Caesar's ancestors may have had the "cut", hence the name. But no one really knows for sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>5. Sons of Gods.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The family loved to spill the beans at parties about their links to Iulus, son of Aeneas, a Prince of Troy. He was alleged to be son of the goddess, Venus.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>6. Julius Caesar's father was a Governor.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The father of Julius Caesar was a semi-powerful guy in Rome even before the infamous General secured their name in the history books.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">His father, also called Julius Caesar, was the Governor of the Province of Asia. Although not rich by ancient Roman standards, the family was reasonably comfortable, nonetheless.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>7. Julius Caesar's grandfather was a Consul of Rome.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Julius Caesar would become a Consul of Rome later in his life. A Consul of Rome was the top job you could get back in the day. However, his grandfather on his mother's side, Lucius Aurelius Cotta was also a Consul of Rome. As was his great-grandfather.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>8. His uncle was Gaius Marius.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This guy should be more famous than Julius Caesar. But, not so good at using social media to secure his infamy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The uncle of Julius Caesar, Gaius Marius, was also an extraordinarily successful Roman General, and also held the top job in the Roman Republic, Consul of Rome. In fact, he held it an impressive seven times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>9. His father died when Julius (at the time Gaius Julius) Caesar was 16-years-old.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He immediately dropped the Gaius part of his name becoming the one-and-only Julius Caesar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As head of his family he now had to take care of his mother, Aurelia, and his sister, Julia.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>10. He married Cornelia Cinna.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Out of necessity or love, is up for debate. He needed to secure funds and influence for him and his family after the death of his father. So, after a year in the wilderness, he married Cornelia, the daughter of Lucius Cornelius Cinna.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lucius Cornelius Cinna was quite the rich and powerful Roman. He was a Roman Consul four times. As such, he vexed quite a few people. In particular a guy called Sulla, who really hated Cinna. As an aside, Sulla also hated Marius, Julius Caesar's uncle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>11. Julius Caesar found himself in the middle of a power struggle in Rome.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sulla become Consul of Rome and soon after had to leave to fight a brewing war in Greece.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Senate had granted him leadership of the Roman armies instead of Marius, who really, really wanted it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And to say he was vexed by the senate favouring Sulla was an understatement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Whilst Sulla was away, Marius persuaded (by bribing and killing etc) the Senate to overturn their decision and appoint Marius the commander.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sulla heard of the news from envoys. And became quite vexed himself. He ordered his soldiers to stone to death the envoys and then ordered six of his most loyal legions to march on Rome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">No Roman army before this had ever crossed the city limits. Ever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Marius had no army in Rome to counter this aggression. He tried to use gladiators, but they were no match for a fully trained Roman army.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Marius fled the city and Sulla took control again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sulla then returned to Greece to finish his other war.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Marius, finding out Sulla was no longer in Rome, returned with his own army and re-took control of the city. He declared Sulla an exile and held fresh elections.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Both Cinna and Marius were elected Consuls again. Cinna for the fourth time and Marius for a record-breaking seventh. All was happy. For a bit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Five days after the new Consuls took power, they began ordering the killing of anyone who had opposed them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Seventeen days after Marius became Consul for the seventh time, he died.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>12. Julius Caesar went into hiding.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sulla returned to Rome and went straight to the top. He was awarded the title of Dictator of Rome. A joyous triumph. Not for everyone. His return to power saw an eradication of those who openly opposed him. A bloody eradication.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Julius Caesar's life was spared. However, he was stripped of titles, houses and money. Oh, and Sulla told him to divorce Cornelia, the daughter of his enemy, Cinna.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Caesar refused and went into hiding. Perhaps that marriage was for love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>13. Julius Caesar was a priest.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When his uncle, Marius and father-in-law, Cinna were in control of Rome, they nominated Julius Caesar as the Flamen Dialis, or high priest of Jupiter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>14. Julius Caesar joined the army.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is not a big revelation to you. He is famous for being a famous Roman General. However, as a priest, you were not allowed to serve as a soldier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As an aside: priests were also not allowed to touch a horse, sleep three nights away from his own bed, or spend one night away from Rome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When Sulla stripped Caesar of his titles, including the High Priest of Jupiter, it opened the door for Caesar to enlist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He didn't right away. He was still in hiding. It took his mother's family to intervene on his behalf. They were still influential and begged Sulla to lift the conditions on his life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sulla reluctantly agreed. He said of Caesar, "I see much of Marius in that one."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sulla always believed the young Caesar would find power and take retribution on him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>15. Julius Caesar won the Civic Crown.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of his first campaigns was the Siege of Mytilene. He proved himself so capable, serving with distinction, he won the Civic Crown, the second highest honour a Roman citizen could win.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>16. There were rumours Julius Caesar liked men.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He may have had taste of the crown he sought later in life during his early military career.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He was sent to Bithynia to secure assistance of King Nicomedes and his fleet of ships. As he spent so long at the King's court, rumours circulated he had an affair with the king.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Caesar denied the rumours.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>17. Julius Caesar was kidnapped by pirates.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sulla died and it was safe for Caesar to return to Rome.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He didn't get very far. In 75 B.C, he was kidnapped by pirates in the Aegean Sea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Lesser men crumbled, but not Caesar. He was Caesar, after all. He was above these lowly men, and made sure the pirates knew it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The pirates told him they were demanding a ransom of 20 talents of silver. He spat at that and told them he was worth 50 talents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He also told them, once the ransom was paid, he would build an army and come for them, retaking the ransom, with interest. Oh, and he said he'd kill every last one of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They, of course, didn't take him seriously. Why would they? Caesar was not the infamous Caesar back then. Just a low ranking officer in the Roman army.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>18. Caesar was Caesar. And Caesar kept his promises.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Even back in the early days, Caesar was Caesar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The ransom was paid and Caesar was freed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Instead of returning to Rome in what he considered to be dishonour, he set about building an army of men, raised a fleet of ships, and hunted down the pirates who captured him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>19. You don't mess with Caesar.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He kept the promise he made to the pirates. The promise they believed to be a joke.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He captured their ships and, on his own authority, an authority not granted to him by the Roman senate, or an authority granted to him by way of rank in the army, he crucified the pirates on the beaches as a warning to others -- You don't mess with Caesar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>20. Julius Caesar was lenient with those who wronged him.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He actually was, but we'll get to that in part two tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">His leniency in regards to those pirates could be questioned, though. However, in his own mind, Julius Caesar was being lenient.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before being crucified, he cut the their throats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Caesar is merciful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Part Two of The Extraordinary Life of Julius Caesar Coming Soon.</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://jvcullan.blogspot.com/2019/07/26-fun-facts-about-canada.html">Also check out these Fun Facts About Canada:</a> https://jvcullan.blogspot.com/2019/07/26-fun-facts-about-canada.html</span></b></div>
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Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-37387194358077582992017-05-29T21:52:00.000+01:002019-07-09T13:21:02.819+01:00Facts About King Charles II of England<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsFib8_jAuH9-AyDVK4S-KA-W25vlHn6p2bPcOCvtbHxO_XqCXXPfptfMbsU4MTljVt3uieVnIrPy1P_KzwpBdTVPWG-9n4RGLLM440_TWKffYz3-V_jw_X6u3mI1MdDxqJaAMf5Smw3o/s1600/Charles+II+of+England.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="638" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsFib8_jAuH9-AyDVK4S-KA-W25vlHn6p2bPcOCvtbHxO_XqCXXPfptfMbsU4MTljVt3uieVnIrPy1P_KzwpBdTVPWG-9n4RGLLM440_TWKffYz3-V_jw_X6u3mI1MdDxqJaAMf5Smw3o/s320/Charles+II+of+England.jpg" width="272" /></a><strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">Fun Facts About King Charles II of England</span></u></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On This Day In History, May 29th 1630, King Charles II of England was born.</span><br />
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<strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">Ten Fun Facts About King Charles II of England</span></u></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">1) He was oft referred to as the Merry Monarch.</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yep, that's completely true. Maybe because of his drunken debauchery, or his fondness to porking every hooker he could find, nobody knows.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">2) Charles-Not-A-Spaniel had no legitimate children.</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nope, not a one. When he died in 1685 (February 6th), the crown of England passed to his brother, James, who became King James-Is-Gonna-Screw-it-Up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although no legitimate children, Charles II did have at least a dozen illegitimate kiddies by seven mistresses. Bastards. Although not the cool ones from Game of Thrones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But some of them were actual bastards. At least that's what James II called them. One son of Charles II, the Duke of Monmouth, tried to wrestle the throne from his uncle after Charles II died.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Duke of Monmouth was defeated on July 6th 1685 at the Battle of Sedgemoor. He was then captured and executed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Didn't stop James II being overthrown, though. In 1688, James II was de-king'd by William of Orange, or William III, during the Glorious Revolution. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">3) Diana, Princess of Wales, was a descendant from two of Charles' illegitimate sons.</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yep, it's true. And you thought she was a commoner made good. Nope, she is born from Royal lineage and brought up on the Althorp estate, home of the Earl Spencer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Real Fun Fact:</strong> Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, son of Diana and Prince Charles, will become, when and if he does become, the first King of England directly descended from King Charles II.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>4) King Charles II's father, Charles I of England, was executed for treason.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dark days indeed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">King Charles I of England fought a few civil wars during his reign in the 1640s. He was defeated by the Parliamentarian Army under Oliver Cromwell, the right git, and tried and executed by way of separation of head from neck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">During the Civil War in England, Charles, despite being young, fought alongside his father. He took part in the Battle of Edgehill amongst others. In 1645 he was even made the commander of his father's forces in the West Country.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Things didn't go well for the Royalist cause and seeing they were loosing, Charles I sent his son to France where his mother was living in exile with his cousin, the 8-year-old Louis XIV of France.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the execution of his father, Charles became King Charles II, exiled king. He wasn't actually crowned until after the monarchy was restored in 1660.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">5) The anniversary of King Charles II's birthday, May 29th, which was also the anniversary of the Restoration, became a Royal Holiday known as Oak Apple Day.</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was named after the Oak tree Charles II hid in to escape the forces of Oliver Cromwell's forces.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Traditional festivities included wearing Oak Leaves and diddling a local prostitute. These traditions have since died out. But England still has a public holiday on the last Monday of May.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">6) It wasn't all fun and frolicking. Charles II was also a hero of the people. </span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 1666 the Great Fire of London ravaged the city destroying over 13,000 houses, 87 churches and St Paul's Cathedral.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thousands fled the city and were left homeless. The Royal advisers insisted the King leave the city as well. However, King Charles II refused. Instead he got actively involved in fighting the fires, risking his own life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And it wasn't just on the first day. He returned with his brother and with a bucket and spade, helped throw water on the flames, and ordered and assisted in pulling down houses and buildings to stop the flames spreading.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">7) Charles II restored Christmas. </span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">During the puritan period of the 1640s/1650s after Oliver Cromwell took control of England in 1645, because let's blame him as he was a total git, Christmas was banned in England.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Long Parliament in June 1647 confirmed the abolition of the feasts of Christmas, Whitsun and Easter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the 1650s Parliament re-affirmed its position on Christmas and imposed punishments on anyone holding or attending special Christmas church services. It also ordered all shops remain open on December 25th.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When King Charles II was restored to the throne he immediately went about repealing those laws and Christmas returned to England. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hmm, I'm starting to wonder if Oliver Cromwell was the White Witch and Charles II was Aslan, but with a better night life. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">8) There was a specialist Pox Doctor on call 24 hours a day at the Palace</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We've covered Charles II's very special friends above, but due to the King's party attitude and lancing of prostitutes, he often needed a little lancing of his own.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And not just the King. His friends also had some issues resulting in their nightly tickles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 1674, Charles, much to the surprise of everyone at court -- oh okay, no surprise at all -- became infected with a nether-region disease. Louise de Keroualle, one of many mistresses became so annoyed that he had transferred the puss-goodies to her, that she had a right go at him in front of the French ambassador. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">9) King Charles II of England died February 6th 1685 at Whitehall Palace (11:45 in the morning).</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Four days before he had suffered with an apoplectic fit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the time suspicions went around court that the King had been poisoned. His doctor was one of those accused of the crime. Modern doctors believe he died of a kidney dysfunction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the four days prior to him dying, Charles went through many treatments, including bloodletting, and not just the blood in his penis, which he continued to make good use of.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In fact, the night before he died, Charles had quite the night with three of his mistresses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Bishop of Salisbury, a close friend, was quoted as saying: "The ruin of his reign was occasioned mainly by his delivering his person to a mad range of pleasure."</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">10) King Charles II of England was buried at Westminster Abbey on February 14th 1685</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It wasn't a proper State Funeral either. He was buried without "pomp nor ceremony."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After having to break his penis to close the lid of the coffin, they basically threw the box in the hole and sealed the tomb shut.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you're wondering when and how the end of the world will come, it's when, in a few hundred years, they decided out of curiosity to open his tomb and a great plague, never seen before, is let loose eradicating all known life in the galaxy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Charles, on his deathbed, spoke to his brother, the next King, James II, "be well to Portsmouth, and let not poor Nelly starve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He was referring to a favourite hooker of his, Nell Gwyn. He went on to tell his courtiers, "I am sorry, Gentlemen, for being such a time a-dying."</span><br />
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<strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">Bonus Fact</span></u></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">King Charles II, a protestant King in a protestant country, was rumoured to have converted to Catholicism the night before he died. No one really knows if it actually happened, or was started as a rumour by someone in his court, perhaps by his brother, King James II, who was a Catholic himself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://jvcullan.blogspot.com/2019/03/fun-facts-about-julius-caesar.html">Click here to check out Fun Facts About Julius Caesar</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://jvcullan.blogspot.com/2019/07/26-fun-facts-about-canada.html" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Also check out these Fun Facts About Canada:</a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> https://jvcullan.blogspot.com/2019/07/26-fun-facts-about-canada.html</span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br /></span>Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-43455561215719219872017-05-27T21:12:00.000+01:002017-05-27T21:12:05.124+01:00History facts May 27th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_XvQshIKFVQsG71pzpxOQYi9E98RJyhyxGCtkPRLEw7z6mPKdbR_Q5-vPvDN8M_3lmHu8OIHvs3mj4nb_0YmNsjhuTiTRq4LP-3o5LfYaxSALxF8vORwBpWFy8gtKn8oEHRM5BoBAwGk/s1600/john+of+england.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS_XvQshIKFVQsG71pzpxOQYi9E98RJyhyxGCtkPRLEw7z6mPKdbR_Q5-vPvDN8M_3lmHu8OIHvs3mj4nb_0YmNsjhuTiTRq4LP-3o5LfYaxSALxF8vORwBpWFy8gtKn8oEHRM5BoBAwGk/s320/john+of+england.jpg" title="Jvcullan" width="275" /></a><u><strong>HISTORICAL FUN FACTS - MAY 27th</strong></u><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On This Day in History in 1199 King John of England was crowned King John of England.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yep, the hated brother of Richard I of England, otherwise known as Richard the Lionheart, you know those two from Robin Hood Price of Thieves, finally became the King.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">He was never meant to be King of England. John Lackland, yes that was his name, was the youngest of the five sons of his father, King Henry II of England.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the youngest, he was way down the line of succession. But after all his older big bros did go kaput, he found himself wearing the big-boy pants. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, the pull-ups didn't help him in the last few days of his reign. Should have stuck to the diapers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">King John ruled until 1216 when he faced a problem-with-me-poopa and died of dysentery</span>Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-58636735229286736372017-05-14T16:07:00.001+01:002019-03-16T10:22:13.333+00:00History Facts King Henry IV of France assassinated<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1nBz8QLke_cBJ7bkdXD1u7cAHSzHVccBrrZyzD4OT6WpVNPnt_449XYFsMD93PjJKfpgpdnyjDsu_qBgG8mUQN-bI2aggycaoEANd2Mjz-pNyYp8nQKJ4Wmd0CisNKb6EGNCpUmgZv8J/s1600/Henry+IV+of+France.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1nBz8QLke_cBJ7bkdXD1u7cAHSzHVccBrrZyzD4OT6WpVNPnt_449XYFsMD93PjJKfpgpdnyjDsu_qBgG8mUQN-bI2aggycaoEANd2Mjz-pNyYp8nQKJ4Wmd0CisNKb6EGNCpUmgZv8J/s320/Henry+IV+of+France.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">On This Day In History, May 14th 1610, King Henry IV of France was assassinated. </span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">During his lifetime King Henry IV of France had three assassination attempts made against him. Well, two attempted assassinations and one actual assassination. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">King Henry had been raised a protestant. When he became King of France in 1589, he was pretty much forced to convert to Catholicism, due to France being a catholic country, and them placing nipple clamps on him until he agreed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Everyone was happy about the King's sudden and unexpected change of religion, except for the protestants. They were not. At all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">It also appeared that Spain wasn't happy either. Mainly with Henry, who they didn't like as he didn't share any of his chocolate biscuits with them. Henry IV was the first King of France from the House of Bourbon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Spain kept pestering Henry to give him those chocolate biscuits. Henry finally had enough. Instead of handing over the biscuits, he just went and declared war. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br />"My biscuits. My lovely crème biscuits. You not get none of these fabulous Bourbon Crème Biscuits."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">King Henry IV had many people try to kill him over the years. And not just the entirety of Spain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Pierre Barriere tried to assassinate him in August 1593. And then in December 1594 Jean Chatel tried. Both were unsuccessful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">It wasn't until the 14th of May 1610, when another assassin by the name of Francois Ravailla thought he'd have a go, that the King of France died.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The King was stabbed in the Rue de La Ferronnerie. Which, I believe, and I'm not great on anatomy, is the upper portion of the left butt cheek.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>On This Day in 1610 King Louis XIII became King of France</strong> after his father, Henry IV of France was stabbed in the arse. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Like his father, Louis XIII of France was part of the House of Bourbon Cremes, where all those lovely chocolate crème biscuits come from. He became King of France at the age of eight after his father's assassination.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Louis XIII couldn't rule the kingdom as a kid, because think of the havoc if a kid was in charge. However, as much chaos as a kid could cause as a King, his mother, Marie De' Medici, caused more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">So much so, that the young King wrestled power from his mother in 1617, who was acting as Regent for her son, and exiled her. For good measure and to teach her a lesson, he executed all of her followers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">There were many rumours about Louis XIII during his reign regarding his sexuality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">However, there is no evidence he was playing toad-in-the-hole with his favourite courtier, Carles d'Albert, or in fact Henri Coiffier de Ruze, the Marquis of Cinq-Mars.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">And no evidence he was tickling the fancy with Francois de Baradas either. Or any of the others.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://jvcullan.blogspot.com/2019/03/fun-facts-about-julius-caesar.html">Click here to check out Fun Facts About Julius Caesar</a></span></div>
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Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-78032175458644317182017-04-22T10:16:00.000+01:002017-04-22T10:16:13.412+01:00Hernan Cortes the Conquistador <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEHZvqNTqwOKYi8DBW6WUw4sgVvZOSpxtxbNxIw8sL92B0t-IWQKAEkm9lIYJaz-HCgTkNVoqfBc2nd5ZoL-XlECpBNhB2FjVk6T_gRkIUB7MH3diXR3xfN5Ed8y8m3wleKjsdMplWIr_C/s1600/Hernan+Cortes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEHZvqNTqwOKYi8DBW6WUw4sgVvZOSpxtxbNxIw8sL92B0t-IWQKAEkm9lIYJaz-HCgTkNVoqfBc2nd5ZoL-XlECpBNhB2FjVk6T_gRkIUB7MH3diXR3xfN5Ed8y8m3wleKjsdMplWIr_C/s320/Hernan+Cortes.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>On this day in history, April 22nd, in 1519, the Spanish adventurer, explorer, Conquistador, and total git, Hernan Cortes,</strong> established a settlement in Mexico called Veracruz.</span><br />
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<span><span style="font-size: medium;">Cortes had invaded Mexico with his Spanish army in the hope of finding some gold. Or a decent cigar. Or semi-decent massage parlour.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">In his efforts to find some treasure, Cortes deposed or killed all the kings in and around Mexico, and anyone he met on his way. Even the bloke selling bananas by the pond.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">The guy was a git. It's a fact.</span></div>
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<span><span style="font-size: medium;">To give an example: Cortes was out walking through the jungle one night, perhaps as part of an expedition, perhaps as part of a mating ritual with the local gorilla population, who knows.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">He saw King-Now-A-Hostage Cuauhtémoc having a laugh with two of his fellow former-kingies. It seems the famous Spanish Explorer and Conqueror, Herman Cortes, didn't like laughter.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">After asking a bloke to translate what the three were discussing - apparently it was something to do with comparing Breaking Bad with Game of Thrones - Cortes got upset at their conclusion.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">He immediately ordered all three to be hanged. To Death. All the way. Cortes then invented a story to tell the locals. It involved a boy wizard, a special school in Scotland, and the ginger kid getting the girl.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">When the locals didn't believe that story - no way the ginger kid gets the girl - Cortes made up another.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">He informed them that the three kings were plotting his murder. Mwerder. To Death. All the way. And because of this plot, Cortes had no choice but to execute them all.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">And anyone else who plots his Mwerder. So just you lot all watch yourself. Mwerderers.</span></span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-52178404980019775172017-04-16T10:46:00.002+01:002017-04-16T11:01:43.453+01:00Top 5 Strangest Easter Traditions<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VnTUSUoEKfWCpqc0AA__UDjqAKE3l8eTb0yAe-B5zR_qkO8Ntb33tTGJfZWaHeu1QdPcYKsbMWgGIdyNfli_1pmXQJvwe_fhVwe0dDdcSgNGdnjUI5EKa74A8VSSXTHTnyiHZdxK5BRk/s1600/Scoppio+del+Carro+or+Explosion+of+the+Cart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VnTUSUoEKfWCpqc0AA__UDjqAKE3l8eTb0yAe-B5zR_qkO8Ntb33tTGJfZWaHeu1QdPcYKsbMWgGIdyNfli_1pmXQJvwe_fhVwe0dDdcSgNGdnjUI5EKa74A8VSSXTHTnyiHZdxK5BRk/s320/Scoppio+del+Carro+or+Explosion+of+the+Cart.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">Top 5 Strangest Easter Traditions</span></u></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>1) <u>Scoppio del Carro or Explosion of the Cart</u></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ever wondered about starting a tradition where you strap a rocket to a dove and shoot it along a wire into a cart that explodes? You have? Psycho!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As it turns out, you don't need to wonder. In Florence, they actually did it. Yep, not kidding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On Easter Sunday, a herd of oxen sprinkled with flowers and herbs, probably for the barbeque afterwards, pull an antique cart that is three-stories high from Porta al Prato to the Piazza del Duomo. The cart is escorted by soldiers, musicians, a flock of people dressed like they've been ejected from the 15th century, which is where this tradition began, and a chef specialising in oxen barbeques.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A fire -- Fire ... FIRE ... we're all gonna end up on fire -- is started by rubbing some ancient flints together, which is used to light a candle, which is then used to light some coals, which is then placed in the cart for its journey to the cathedral. I can't think of one possible safety reason as to why you shouldn't place the red-hot coals on that cart. Not one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of the cart, it comes pre-loaded with fireworks. Lots and lots of fireworks. And twenty seven combustible hedgehogs. Once the cart arrives at the cathedral, the oxen, which are no longer needed, are stapled to its sides, and sprinkled with some more herbs and a bit of seasoning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here comes the favourite part, you sicko. A wire is strung from within the cathedral and tied to the cart outside. Then a rocket is strapped to a dove*, the dove to the wire, and step back and watch that sucker go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If all goes well, there will be a good harvest. If all doesn't go well ... better be able to GET THE HELL OUT OF ... Oh, nuts, I'm on fire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">(*mechanical)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>2) <u>Rouketopolemos - The Rocket War</u></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong></strong></span><span style="font-size: large;">This is one of the more interesting traditions and it thankfully doesn't involve an egg. In the quiet town of Vrontados, on the Greek island of Chios, Easter gets noisy. Very noisy.</span></div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7SefoOTyK9s/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7SefoOTyK9s?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">At the stroke of midnight, before Easter Sunday begins in earnest, two rival churches, St. Mark's and Panaghia Ereithiani, conduct a Rocket War. They fire thousands, and I mean thousands, of home-made rockets across the town in an attempt to hit the bell tower of the opposition church.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The tradition dates back to the Ottoman era and they originally used real cannons stuffed with hedgehogs, until those were outlawed in 1889.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Each church needs to score a direct hit on the belfry and the hits are counted the following day to see who wins. Every year they both declare themselves the winner, and each vows to get their vengeance the following year. And so it continues.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This has got to be one of the best traditions, ever.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxNyBIx4P2vHvaj14y4KWMRRqsxuemIMW0mTEfE4QI_9LhLxrToE65XQAWiomSPoFStqvDyvM8DeZ4ljOLWYbF10uYuZVWmtWX-SBPiphYBP_iN2X0CaFJ0QCe5Jn9iCPQtgePQswQvki/s1600/Smigus-Dyngus+or+Dyngus+Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxNyBIx4P2vHvaj14y4KWMRRqsxuemIMW0mTEfE4QI_9LhLxrToE65XQAWiomSPoFStqvDyvM8DeZ4ljOLWYbF10uYuZVWmtWX-SBPiphYBP_iN2X0CaFJ0QCe5Jn9iCPQtgePQswQvki/s320/Smigus-Dyngus+or+Dyngus+Day.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>3) <u>Smigus-Dyngus or Dyngus Day</u></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Basically, boys chuck water over girls and then spank them. Yep, it sounds weird, but it's true.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In Poland their Easter tradition involves boys sneaking into a girl's home at the break of dawn on Easter Monday. Can't see anything dodgy so far. Then up to the girl's bedroom. Nope, still nothing wrong with that. And then they throw buckets of water over the girls whilst she is still in her bed. Pretty sure that's still okay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But, then it gets perverted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The boy will say a rhyme.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A Rhyme? What the...? What kind of sick son of a...?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The traditional rhyme goes, "Dyngus, dyngus, po dwa jaja; nie chce chleba tylko jaja." This translates as, "I can see your nipples." Nah, only kidding. It actually means, "Dyngus, dyngus, for two eggs; I don't want bread but eggs." And a nice pair of eggs they are.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once the boy has emptied his load over the girl (of water-The bucket of water), the screaming girl is carried out of her house and dragged to the local river or lake, usually still in her bed, before both bed and girl are thrown into the water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Attractive girls can expect this repeated throughout the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As if waterboarding girls wasn't enough, the boys would obtain pussy willows from the local dealer, take them to the church to be blessed by priests, and then use them to whip and spank the girls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Because that's how you show a girl you like them - drenching and spanking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, it's all okay, as the following day the girls get to do it to the boys. The Czech Republic or Slovakia, have similar traditions.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRBvimq3K5Q2TOg0EkTRw82N0xx-rrE_IyvyYElsWsgsli2i7I5OKg71Xat_vx0g_D0jd8uW3NOhgLeCc_H48YYoXLp_apPJDGXed3qzeG2wRlxg0fuD-C2RYyr3OHp_NwtiazQAGDxQU/s1600/Egg+Dance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRBvimq3K5Q2TOg0EkTRw82N0xx-rrE_IyvyYElsWsgsli2i7I5OKg71Xat_vx0g_D0jd8uW3NOhgLeCc_H48YYoXLp_apPJDGXed3qzeG2wRlxg0fuD-C2RYyr3OHp_NwtiazQAGDxQU/s320/Egg+Dance.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>4) <u>The Egg Dance</u></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong></strong></span><span style="font-size: large;">And again we meet up with the mighty egg. It does seem to be heavily involved with Easter festivities. I blame the Pagans. It's all their fault. Stupid symbolism about Earth's rebirth at spring, and then those early Christians had to go and adopt it, too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Egg Dance involves dancing around eggs and trying to damage as few as possible. It can trace its history back a few thousand years to a time of a people in desperate need of a television and the internet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 1498, the very first reality dance show happened. I believe Bruce Forsyth was the host. Yes, he's that old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A hundred eggs were scattered over the sand and each potential bride and groom were forced to take hands and dance. Dance, I say. Dance little monkeys. Dance. Dance like your feet are on fire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If they completed the dance without breaking the egg, it would go to the judges to make a decision, and when Simon Cowell couldn't decide, it went to a public telephone vote to see if they made it into the next round and be allowed to marry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first winners were Margaret of Austria and Philibert of Savoy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKhfQHmh7aZGoqsjLWMsuUhbLxpIIzIe5h7k-hCagZF1lvONYovJ0nEJnwB1ljvBXywzVzgNIccDdXKox6vB08OhB5EyhDydgnC-06NlGD2w5SkKEojFa5rNh1_BH53ZU_NUGyiGP0iZA/s1600/Pace-Egging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKhfQHmh7aZGoqsjLWMsuUhbLxpIIzIe5h7k-hCagZF1lvONYovJ0nEJnwB1ljvBXywzVzgNIccDdXKox6vB08OhB5EyhDydgnC-06NlGD2w5SkKEojFa5rNh1_BH53ZU_NUGyiGP0iZA/s320/Pace-Egging.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>5)</strong> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u>Pace-Egging</u></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is an Easter tradition in England known as Pace-Egging, where kids would roll decorated hard-boiled eggs down a hill. The kid who rolled it the furthest, or fastest, or highest, or deepest, or something-est, would win a prize - they'd be allowed to eat a hard-boiled egg. Yummy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many other countries such as Germany, Egypt, Netherlands, Denmark and Narnia, all have a similar tradition known as the Easter Egg roll.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pace Egging in England dates back hundreds of years. It could be, or not, perhaps be symbolic of the rolling of the giant chocolate egg away from the tomb of Jesus before his resurrection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Or, as is more likely, it's to do with the tradition of rolling babies down a hill to symbolise knew life and the struggles a mother goes through in childbirth. If the baby makes it to the bottom of the hill, it's allowed to drink its weight in beer as a prize.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There would be dancing, karaoke, piddling on a garden gnome, usually from the roof of a house, and then the night ended with the babies throwing hedgehogs at stray cats. Followed by a kebab.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In reality, we really have no idea why the heck it started. But baby-rolling is as good an explanation as any other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">About three hundred years ago babies were replaced with an egg because, well, apparently rolling babies down a hill is wrong. Who knew?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The original tradition involved decorating a hardboiled egg and rolling it down a grassy hill. There are some towns in England that still use hard-boiled eggs, but some have since switched to chocolate eggs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In an unrelated fact, the number of accidents involving children diving after chocolate-eggs-thrown-down-a-hill increased one-hundred-fold.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><a href="http://jvcullan.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/fun-facts-about-easter-eggs.html">Check out our Fun Facts About Easter Eggs</a></strong></span></div>
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<strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">Honourable Mentions</span></u></strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtnqcFpV_pMHHbZCUsSpHaDNmRK2CejdUAQ43GuG6xfXJIcA5LYk481zx7Qeyd22q_ewx95MKm_vU58PJJ8ifzS39e0-f-uVXFQ93lIBSKPWk1vlRCNT1OCHRIpsfRrH1giiP4nYW5DIS/s1600/Easter+Egg+Push.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtnqcFpV_pMHHbZCUsSpHaDNmRK2CejdUAQ43GuG6xfXJIcA5LYk481zx7Qeyd22q_ewx95MKm_vU58PJJ8ifzS39e0-f-uVXFQ93lIBSKPWk1vlRCNT1OCHRIpsfRrH1giiP4nYW5DIS/s1600/Easter+Egg+Push.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u>Easter Egg Push</u></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In America there is an annual tradition of the Easter Egg Push. Every Easter Monday the President gathers hundreds of kids on the White House lawn, who have had to go through an extensive and thorough background check and security screening, and forces them to push an egg across the grass with a long-handled spoon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The tradition is believed to have been started by the wife of President James Madison, Dolley Madison, in 1814, and was originally held in the grounds of the US Capitol, the seat of the US Congress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, it was moved to the White House lawn in 1877 when Congress decided they hated children. Yes, the US Congress hates children (I mean, hated children, past tense. They may like them now).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They also hated Fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And they specifically hated children having fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Since they couldn't do anything about banning children having fun, and they spent a load of money researching whether they could, they instead made sure children couldn't have fun within sight and earshot of them. So they passed a law making it illegal to use the grounds of the US Capitol as a children's playground.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">"Get off our grass, you horrible kids."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the 13th April, 2009, President Obama and his wife ... (err, she's called, hang on, it'll come to me, it begins with an "M". Oh, yes) ... Mrs Obama, hosted their first White House Easter egg roll.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The theme "Let’s go play" was meant to encourage young people to lead healthy, active lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, most of the kids ignored that and stuffed their faces with chocolate eggs and candy. Because who wants to live a healthy, active life when there's chocolate? Gobble. Gobble. Gobble.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxOTf25_V6pymBIkTgo5MoCKQDP26uABnrtpYEoVDrBZALSBMSNZ-DwEKZLq-jOtuB6hRZv5jlET3n-aE64wEscmhDeI4zjXZVghNvPlMRl92iDLHfVhrNc7kESFRmsp1bmjKITvQ7VD-/s1600/Egg+Tapping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxOTf25_V6pymBIkTgo5MoCKQDP26uABnrtpYEoVDrBZALSBMSNZ-DwEKZLq-jOtuB6hRZv5jlET3n-aE64wEscmhDeI4zjXZVghNvPlMRl92iDLHfVhrNc7kESFRmsp1bmjKITvQ7VD-/s320/Egg+Tapping.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u>Egg Tapping</u></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong><u></u></strong></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u></u></strong></span><span style="font-size: large;">The clue to this Easter tradition is in the title. You hard-boil eggs and tap them together until one of them cracks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In England it is also known as egg knocking, egg pacqueing, egg jarping, or simply as dumping.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Be careful when you suggest dumping though, as it can mean a few different things depending on where you are in England.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On a Saturday night in Bradford, for instance, blokes get hammered, have a kebab, and do a bit of dumping on a random front garden on their way home (When you gotta go, you gotta go).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's a tradition that can trace its history back to the 15th century. Which is strange, as Egg Tapping can also be traced back to the 15th century (In Poland). An amazing coincidence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">Since 1983, a World Egg-Jarping championship takes place every Easter Sunday at Peterlee Cricket And Social Club, in County Durham. A few years ago, international outrage hit the front pages of literally no newspapers all around the world. Two contestants were banned from competing at any international and Olympic events in Egg Tapping. The unscrupulous scoundrels filled their eggs with cement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Marksville in Louisiana claims to have the oldest official Egg Tapping event</strong>. They started their competition back in 1956. They even have different categories, from the chicken egg category, to guinea hen egg and flamingo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A new category was introduced in 2015 after scientists discovered a secret cult of seriously grumpy hedgehogs in the Amazon rainforest that squeeze out ostrich-sized eggs instead of live young. Ouch, that'll leave some stretch marks.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEayEFnTfBrurl8AxD8-8_k8RBsrTTVcTmxBBIXx8nlUs3pOe9CGiyIUmheZp0vjw3To0pP4J-JAYSMavBQvLaF4kCFOsLGwleP8rgkozUn4q2SaQUNWN0GGnXwTUg0T6N9t6usPUl2FO/s1600/Kite+flying+Bermuda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEayEFnTfBrurl8AxD8-8_k8RBsrTTVcTmxBBIXx8nlUs3pOe9CGiyIUmheZp0vjw3To0pP4J-JAYSMavBQvLaF4kCFOsLGwleP8rgkozUn4q2SaQUNWN0GGnXwTUg0T6N9t6usPUl2FO/s320/Kite+flying+Bermuda.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><u><strong>We will finish our Easter Traditions on a high</strong></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In Bermuda it's traditional to force children into slave labour by getting them to make kites, the more colourful, the better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And to then fly them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Up to the highest heights.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And send it souring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Up through the atmosphere. Up where the air is ... Oh, you get the idea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's to commemorate Jesus ascending to heaven - as high as a kite.</span></div>
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<a href="http://jvcullan.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/fun-facts-about-easter-eggs.html"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Check out our Fun Facts About Easter Eggs</span></strong></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><a href="http://jvcullan.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/new-years-eve-traditions.html">Check out some Weird British New Year's Eve Traditions</a></strong></span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-78382259317880585372017-04-12T21:42:00.001+01:002017-04-12T21:42:58.692+01:00History Facts April 12th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN2Z2XHaWlEWL0YHqgEoRBNLCdCi2DYQr1FF7qt1mCFFhzyKTcNqCU70frK_1XVmxNqIuw2ribRoG9S4ZUzzqekaC0oJBlRK0Y5I4i8TKduUV_w5v0yrF2oJzhu9mLR3LbTbvrKwMw-0M/s1600/Franklin+Delano+Roosevelt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN2Z2XHaWlEWL0YHqgEoRBNLCdCi2DYQr1FF7qt1mCFFhzyKTcNqCU70frK_1XVmxNqIuw2ribRoG9S4ZUzzqekaC0oJBlRK0Y5I4i8TKduUV_w5v0yrF2oJzhu9mLR3LbTbvrKwMw-0M/s1600/Franklin+Delano+Roosevelt.jpg" /></a><strong><u>HISTORY Fun Facts - 12th April</u></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>On This Day in 1945 the second most famous Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt,</strong> died at the age of 63.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Franklin Delano Roosevelt was only 3 months into his 4th term of office as President when he died, He was replaced by the Vice-President, Harry Truman.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Franklin D. Roosevelt has consistently been rated in the top 3 of American Presidents, along with President Martin Sheen, who had a seven year term in the West Wing of the White House, and Morgan Freeman who head butted an asteroid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">David Palmer, friend of Jack Bauer, tends to always come fourth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>On This Day in 1960, Jeremy Clarkson,</strong> former presenter of Top Gear, and now presenter of The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime, was born.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Jeremy Clarkson, who became future chaos of the BBC car show, Top Gear, sped out of his mother at over 90 miles an hour before performing a handbrake turn and proclaiming his mother's womb the warmest and most comfortable womb ... in the worrrrld.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A few minutes later he found out they weren't going to serve him any hot food and promptly punched the midwife in the face.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://jvcullan.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/5-fun-facts-about-top-gear.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #7109b8;">Click here for 5 Fun Facts About Top Gear</span></a></span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-31348756242927528022017-03-30T19:28:00.001+01:002017-03-30T19:28:13.609+01:00Charles Lightoller and Titanic <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErKv7Z9gUSFCz0y-slFO4EhwXZNjWta7RbWeUYcq78QkQfnoJ0GqD5xLAK-eybISed4CgDfexrQYXavlaCLDrzuDwhTe4YrLkkEmTplV__J0us0wnva8gT1g3wqsVqi5QlMaOXdj7mqNG/s1600/Charles+Lightoller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgErKv7Z9gUSFCz0y-slFO4EhwXZNjWta7RbWeUYcq78QkQfnoJ0GqD5xLAK-eybISed4CgDfexrQYXavlaCLDrzuDwhTe4YrLkkEmTplV__J0us0wnva8gT1g3wqsVqi5QlMaOXdj7mqNG/s1600/Charles+Lightoller.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>On this day in history in 1874, Charles Lightoller was born.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Charles Lightoller was the English 2nd officer on board the infamous unsinkable ship that sank, the RMS Titanic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Lightoller was the most senior officer of the Titanic to survive the ship's sinking. He was the officer in charge of loading the passengers into lifeboats. And enforced the "Women and Children First" policy.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">In fact, he went a lot further than that, and enforced his own "Women and Children ONLY" policy. He actually lowered lifeboats into the water with empty seats, even though there were no women or children to board them, and when there were men waiting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Lightoller only permitted one adult male passenger to board a lifeboat. His name was Arthur Godfrey Peuchen, who had experience sailing and could help the women navigate their craft.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Lightoller himself survived, but almost didn't.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">As the Titanic disappeared beneath the waves, Lightoller was sucked against a grate, being held there by the pressure of the water as the ship sank. A rush of water burst through the grate when the boiler exploded. He was catapulted into the ocean where he swam to a capsized collapsible boat. He gripped the boat, along with 30 others, until they were finally rescued. </span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-43661216632729576822017-03-21T21:05:00.001+00:002017-03-21T21:05:10.738+00:00Fun Fact for March 21st<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigw0M3pp3bBvkw8LE1oeKQrMBA_f4pQUSU-jaYzaZmKoX29ii8aRMAZZzg4bvNJELh6nQGccwiRwjlk8P9m4tvb6kLtGjtslKfS6rvk1bcM3QeAw-V84sJLN-pAoGp8_alJLA0tYsgTJnr/s1600/Henry+V.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigw0M3pp3bBvkw8LE1oeKQrMBA_f4pQUSU-jaYzaZmKoX29ii8aRMAZZzg4bvNJELh6nQGccwiRwjlk8P9m4tvb6kLtGjtslKfS6rvk1bcM3QeAw-V84sJLN-pAoGp8_alJLA0tYsgTJnr/s1600/Henry+V.jpg" /></a><u><strong><span style="font-size: large;">HISTORICAL FUN</span></strong></u><br />
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<span data-offset-key="ei962-0-0"><span data-text="true"><span style="font-size: large;">On this day in history in 1413, Henry V became King of England.</span></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ei962-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span><span data-offset-key="5aktt-0-0"><span data-text="true"><span style="font-size: large;">King Henry V became King of England after his father, Henry IV, died suddenly of not-alive-no-more.</span></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="5aktt-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span><span data-offset-key="6gs2m-0-0"><span data-text="true"><span style="font-size: large;">The new King of England was crowned in a magnificent ceremony at Westminster Abbey on the 9th of April. Nothing can compare to the coronation of a medieval king.</span></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="6gs2m-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span> </div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ei962-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6gs2m-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span><span data-offset-key="5vo59-0-0"><span data-text="true"><span style="font-size: large;">Apart from the king's eyes. "They flashed from the mildness of a dove's to the brilliance of a lion's."</span></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ei962-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5vo59-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span> </div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ei962-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5vo59-0-0"><span data-text="true"></span></span><span data-offset-key="aaa25-0-0"><span data-text="true"><span style="font-size: large;">True story. </span></span></span></div>
</div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-48217952117693494112017-02-05T19:02:00.002+00:002017-02-05T19:02:31.472+00:00History Fun Facts for February 5th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg270oe6WKUJ5rlXmpuzKNnrQZ3k5FAsBPbq8J7XYbheUcwoUs9IoJkNVIfKDQhHQaurYIlU0KBCW3yXrCpNswzXwncT2kRG5QSSXxoW4INIoAXATk9I6pe2pN3o3bjp9xtFE38L_BtWLv5/s1600/Robert+Peel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg270oe6WKUJ5rlXmpuzKNnrQZ3k5FAsBPbq8J7XYbheUcwoUs9IoJkNVIfKDQhHQaurYIlU0KBCW3yXrCpNswzXwncT2kRG5QSSXxoW4INIoAXATk9I6pe2pN3o3bjp9xtFE38L_BtWLv5/s320/Robert+Peel.jpg" width="234" /></a><strong><u><span style="font-size: medium;">ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 5th FEBRUARY</span></u></strong><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">On this day 5th February 1788, Sir Robert Peel was born.</span></strong></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Although he served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 67% of British people who recognised his name, didn't realise. Most will know his as the guy who set up the Metropolitan Police Force in London. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Police officers in Britain are often called "Bobbies" or "Peelers" </span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">as a throw back to Robert Peel, the Met's creator. </span></strong></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Robert Peel actually served as Prime Minister twice. The first term between 1934-1835, and the second between 1841-1846.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">But, as stated above, he is better known for the creation, in 1829, of the Metropolitan Police Force based at Scotland Yard, London. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">When Peel set out the principals of policing a democracy, he said, </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">"The police are the public and the public are the police."</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong></strong><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Before adding: </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">"Which one of you thieving scumbags stole my sandwich?"</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It was the first permanent police force of its kind and not at all popular with the criminals. However, it soon became popular amongst their victims. It cut crime in London by a half.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">In 1857, all cities in the UK were required to establish their own police forces. Nowadays, they're pretty much everywhere. </span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-19458056544102884872017-02-04T18:47:00.002+00:002017-02-04T18:47:57.547+00:00History Fun Facts February 4th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSWqkbMZqXDurOP5t60toRP4c9olRtfl5d-W9YzCwLeccwfo5tAAPkweyLz93LY90xZ5etXa6fdo0NkLOriuKZVLkn1pBMprjbJDJtkpiNJxxBty9AiBoi7T3LvBzaf-tyVXwWFZeECQy/s1600/Snape.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSWqkbMZqXDurOP5t60toRP4c9olRtfl5d-W9YzCwLeccwfo5tAAPkweyLz93LY90xZ5etXa6fdo0NkLOriuKZVLkn1pBMprjbJDJtkpiNJxxBty9AiBoi7T3LvBzaf-tyVXwWFZeECQy/s320/Snape.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><u>HISTORY FACTS: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY 4th FEBRUARY </u></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>On This Day, the 4th of February 211, Septimus Severus, the Roman Emperor</strong>, died in York (called Eboracum back in the day).</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">It wasn't a great death. Lord Voldermort cursed him with a Caracalla Geta spell for his inability to kill Harry Potter.</span> </div>
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<strong><br />By Grabthar's Hammer, </strong></div>
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<strong>I will cut your heart out with a spoon.</strong></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>On This Day, the 4th of February 1703, forty six of the Forty-Seven Ronin</strong> committed seppuku, or ritual suicide, after avenging their master's death. The only one left standing was Keanu Reeves, ironically the only one everyone actually wanted to disembowel.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>On This Day in 2004, the evil Empire known as Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg. </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div>
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<strong><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Celebrity Birthdays</span></u></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">On This Day in 1915, Sir Norman Wisdom was born.</span></strong></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Norman Wisdom was an English actor who starred in comedy films back in the 1950s and 1960s, most playing the character Norman Pitkin. He died on the 4th of October 2010.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Not just popular in Britain, Norman Wisdom was known the world over. In Albania, he is very famous. This is thanks to his films being some of only a handful of films starring Western actors that were allowed by the dictator, Enver Hoxha.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>On This Day in 1972, Dara O Briain, Britiain's favourite Irishman, was born.</strong> Dara is an Irish comedian, as most of them are, and also a television presenter in the United Kingdom. And, Ireland. Yep, he's been on television over there, too. But they couldn't stand him, so sent him to Britain.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">He was always a fan of denigrating the less strong, and decided that'd be a great idea for a television show. He also thought hosting the UK version of The Apprentice: You're Fired would be a good thing. Until he realised he couldn't stand either Sir-Alan-Lord-Sugar or the bunch of morons who were on the show to impress the grumpy gnome.</span> </div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Dara O Briain's three states of legality in Irish Law. </strong></div>
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<strong>There is all this stuff which comes under "That's grand." </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Then it moves into "Ah now don't push it." </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>And finally it comes under "Right now, you're takin te piss."</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>And that's when the police come in. </strong></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>On This Day in 1975, Natalie Imbruglia was born.</strong> She started out her life in the television soap opera Neighbours. When she realised that Everybody Needs Good Friends, and that even on that show, she didn't have any, she left to forge a singing career.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Torn about Tom, who was a Big Mistake, she started to Smoke. It was just One More Addiction, along with the Pigeons and Crumbs she had to deal with. And she really had to deal with it, so asked people to "Leave Me Alone."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Natalie Imbruglia was named 6th most </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>naturally beautiful woman of all time in 2004</strong></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Those people were quite generous, and did. Her album sales took a nosedive. Oops. If only she'd had some Intuition, That Day wouldn't have ended with a Wrong Impression, or her Beauty on Fire. That's what happens when you Smoke when you're getting your pubes waxed.</span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-15680454743166875062017-01-31T21:19:00.002+00:002017-01-31T21:19:36.288+00:00The Execution of Guy Fawkes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_5E71CL0xb1g_XLueN1nn2iKCMwpPLJGMu90M7gySd56WgVfzijfnT6PYat7xlKECDxF1sW4OL0cZqz6r5cNLhXPr2ocixonxbJt2rG9X3enD_Cm_F3khBnyPWqMZefkJkt25id-CRoX/s1600/Guy+Fawkes+ececution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_5E71CL0xb1g_XLueN1nn2iKCMwpPLJGMu90M7gySd56WgVfzijfnT6PYat7xlKECDxF1sW4OL0cZqz6r5cNLhXPr2ocixonxbJt2rG9X3enD_Cm_F3khBnyPWqMZefkJkt25id-CRoX/s320/Guy+Fawkes+ececution.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>HISTORY FACTS: </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>On This Day, 31st January 1606, the infamous Guy Fawkes was executed for his part in the Gunpowder Plot.</strong></span><br />
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">During his torture, I mean interrogation, there's a difference apparently, Guy Fawkes was asked the question, "What were you doing in possession of so much gunpowder?"</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">On November 5th, 1605, Guy Fawkes was found in the tunnels beneath the Houses of Parliament with 36 barrels of Gunpowder. Trying to explain your way out of that one and claim innocence would not be easy.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Guy Fawkes asked for the mildly hot poker to be removed from his bottom, a popular interrogation technique still used by the United States, and not torture, as there is a difference. He then said, "to blow you Scotch beggars back to your native mountains."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>"To blow you Scotch beggars back to your native mountains."</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>- a popular English drinking game in the early 1600s.</strong></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">King James, who would have been blown to teeny-tiny bits along with the Palace of Westminster, had Guy Fawkes been able to carry out his plan, had a mild admiration for Fawkes and his steadfastness, resolution, and ability to hold a poker face like no other before him.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The admiration didn't stop the King ordering Fawkes be tortured. I mean interrogated. Although he did indicate the torture, sheesh, interrogation, be light at first.</span> </div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>"Don't use the hedgehogs unless they are completely necessary,"</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>- the King was heard to say.</strong></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Guy Fawkes was tried and found guilty of high treason.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The Attorney General, Sir Edward Coke, took a sip of Pepsi and told the court the conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot should be, "...put to death halfway between heaven and earth as unworthy of both."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">And continued, "Their genitals would be cut off and burned before their eyes, and their bowels and hearts removed. After lunch, they would then be decapitated and their dismembered parts displayed so as to become 'prey for the fowls of the air'."</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Yep. Sir Edward Coke was a pretty serious guy. Perhaps he should have switched to decaf.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">On the 31st January 1606, Guy Fawkes and three of his fellow conspirators, Thomas Wintour, Ambrose Rookwood, and Robert Keyes, were dragged from the Tower of London by a horse to the Old Palace Yard in Westminster.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The other three had their punishments first. Guy Fawkes was to watch as they were hanged, some longer than others, but all were cut down before they died. Whilst conscious, they had their dangly bits sliced off, before they were disembowelled, and finally quartered.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Finally it was the turn of Guy Fawkes. But, it would seem, after being forced to watch the others go through a nasty ending, he didn't much like to suffer it himself.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">As he climbed the ladder to the noose, he decided to jump and broke his neck. He was killed instantly. Some say he merely fell, but either way he avoided the eye-watering part of having is little Guy lopped off.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The rest of the procedure was still carried out. His body parts were then distributed to the four corners of the kingdom to be displayed as warning to others that would consider traitorous thoughts.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><u>Fun Fact:</u> </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>The penis of Guy Fawkes found its way to the Scottish Highlands, </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>where it was impaled on a twig and set alight using gunpowder from one of the barrels </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>he had smuggled into the tunnels beneath the Houses of Parliament.</strong></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-10503420447442698252017-01-30T22:46:00.000+00:002017-01-30T22:46:07.066+00:00The Execution of Charles I of England<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwG-_Qdr_rS8H_OkZSEeSLFkQM4IhI2UUY8Tbu6QwuSqYa5Fl3C9B5mEdIAGvT6Qc-dqniqQBlN0W6JsXcHdEMQYGwtFfqxkbdTXw7zPlFhxenXwPw0RMzv9LqYFOK7lmfhdIhaVoK1jK/s1600/Charles+I+execution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwG-_Qdr_rS8H_OkZSEeSLFkQM4IhI2UUY8Tbu6QwuSqYa5Fl3C9B5mEdIAGvT6Qc-dqniqQBlN0W6JsXcHdEMQYGwtFfqxkbdTXw7zPlFhxenXwPw0RMzv9LqYFOK7lmfhdIhaVoK1jK/s320/Charles+I+execution.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><u>HE EXECUTION OF KING CHARLES I of ENGLAND</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>On This Day, the 30th of January 1649, King Charles-The-First-King-Of-England-To-Be-Tried-And-Executed</strong>, had his head separated from his shoulders by way of a really sharp axe.</span><br />
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">After losing the English Civil war, King Charles-Not-A-Spaniel was imprisoned and tried for treason, and kicking a sick puppy that one time when he was a kid. But, little did the King know, that his days were numbered.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">In fact, the king always believed he would be found innocent of all crimes, including puppy-kicking. He couldn't imagine, along with most of the country, that Parliament would not only find him guilty, but they'd also give him the death sentence.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The sentencing was driven by Oliver Cromwell, who hated the king and the monarchy. And puppies. He kicked more than a few in his time. But he had to be seen as a man of the people. So he switched to kicking kittens instead.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Most people break down before they are executed. They cry, they scream, they beg for their life.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Not the Charles-Needed-A-Different-Lawyer. The King asked to wear two shirts. The weather was biting cold, and he didn't want it to cause him to shiver. If the crowds observed him shivering, they might mistake it for fear.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">An eyewitness to the execution was interviewed for the BBC News channel afterwards. "We all gasped, we did. They keel'd te king. T'was terrible. An awful thing. But fun."</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The eyewitness continued: "They showed his head. Lifted it right up, they did. Dripped blood all over. So we dipped our handkerchiefs in it."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The spectators wanted a souvenir of the day. And those who were close enough dipped their handkerchiefs into the pools of blood dripping on the floor as the King's head was raised and shown to the crowds.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The eyewitness concluded: "That Oliver Cromwell, the one who beat the king, and killed him proper, he did. He watched and smiled. Real pleased with himself, he was. Right proud to kill a king. Watta-git."</span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-18267930199642978962017-01-28T20:08:00.000+00:002017-01-28T20:08:34.275+00:00History Facts The Burning Ball<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLeSPF9RBlwlwBb_74MXQI0wyZYQ0LPfJ_BF1SBhyphenhyphenMUIgW88ZOM_QS52yqOmAz12ZYPXkd6tfgB3Hfbk8E2utsjHm_hKFDK_ODu6Ej0gciy12Qow4sbfloybjSvac9VqWRwoRZcdmw4Qv/s1600/Charles+VI+of+France.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLeSPF9RBlwlwBb_74MXQI0wyZYQ0LPfJ_BF1SBhyphenhyphenMUIgW88ZOM_QS52yqOmAz12ZYPXkd6tfgB3Hfbk8E2utsjHm_hKFDK_ODu6Ej0gciy12Qow4sbfloybjSvac9VqWRwoRZcdmw4Qv/s320/Charles+VI+of+France.jpg" width="227" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>On This Day In History in 1393, Charles VI of France is almost killed</strong>, accidentally on purpose, by several masked dancers, who happened to be on fire.</span><br />
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The King of France was attending a masquerade ball, The Bal des Ardents, which translates as "The Ball of the Burning Men", which we hope was name after the event. If it was actually called that before it happened, then suspicions would have been aroused.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Charles VI was known for his awesome dance moves. That king could move. Think John Travolta on ice having an epileptic fit whilst holding seven octopi (or octopuses, or octopuddies) who are also having epileptic fits. Strobe lighting was very popular six hundred years ago. It was an issue.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">The King of France, never wanting to miss an opportunity, decided to get up and dance. When shouts were heard from the spectators, "Yo, Kingy, You're On Fire!", Charles VI just assumed they were paying him compliments.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Little did he realise, he was actually on fire.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">A torch had been brought into the event by his brother, Louis, Duke of Orleans. Now, we're not saying the King's brother had it in for him, but he really did. The two didn't get along. But, boys will be boys. What can you do?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Well, for starters, you can bring a torch into a packed area and set a few dancers on fire, hoping that fire would spread like, well, fire, and hope the king goes up like a roman candle. Pwoooof. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Although four of the dancers were killed, King Charles VI survived the ordeal.</span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-21579090150016761842017-01-23T20:18:00.001+00:002017-01-23T20:18:15.299+00:00History Fun Fact January 23rd<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-BbYdvoJfb87m9xp_si9xcg9mxKHBQHgMMJTtJlntBhrZRrJTxnWkmZSzswRw4hgt8ACPo6drgLHl-Z8aRTKJyAPJ2U8CMCPjl4UjAhvSbphayI6zkk92FM-biIJOuS6993MflP71iDU/s1600/James+Stewart+1st+Earl+of+Moray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-BbYdvoJfb87m9xp_si9xcg9mxKHBQHgMMJTtJlntBhrZRrJTxnWkmZSzswRw4hgt8ACPo6drgLHl-Z8aRTKJyAPJ2U8CMCPjl4UjAhvSbphayI6zkk92FM-biIJOuS6993MflP71iDU/s320/James+Stewart+1st+Earl+of+Moray.jpg" width="243" /></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>On This Day, the 23rd of January 1570, James Stewart</strong>, not a very legitimate son of King James V of Scotland, and also Regent to his half-nephew, baby King James VI of Scotland, was assassinated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">What was most interesting about the assassination, was the method.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">James Stewart, the Earl of Moray was taking a stroll down the main street in Linlithgow, you know, minding his own business, and planning to usurp the throne from his baby nephew, when James Hamilton killed him by way of bullet from a gun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">This was the first recorded instance of assassination by firearm in history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Rumours that Lady Mondegreen was also shot and killed at the same time is a myth. It's all down to the mistranslation of a poem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Ye Highlands and ye Lowlands, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Oh, where hae ye been? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">They hae slain the Earl o' Moray, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">And Lady Mondegreen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">In the original Scottish, the poem goes:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Ye Hielands an ye Lowlands O, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">whaur hae ye been. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">They hae slain the Earl o' Moray, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">And lain him on the green.</span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-86398364445740578302017-01-19T18:36:00.001+00:002017-01-19T18:36:16.293+00:00Michael Crawford in Phantom of the Opera<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZs_2xgZXkz6oHMJrt8Uv82lVz2OWUw-lz5XVOUoVwH_ArXiTAxQRwqT2HEVC3BjquXTMkxdHY6KPn_jyVjvDkVOrBEbz1wd5ecV1IyIEbugeAgC8cwi5nk6D43eYoEDLtl5-IzllGUSR/s1600/michael+Crawford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZs_2xgZXkz6oHMJrt8Uv82lVz2OWUw-lz5XVOUoVwH_ArXiTAxQRwqT2HEVC3BjquXTMkxdHY6KPn_jyVjvDkVOrBEbz1wd5ecV1IyIEbugeAgC8cwi5nk6D43eYoEDLtl5-IzllGUSR/s320/michael+Crawford.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">On This Day, the 19th of January 1942, Michael Crawford was born.</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Most of those as old as Crawford, who is old, but oh boy, does he look good for it, will know him as the hapless Frank Spencer in the television series Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. Those a bit younger will know him as the star of The Phantom of the Opera.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Those who are even younger than that will be going, "Who the heck is Michael Crawford?" and "Phantom of the what?" and "Opera? I really love watching her television show."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Michael Crawford originally got the role as the Phantom in the Phantom of the Opera completely by chance. Although it may have involved some under the table tickling of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Little Lord Fauntleroys. No one is quite sure as to the details. But the tickling got so out of hand at one restaurant, the riot police were called.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Andrew Lloyd Webber originally cast British Rocker, Steve Harley, in the role of the Phantom. However, Lord Webber soon realised that was a huge mistake and released Harley from his basement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Webber started his search for a more operatic singer. By chance, Sarah Brightman, Lord Lloyd Webber's wife, who would play Christine, the female lead (wonder how she ended up with that role?), was taking singing lessons.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Michael Crawford happened to be taking lessons at the same place as Sarah. When Webber heard him sing, he asked Crawford to audition, and was hired immediately. Well, immediately after the first round of under-table-tickling. Apparently, apart from a magical voice, Crawford also has magical fingers.</span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-74225304430877669552017-01-06T20:57:00.001+00:002017-01-06T20:57:17.682+00:00History Fun Facts for January 6th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrOg-9cTeacOHdgKCtO2sUn5M_icdHLFHxXqQVvtTgjPIe_SAQvwghirIjjhokv0kyB3M2wMnoKFQvEn0k39TSMo-WU5-xrgbYJDbRGVo9T0sawxE7l9zrVU7Am5IDmLj_XayY8vu1d4f/s1600/Anne+of+Cleves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrOg-9cTeacOHdgKCtO2sUn5M_icdHLFHxXqQVvtTgjPIe_SAQvwghirIjjhokv0kyB3M2wMnoKFQvEn0k39TSMo-WU5-xrgbYJDbRGVo9T0sawxE7l9zrVU7Am5IDmLj_XayY8vu1d4f/s320/Anne+of+Cleves.jpg" width="316" /></a><u><strong><span style="font-size: large;">HISTORICAL FUN FACTS FOR JANUARY 6th</span></strong></u><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">On This Day in History in 1540, King Henry VIII married his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So ugly was Anne of Cleves, the King referred to her as The Flanders Mare. A horse by any other name. But, at the end of the day, that's what you get from internet dating.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He had been shown a picture of her before the marriage took place, and hadn't met. Oh, big mistake. Although we've all been there. The picture bore little resemblance to Anne's actual likeness. They did get married though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yet, for some reason it didn't last long. Later that year in July, King Henry-The-Eighth-Wife-Will-Be-A-Keeper decided to get the marriage annulled and move onto the next one. He promised the marriage had never been consummated, and everyone believed him this time. Who'd pork a horse?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Anne lived happily ever after, which couldn't be said for most of Henry's wives. She was referred to, after the non-marriage, as Henry's beloved sister. She outlived Henry and the other wives, and even saw the coronation of Queen Mary I, Henry's ugly duckling.</span> <span><span style="font-size: large;"><strong></strong></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day, the 6th of January, 1066,</strong> Edward the Confessor became the first King of England to be buried at Westminster Abbey.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;">That probably had nothing to do with him commissioning the building of the Abbey. Just a coincidence. Harold-Soon-To-Lose-An-Eye-To-William-The-Conker-Player was proclaimed king and crowned king on the same day, using Edward's dead body as a throne.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;">About 100 years after Edward died, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III in an ancient ceremony of digging up his rotting corpse and shooting him out of a cannon. Yep, pretty sure that's how they made someone a saint back then.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;">He was soon adopted as the Patron Saint of England, until a total git came along and killed a dragon. Sheesh, I hate that George bloke. Killing dragons should never be rewarded. </span></span></div>
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<span></span><strong><span><span style="font-size: large;">Also in the news:</span></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span></span></strong><span><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day, the 6th of January, 1066,</strong> Harold-Soon-To-Lose-An-Eye-To-William-The-Conker-Player was proclaimed King of England, and also crowned King on the same day, using Edward's dead and still warm body as a throne.</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;">Harold would become the first of three English Kings to die in battle. The other two were Richard-Eats-Hearts-Of-Lions (the 1st) and Richard-Killed-My-Nephews (the 3rd).</span></span></div>
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<span></span><span><span style="font-size: large;">Richard-Snacks-On-Large-Kitties suffered a serious case of shot-by-arrow, and Richard-Me-No-Seen-Nephews-I-Promise was hit by a car park.</span></span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-29895172280844038492016-11-26T23:02:00.004+00:002016-11-26T23:02:58.767+00:00History Facts for November 26<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrSOHbSSWPmdM0ChPoUAZyoGw_UUFnw3DteeNRgaLjA1r4vMe3_u4o0iMPwL6-mWket9Q9BQtOeJ-f2_dMfHYfm4VAzJ26_8tMvEC162CJTjM4RfeZ4U3JeyF6-HC1x60orxac2f80fdj/s1600/Captain+James+Cook+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrSOHbSSWPmdM0ChPoUAZyoGw_UUFnw3DteeNRgaLjA1r4vMe3_u4o0iMPwL6-mWket9Q9BQtOeJ-f2_dMfHYfm4VAzJ26_8tMvEC162CJTjM4RfeZ4U3JeyF6-HC1x60orxac2f80fdj/s320/Captain+James+Cook+1.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><u>History Fun Facts for November 26th</u></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day in 1778, Captain James Cook</strong> became the first European to set foot on Maui.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day in 1789, after a request from Congress, President George Washington</strong> proclaimed this day would observe a national Thanksgiving day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed November 26th</strong> as a National Thanksgiving day. It would from this day forwards be celebrated on the last Thursday of November every year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, since 1941, it has been held on the fourth Thursday of November each year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day in 1922, Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon</strong> became the first people to set foot in the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun in over 3000 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day in History in 1942, Casablanca</strong> premiered in New York City.</span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-25409615716518036452016-11-25T22:59:00.000+00:002016-11-25T22:59:04.577+00:00History Fun Facts November 25<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaKY0Pj_sqsuTI14rWKTtaylFBylpWjBKSXlrHpc-Hma38DvdEJGW9_-2Dwh0ZSoVzM0wHkGyH19_8sXa0URzjZGCOAVSW1qoLtnaoSSWDjjHOjEwmNHb218Qlr6C96gH1VM19ovWvV9C/s1600/Viking+ships.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaKY0Pj_sqsuTI14rWKTtaylFBylpWjBKSXlrHpc-Hma38DvdEJGW9_-2Dwh0ZSoVzM0wHkGyH19_8sXa0URzjZGCOAVSW1qoLtnaoSSWDjjHOjEwmNHb218Qlr6C96gH1VM19ovWvV9C/s320/Viking+ships.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><u>HISTORICAL FUN: On This Day In History Fun Facts for November 25th</u></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day In History in 885, Vikings, yes, they are at it again, sieged Paris</strong> after sailing their fleet up the River Seine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Vikings, Vikings, yes we are,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sail our ships, we came so far,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To kill you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Die non-Vikings, DIE.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day in History in 1120, William Adelin was killed when his ship</strong>, The White Ship, sank in the English Channel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">William Adelin was the son and heir of King Henry I of England. His death caused a succession crisis after his father died without issue that caused a period in England called The Anarchy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Read some Historical Fun with </span><a href="http://jvcullan.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/5-fun-facts-about-henry-i.html"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>FUN FACTS ABOUT KING HENRY I of ENGLAND</strong></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>.</strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">On This Day in 1487, Elizabeth of York was crowned Queen of England.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Elizabeth of York was the wife of King Henry VII of England and the first ever Tudor Queen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She could also be the inspiration to George RR Martin for his character Sansa Stark in the popular Game of Thrones.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Elizabeth of York was not only wife of Henry VII of England and Queen Consort, she was also the daughter of King Edward IV of England. Plus, the niece of King Richard III of England.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And to top it off, she was the mother of the only Henry that matters (nope, not the hoover), we're talking the King of the Many Numbers, King Henry VIII of England and loads-of-pies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This made Elizabeth of York, wife, daughter, sister, niece and mother of successive Kings of England. </span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-43630489773695004852016-11-24T07:50:00.000+00:002016-11-24T07:50:56.979+00:00History Fun Facts November 23<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv10WXDaW3pdN2e1WnEpSOSkM2WxlcubXSB5AGr3_aqs04O0xUHISlw8-1UVtwe0uppOWtCmMP2InSGhM7xnW8DOxdya5Xe9_5fF-2wqz37SyOBusjFXbjNnMnyRDXgzblpqejJyQTEygL/s1600/Perkin+Warbeck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv10WXDaW3pdN2e1WnEpSOSkM2WxlcubXSB5AGr3_aqs04O0xUHISlw8-1UVtwe0uppOWtCmMP2InSGhM7xnW8DOxdya5Xe9_5fF-2wqz37SyOBusjFXbjNnMnyRDXgzblpqejJyQTEygL/s320/Perkin+Warbeck.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">HISTORICAL FUN: HISTORY FUN FACTS for NOVEMBER 23rd</span></u></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day In History in 1499, Perkin Warbeck was hanged</strong> after attempting to escape from the Tower of London.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perkin Warbeck was a pretender to the English throne. He invaded England with an army, more like a couple of friends on a Stag weekend, claiming to be the long lost son of King Edward IV of England.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perkin Warbeck claimed he was Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You might not even recognise that name right away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Richard, Duke of York, was the younger son of King Edward IV of England. And also the younger brother of King Edward V of England.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Together, King Edward V of England and Richard, Duke of York, made up the duo known as The Princes in the Tower.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Princes in the Tower were later murdered by King Richard III of England. their evil uncle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Warbeck was captured in 1497 and interrogated under close scrutiny of King Henry VII, of the Tudor clan, who did not want another claimant to the English throne that could undermine his reign as King.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He wasn't the first or last to claim he was one of the Prince's in the Tower.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the initial torture, which was quite severe, and involved pokey things that were red hot, and holes that were not made for hot pokey things, Warbeck withdrew his claim.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After that, King Henry treated him well. Even gave him some cream, and a bucket of ice water for bottom dipping.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Warbeck was released from the Tower of London and given a room at Henry's court. Henry even allowed him to attend royal banquets.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, he was kept under guard for the entire time, and wasn't even allowed to sleep with his wife. Hookers, yes. Wife no. Not that his wife complained. She hated him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not content with the banquets and hookers, and the lavish lifestyle the king allowed him, Warbeck attempted to escape.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The moron was captured and placed in solitary confinement. No more hookers for him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Inside the solitary confinement, which was not entirely solitary, he met Edward, Earl of Warwick, also in solitary confinement. Not sure they understood what the word "solitary" meant back in the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The two cell mates tried to escape, again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And again, Warbeck was captured.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If only he'd read the Shawshank Redemption.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perkin Warbeck was then drawn on a hurdle from the Tower of London to Tyburn Gallows and forced to read out a confession before he was hanged. TO DEATH.</span></div>
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<u><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Also in the news</span></strong></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day In History in 1890, King William III of the Netherlands died</strong> without a male heir. This led to a special law which passed allowing his daughter, Princess Wilhelmina to succeed to the throne.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day In History in 1910, Johan Alfred Ander</strong> became the last person to be executed in Sweden.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">On This Day in History in 1963, An Unearthly Child was broadcast by the BBC.</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">An Unearthly Child was the first ever episode of the world's longest running Sci-Fi show, Doctor Who, starring William Hartnell.</span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-14623135213746429092016-11-22T19:24:00.000+00:002016-11-22T19:24:35.772+00:00History fun facts November 22<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49UQZ3JO4KjMO75vCfM0ppYj5Ly8FyNyqeQ2NTuVGHSDQfe8t2ZKOnkRnrkD4e_qayHX9L3nCwhJKZLyiXCJXV6GYl8f5GLkaCa1VdFGFDJfyFoLwOofa8X0CIZfH6itNH5HiPsTKlemj/s1600/Blackbeard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49UQZ3JO4KjMO75vCfM0ppYj5Ly8FyNyqeQ2NTuVGHSDQfe8t2ZKOnkRnrkD4e_qayHX9L3nCwhJKZLyiXCJXV6GYl8f5GLkaCa1VdFGFDJfyFoLwOofa8X0CIZfH6itNH5HiPsTKlemj/s320/Blackbeard.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">HISTORICAL FUN: HISTORY FUN FACTS FOR NOVEMBER 22</span></u></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day in 1718, Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard,</strong> the infamous and notorious and bulbous Pirate, was defeated in battle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The boarding party, led by Royal Navy Lieutenant, Robert Maynard, found Blackbeard and ran him through real good, resulting in the pirate's death. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Edward Teach was born in or around 1680, and in or around the English city of Bristol. There really isn't much to go on when it comes to Edward Teach's early life. We do know he was born as a baby which had an extraordinary amount of facial hair, even for a baby from Bristol, which is saying something.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Did you know:</strong> Blackbeard could read and write.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, I know what you're thinking. Big deal?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, it actually was at the time. Education back then wasn't as freely available as it is today. This means we could assume Edward Teach, "if that's even your real name," was born into a reasonably respectable and wealthy family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We know he could read and write as he communicated with merchants, made contracts, and when he was killed, he had a letter addressed to him from the Chief Justice and Secretary of the Province of Carolina.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Edward Teach had been a pirate for years when he captured a large French merchant vessel called La Concorde. He renamed the ship the Queen Anne's Revenge, refitted it from head to toe, stern to bow, and installed 40 guns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For the next few years, Teach pirated the living daylights out of anything and everything he could. Movies, music, Game of Thrones. He didn't care what he pirated. His reputation for ruthlessness spread and soon every ship that sailed the seven seas, and some rivers, and a few bathtubs, feared him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The guy was actually crazy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And I really do mean Nutso-Whacko-Jacko crazy. To give an example, he tied lit fuses under his hat to frighten his enemies. Seriously, lit fuses. They go Kaboom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"You were only supposed to blow the bloody hat off."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He actually retired at one point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yep, he'd had enough. He sailed the Queen Anne's Revenge aground on a sandbar and retired with a royal pardon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The quiet life didn't agree with him, though. He returned to sea, as it's a pirate's life for me. Yo-Ho-Ho, and a bottle of rum, me matey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He was killed on the 22nd November 1718 after a ferocious battle of battles. There was something wrong with his Poop Deck. It had been blown off. Ouch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">His ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, was sunk and lost to the sea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><a href="http://jvcullan.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/fun-facts-about-pirate-blackbeard.html">Check out Fun Facts About the Pirate BLACKBEARD and the story of his last battle.</a></strong></span></div>
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<strong><u><span style="font-size: large;">Also on this day in history</span></u></strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day In History in 845, Nominoe</strong>, build them up and knock them over, the first King of all Brittany, defeated the Frankish King Charles the Bald at the Battle of Ballon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ironically, despite being Frank, Charles the Bald wasn't happy about the constant references to his lack of hair. This led to him being distracted during the battle after chasing his wig after a strong gust of wind blew it off his head.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day In History in 1869, the clipper Cutty Sark</strong> was launched from Dumbarton, Scotland. It was one of the last clippers built, and the only surviving one to this day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day in History in 1963, John F. Kennedy,</strong> President of the United States of America, was assassinated in Texas by Lee Harvard Oswald.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day In History in 1975, Juan Carlos was declared King</strong> of Spain after the death of Francisco Franco.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day in 1990, Margaret Thatcher, the British Prime Minister,</strong> pulled out of the Conservative Party Leadership election, ending her reign as Prime Minister.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day in 1995, Toy Story was released.</strong> It was the first feature-length movie created entirely by using CGI.</span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7114619283599508358.post-11847664437517700462016-11-21T18:47:00.000+00:002016-11-21T18:50:39.157+00:00History Fun Facts November 21st<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjyUQ4T98EyUysXC1pbuZgBE0oYpBfCVnDlirtOSQ6dtUCPeY2sj5st3MOLmKYlEZUL8i-kLI4O_B93mjIkDrFdQnWP2ztLjURVb0n2XQothAkHdJpbxa9GEV-MCsKXUn150uNelV66Us/s1600/Judas+Maccabeus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjjyUQ4T98EyUysXC1pbuZgBE0oYpBfCVnDlirtOSQ6dtUCPeY2sj5st3MOLmKYlEZUL8i-kLI4O_B93mjIkDrFdQnWP2ztLjURVb0n2XQothAkHdJpbxa9GEV-MCsKXUn150uNelV66Us/s320/Judas+Maccabeus.jpg" width="239" /></a><u><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Quick History Facts for November 21st</span></strong></u><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day In History in 164 BC, Judas Maccabeus</strong> restored the Temple in Jerusalem and is now commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day in 1877, Thomas Edison announced</strong> he had invented the phonograph, a magical machine that captured the souls of the living. Or, at least, their voices. Burn the witch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>On This Day in History in 1922, Rebecca Latimer Felton</strong> of Georgia took the oath of office to become the first female senator in the United States of America.</span></div>
Jed Cullanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05366003552650790684noreply@blogger.com0