Historical Fun

Humorous History Presents: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY - 26th JANUARY On This Day in 1992, Boris Yeltsin, the Russian President , and, despite being totally bonkers-mad-nutso, or maybe because he was, was actually a lot of fun at parties, announced Russia would cease targeting the United States of America with its nuclear weapons.   As a child, Yeltsin lost a thumb and index finger on his left hand whilst playing with a hand grenade. Pretty sure there's a lesson to be learned there, kids. Probably shouldn't mess around with hand grenades.   It was only later in life he lost his marbles.   Boris Yeltsin is not only famed for being a leading figure in the downfall of the USSR, but also for being slightly intoxicated most of the time. Okay, who are we kidding? He enjoyed his drink. In fact, he couldn't get enough of it. Many a time, on international visits, he was as drunk as a skunk.   There was an incident in...

On This Day In History - 12th June   12th June 1567 Richard Rich died. Nope, we're not talking about Richie Rich the character played by Macaulay Culkin, who, for some reason, kept being left home alone.   We're talking about the 1st Baron Rich who was Lord Chancellor of England during the reign of King Edward VI. Lord Rich was not a pleasant man, to say the least.   Rich tormented the future Queen Mary I, Henry VIII's daughter. And his hobbies included kicking hedgehogs and persecuting and torturing Protestants. No wonder his parents abandoned him at every opportunity.   12th June 1816 Charles Pierre Francois Augereau, 1st Duc de Castiglione died. He was a soldier, general, and Marshal of France, who knew how to duck. Duc De Castiglione served in the French Revolutionary Wars and found himself fighting in every major battle in 1796 with the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.   But, seeing the end was near for Bonaparte, Duc de Castigli...