The History Thread!

Mainly SPD, although I had the local branches more in mind rather than the movement as a whole. The schisms between the KPD and the SPD didn't help matters. (See also: People's Front of Judea, Judean People's Front.)

I know they're rather underrated compared to their Polish cousins, but Hungarian Hussars were badass. One Hussar general took Berlin during the Seven Years War and sat on the throne of Frederick the Great while waiting for the Prussians to pay the ransom!

edited 20th Jul '14 5:25:04 PM by SantosLHalper

Damn...

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Anyone think that there should be a Useful Notes page for the Shoah? It seems to get only a passing mention on the WWII stuff. I'd be happy to help write one up.

We don't have a Useful Notes page for the Holocaust? Really?

No. I started a discussion of the issue on the old WWII page, but nothing came of it. I could go back and try again? Or ask a mod?

Septimus said do it. Hooray. I'll write something out and stick it in sandbox, then?

Sounds like a plan.

In regards to the World War II page, should we have a page about the nations which remained neutral during the whole war (or, at least, most of it)?

edited 22nd Jul '14 10:53:12 AM by Quag15

Reading a George Washington biography. Apparently his method of stopping giant fist fights between rival units in his army was to grab the two biggest guys from each side by their necks and alternate between lecturing them and shaking them like rag dolls. Pretty soon everyone else stopped fighting and ran off fearing they'd be next.

In regards to how ethnic Russians are treated in Ukraine, which is one reason for what's going on there, how were ethnic Frenchman and Frenchwomen treated after Alsace and Lorraine wound up being German territory post-Franco Prussian War, pre-World War I?

I went to a commiseration of the Battle of Lundy's Lane reenactment last night. It wasn't really a reenactment (much to my dissapointment, the actual fighting sequence were about 2 minutes at the most)- rather, it was a performance from four points of view of the battle (the American general, the British general, the wife of a soldier, and a Mohawk). I definitely think Show Not Tell should have been applied more.

On a sidenote, it's funny how Canada is the only country that lionizes the War of 1812. If College Humour's video about the war was made by Canadians, it would no doubt be a three hours of plucky militiamen burning the White House down.

Plucky militiamen my foot. They were British regulars.

Still, no matter who they are, I'm sure they enjoyed James Madison's dinner

edited 26th Jul '14 4:49:59 AM by Achaemenid

British Marines and Redcoat Regulars. Held off just long enough for folks to escape DC.

The fine result of a failure of the idea of no standing military and bare minimum Navy coupled with a stupid over reliance on the militias to stand against a force of regular military.

edited 26th Jul '14 6:37:07 AM by SantosLHalper

The most important battle you've probably never heard of.

I thought that would be the battle of Talas River, you Britocentrics.

More songs. This time The Maple Leaf Forever, which would be Canada's national anthem, if not for the whinging Frogs.

And speaking of the Maple Leaf Forever, here's a version played by the pipes and drums band of the 48th Highlanders (which was inexplicably mashed up with "Alberta Bound") :

edited 26th Jul '14 12:10:20 PM by SantosLHalper

Thinking of your earlier post about what Europeans were singing as they marched off to battle in the Great War, I wonder if you could answer this:

That post covered the major participants. So how about the lesser ones? What were the Turks or Italians or Serbs singing as they marched off to battle?...

I wouldn't call the Ottoman Empire a minor participant.

While I can't find any records of them doing so initially, they did have one for Gallipoli - and what happened there.

You know, I haven't the faintest bloody idea. I'll really have to look into that. WWI was never my strongest area anyway, but I really should learn about more than the Western Front and the Russian Revolution. But speaking of history: Otto von Habsburg's funeral in 2011 included this very touching rendition of the Austro-Hungarian Kaiserhymne

edited 26th Jul '14 12:42:04 PM by Achaemenid

Found what the Turks were singing.

True, but they were mostly on their own front, far away from where we normally focus on.

I stumped you, huh?

I still prefer the They Might Be Giants version.

Another question: is there anyone else who knows anything about the history of early 20th century music besides the military marches?

I'd like to meet someone who knows something, I really would.

edited 26th Jul '14 12:44:31 PM by Aldo930

Do we start from my knowledge of Jazz, the development of rock as a genre, my knowledge of Romantic music, or...?

How about the Blues, Prog and Heavy Metal?