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A South American revolutionary, sometime during the Latin American Wars of Independence. (Age of Revolutions) On this day in 1809, a popular uprising began in Chuquisaca (now Sucre, modern-day Bolivia) against the Spanish colonial government. Concerned by events in Europe - the Spanish king Ferdinand VII had been deposed and replaced by a relative of…
Two German paratroopers surveying a distant fire in Crete. Although these men are heavily armed with rifles and submachine guns, many airborne troops struggled to find weapons once on the ground. (Imgur) On this day in 1941, the German invasion of Crete began. Home to the ancient Minoans - Europe's first advanced civilization - the…
Zvonimir Boban (R) in his famous brawl with Croatian police. (Power Politics) On this day in 1990, thousands of football fans began filtering into Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, Croatia - then a part of Yugoslavia - for a match between the local Dinamos and the visiting Red Stars, a team from Serbia. As with all…
When: 1918 - 1939 Out of WWI came the Interbellum (or Interwar) period, beginning in 1918. Characterized by rising tensions between internationalist forces like the League of Nations (intent on making sure that a World War never happened again) and ultranationalists like the Axis powers (intent on growing their new empires through military means), the…
A section of the Diamond Sūtra currently held in the British Library. (Public Domain) On this day in 868, the very first printed and dated book was produced in Tang China. Known colloquially as the Diamond Sūtra, its full title in Sanskrit was Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (or, The Perfection of Wisdom Text that Cuts Like…
Members of the 101st Airborne land on Hill 937, aka "Hamburger Hill." Many LZ's (landing zones) like this one were under constant fire from PAVN positions. (Je Me Souviens) On this day in 1969, American UH-1 "Huey" helicopters began landing in the A Sầu Valley, a remote, densely-jungled region of Vietnam close to the Laotian…
Fête de l'Etre suprême, by Pierre-Antoine Demachy. Complaints about the "creaking stiffness" of the highly-organized event did not bode well for the success of Robespierre's pet "religion". (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1794, French lawyer Maximilien Robespierre proposed an idea for a new state religion in France. Known as the Cult of the Supreme…
A modern interpretation of Hermann's knights charging across Lake Peipus. (SF Girl) On this day in 1242, thousands of Crusading Knights faced off against the armed hordes of the Republic of Novgorod. No, this was not a televised figure-skating competition but a clash between the forces of Catholic Good™ and Orthodox Evil™. Seeking to expand…
The Cantino planisphere, a 1502 map depicting a world carved in half by the Portuguese and Spanish. (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1493, a papal bull by the name of inter caetera ("Among other works") was issued by Pope Alexander VI from the Vatican. The decree stated that the Americas would be split into…
Continue reading ➞ 05/04 – Inter Caetera: A World Split in Two
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