Tuesday, August 31, 2010

History trivia

On September 1, 1141 Lucius III was elected Pope; in 1159 Adrian IV, the only English pope in history died. In 1339 King Edward III of England declared war on France and in 1422 Henry VI became King of England.

Monday, August 30, 2010

History Trivia

On August 31, 12 AD Caligula, Emperor of Rome 37-41 AD, was born. He was noted for his insanity and cruelty. In 30 AD Cleopatra, the famous queen of Egypt, killed herself supposedly by clasping an asp to her breast. In 161 AD Commodus, Emperor of Rome 180-192 AD was born. In 651, St. Aidan, a monk at Iona, Scotland, became the first bishop of Lindisfarne. In 1422 King Henry V of England died. 1888 the body of Mary Ann 'Polly' Nichols, the first of Jack the Ripper's five 'canonical' victims, was found and in 1997: Diana Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in a Paris underpass.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

History Trivia

On August 30 BC Roman warlord Mark Antony committed suicide on learning, falsely, that his lover Cleopatra was dead. In 257 Sixtus III became Roman Catholic Pope and in 1146 European leaders outlawed the crossbow.

Ancient Quotes

The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.

The strong do what they have to do and the weak accept what they have to accept.

It is frequently a misfortune to have very brilliant men in charge of affairs. They expect too much of ordinary men.

Thucydides (born ca. 460-455 B.C.) Greek Historian

Friday, August 27, 2010

History Trivia

On August 28, 430 AD Saint Augustine, the great Christian theologian, died at age 75 and in 476 the western Roman Empire founded by Augustus in 27 BC ended at Ravenna, where Emperor Romulus Augustulus was deposed by the barbarian leader Odovacar (Odoacer).

Thursday, August 26, 2010

History Trivia

On August 27 479 BC The invasion of Greece by Persian emperor Xerxes is defeated by Pausanias at the Battle of Plataea and in 550 BC Confucius, famous wise man of China was born.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

History Trivia

On August 26, 55 B.C. - Britain was invaded by Roman forces under Julius Caesar. In
1346 Edward III, claimant to the French crown, crushed the army of Philip VI of France at the Battle of Crecy and in 1498 Michelangelo was commissioned to make the "Pieta."

The Morning Blend

Attention Omaha area fans: Your favorite author will be featured on The Morning Blend on Monday, September 13th. The live program airs on channel 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

HistoryTrivia

On August 25 608 AD Boniface IV became Roman Catholic pope and in 1270 King Louis IX of France (Saint Louis) died in northern Africa while leading the Eighth Crusade.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

History Trivia

On August 24 0079 Mount Vesuvius erupted killing approximately 20,000 people. The cities of Pompeii, Stabiae and Herculaneum were buried in volcanic ash. In 0410 the Visigoths overran Rome. This event symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire.In 1456 the printing of the Gutenberg Bible was completed and in 1572 the Catholics began their slaughter of the French Protestants in Paris. The killings claimed about 70,000 people.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

History Trivia

On August 23, 1305, Scottish rebel William Wallace was hung, drawn and quartered by the English at Smithfield, London.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

History Trivia

On August 22, 1485 Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth and Henry VII became the first king of the Tudor dynasty. In 1567 The "Council of Blood" was established by the Duke of Alba. This was the beginning of his reign of terror in the Netherlands. In 1572 the Earl of Northumberland was executed for treason in York, England. In 1582 King James VI was captured in the Ruthven raid while he was hunting. He was held captive until June of 1583 and in 1642 Charles I raised the royal standard at Nottingham, igniting the English Civil War.

Friday, August 20, 2010

History Trivia

On August 21 1165 Philip II (Philip Augustus) the first king of the Capetian dynasty in France was born.

History Trivia

On August 20, 1119 Henry I defeats an invasion of his Norman lands by Louis VI, King of France, at the Battle of Brémule.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

History Trivia

On August 19, 480 BC Spartan soldiers made an heroic last stand against the Persians at the pass at Thermopylae. The Battle of Thermopylae was won by the Persians under Xerxes. The main Greek force escaped, however and they eventually won the war.
In 14 AD Roman emperor Augustus died at Nola at age 76 after a 41-year reign.
In 312 AD Roman emperor Constantine the Great supposedly saw a vision of a cross and the words, "In this sign conquer," causing him to eventually embrace Christianity.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

History Trivia

On August 18, 328 AD Saint Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, died at age 82 and in 1227 Genghis Khan, the great Mongol conqueror, died at age 60.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

4th century Roman villa near Aberystwyth

http://www.zeenews.com/news645112.html

London: Archaeologists have discovered a 4th century Roman villa near Aberystwyth in north and mid Wales, which they claim suggests that the Roman control over Britain stretched even further than first thought.

Roman villas were high-status homes of wealthy landowners which sat at the heart of a farming estate. They are common throughout southern England and south Wales, but rare in north and mid Wales.

The newly discovered villa is likely to have belonged to a wealthy landowner, with pottery and coin finds on the site indicating occupation in late 3rd and early 4th centuries AD, according to the archaeologists.

It was roofed with local slates which were cut for a pentagonal roof. The walls were built of local stone and there was a cobbled yard, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.

It was thought that Wales was a "military zone", abandoned by the Romans a few decades after the first century.

Dr Toby Driver of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and Jeffrey Davies, formerly of Aberystwyth University, had previously excavated at nearby Trawscoed Roman fort, which had been abandoned by AD 130.

"Our trial excavations this year have confirmed the remains of an imposing Romano-British building in the heart of mid-Wales, where no Roman villas were previously known. "The discovery raises significant new questions about the regional economy and society in late Roman Wales, and raises the possibility of future villa discoveries in the surrounding countryside," they said.

Roman Fortress of Caerleon

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-10937007

Major buildings find at Roman fortress of Caerleon

The Roman town of Isca was much larger than previously thought

Archaeologists have discovered several large buildings at the fortress of Caerleon in south Wales, one of Britain's best known Roman sites.

The major discovery was made by chance by students learning to use geophysical equipment.

Cardiff University's Peter Guest said the find was "totally unexpected" .

It is possible the buildings, which may include baths and temples, are first evidence of Roman plans to develop Caerleon into a major settlement.

Caerleon (Isca), which dates from AD 75, is one of three permanent legionary fortresses in the UK, and was used for 200 years. The others at Chester and York - are mostly buried and difficult to excavate.

The students were using the geophysical equipment in fields outside the Roman fortress - an area that was not thought to have been extensively occupied in the Roman period.

Ten days later the students and their tutors found the outlines of a series of huge buildings squeezed into the ground between the amphitheatre and the River Usk.

Dr Guest, a senior lecturer in Roman archaeology, said: "Caerleon is one of the best known Roman sites in Britain, so it was a great surprise to realise that we had found something completely new and totally unexpected.

He said the buildings' ground plans suggest that they were of some importance.

"We think they could have included markets, administrative buildings like town halls, bath houses, store buildings, or even possibly temples.

Final excavations are going on at the fortress site "The biggest is enormous and must be one of the largest buildings known from Roman Britain."

Dr Guest said: "We can only guess what it was for, but at the moment we're working on the idea that it had something to do with a harbour on the river, although it does look uncannily like a residential villa building - if that's the case it was built on a palatial scale."

The layout and scale of the buildings look like they should be at the centre of a town or city, the archaeologist added.

"But here at Caerleon we seem to have the central public spaces without the surrounding city - where are the people who would have used these buildings?."

"That's the great thing about an archaeological discovery like this - lots of questions that we just don't have definite answers to at the moment."

The latest discovery was made as part of ongoing excavations by the university.

Over the last four years, eight previously unknown barrack blocks have been found at Caerleon, along with three large granaries, a monumental metal workshop and a very large store building.

Final excavations are taking place for the next six weeks inside the Roman fortress involving staff and students from University College London (UCL) and it is hoped more discoveries will be made.

The dig is open to the public and there will be guided tours of the excavation site.

The Roman museum there dates back 150 years.

History Trivia

On August 15, 1237 Berlin was founded by fishermen and traders.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

History Trivia

On August 14, 1040, Duncan, King of Scots was murdered by Macbeth, who became king and in 1281 a Mongol armada with 150,000 men was destroyed by a typhoon, which ended 53 days of fighting with the Japanese.

Friday, August 13, 2010

History Trivia - Friday 13th

The most common explanation for the belief that Friday the 13th is unlucky is that there was a massacre of the Knights Templar on that date. The Knights formed one of the most important and most well known international organizations in the Middle Ages. Their destruction was one of the most well known events ever to fall on any Friday 13th.

The Knights Templar had been formed in 1118 to protect Christians from Muslims in the Holy Land. They were among the best soldiers of their era. They also ran Europe’s first international banking system. The Knights were good at both fighting and finance. They were bankers with swords.

Christian pilgrims headed for the Holy Land could deposit their funds with the Knights Templar in Europe. The way to Holy Land was dangerous and so the pilgrims were given coded statements of their finance. When they got to their lodgings along the way, their coded statement would be “debited” each time to pay for the accommodation. This early form of credit card saved the need to carry cash.

The Pope and French king were envious as they were too rich and powerful. Also the king needed additional revenue. In those days, there was no regular way to collect tax. He wanted to seize the assets of the Knights (having created all sorts of charges against them). The king’s soldiers moved on them. The pope excommunicated all the Knights in all the lands.

At dawn on Friday October 13, 1307, under the orders King Philip IV of France, a well-planned operation was unleashed to seize every Knight Templar in France. Estimates of the number of knights involved vary from about 2,000 up to 15,000. Only 20 escaped.

Various allegations were made against them dealing with heresy, blasphemy and immorality. Virtually all were tortured to death to make them agree to “confessions”. Many were executed. All of their assets were taken by the king.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Rune Cast

Rune For Today: Sowilo
The Sun Rune, denotes power and strength. That which you want may be attained. Sowilo also denotes mental clarity and added warmth to your relationships.

History Trivia

There was an old folk-belief in Norway that Christ's Cross was hewn on August 11th, and therefore the axe should not be used. Also on August 11th, 117 Hadrian officially became Roman Emperor. It is claimed Trajan, his adoptive father, had not wanted Hadrian to succeed him, but was thwarted by his wife, Plotina, who covered up her husband's death until she could make sure of Hadrian's acceptance by the senate. Trajan died on the 8th of August, but Hadrian only became emperor 3 days later.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

History Trivia

In 48 BC Julius Caesar and Pompey faced off against each other in the Battle of Pharsalus. Caesar had about 22,000 men and Pompey had twice that, but Caesar still won, losing only about 250 men. 24,000 of Pompey's men surrendered; the rest died or fled the battle.

Monday, August 9, 2010

History Trivia

On August 9, 48 BC Julius Caesar defeated Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus, which gave Caesar absolute control of Rome. In 378 the Goths destroyed the eastern Roman army and killed the emperor Valens at the Battle of Adrianople and in 1119 AD, Calixtus II was crowned Roman Catholic pope.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

History Trivia

On August 8, 117 a highly revered emperor, Trajan (Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus) died. In 1356 Edward "the Black Prince" began a raid north from Aquitaine and in 1588 The Spanish Armada was defeated by the English fleet ending an invasion attempt.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Ancient Quotes

The best way to keep good acts in memory is to refresh them with new.

The first virtue is to restrain the tongue; he approaches nearest to the gods who knows how to be silent, even though he is in the right.

Marcus Porcius Cato, 95-46 BC, Cato the Younger

Friday, August 6, 2010

History Trivia

Pope Sixtus II(August 30, 257 - August 6, 258)died as a martyr during the persecution by Emperor Valerian. During the persecutions,numerous bishops, priests, and deacons were put to death. Pope Sixtus II was one of the first victims of this persecution, being beheaded on August 6. He was martyred along with six deacons —Januarius, Vincentius, Magnus, Stephanus, Felicissimus and Agapitus.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Ancient Quotes

After I'm dead I'd rather have people ask why I have no monument than why I have one.

An angry man opens his mouth and shuts his eyes.

Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternatives.

Marcus Porcius Cato, 95-46 BC, Cato the Younger

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

History Trivia

The lighthouse of Alexandria, a tower built in the 3rd century BC (between 285 and 247 BC), was between 115 and 135 meters (383 – 440 ft); it was among the tallest structures on Earth for many centuries. The island that it was built on, Pharos, eventually spawned the Latin word for lighthouse. The lighthouse is considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and was, unfortunately,destroyed by an earthquake.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Rune Cast

Rune For Today: Ehwaz
Ehwaz represents movement. You may be closing in on reaching your current goals. Your life may be changing for the better. Harmony with others should come easy for you at this time.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Ancient Quotes

Music is part of us, and either ennobles or degrades our behavior.

Who would give a law to lovers? Love is unto itself a higher law.

Music is so naturally united with us that we cannot be free from it even if we so desired.
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, (A.D. 475-523?), Roman Statesman

Sunday, August 1, 2010

History Trivia

Mankind is poised midway between the gods and the beasts.

Knowledge, if it does not determine action, is dead to us.

Knowledge has three degrees-opinion, science, illumination. The means or instrument of the first is sense; of the second, dialectic; of the third, intuition.

Plotinus 204 or 205 C.E. Egyptian Philosopher