Saigon Execution – A Photo that changed the Vietnam War On 1st February 1968, in Saigon near the An Quang Pagoda, Nguyen Van Lem (code name ‘Bay Lop’) was captured and brought before Chief of Police Nguyen Ngoc Loan. Lem was a Vietcong fighter holding the rank of Captain. He was engaged in the famous …
More-
Saigon Execution – A Photo that changed the Vietnam War
-
Book Review: The Year of Living Biblically
The Year of Living Biblically AJ Jacobs’ book ‘The Year of Living Biblically’ is described in the blurb as ‘One man’s humble quest to follow the Bible as Literally as Possible’. It chronicles the year of the author as he, raised as a secular Jew living in New York, discovers and tries to abide by …
More -
Elizabeth I and her letter to Emperor Wanli
In 1602 Queen Elizabeth I, Queen of England, wrote a letter to the Emperor of China, in the hope of opening a up a trade route and starting friendly relations. Elizabeth entrusted the letter to George Weymouth, who had been hired by the East India Company to seek a northwest passage to India and China. …
More -
Emperor Julian’s campaign against Persia
Emperor Julian’s campaign against Persia in 363 AD Julian achieved the rank of Augustus on the death, aged only 44 years old, of Constantius on 3rd November 361. He had been acclaimed by the soldiers as Emperor in Lutetia (Paris) in 360, an event which was leading to civil war with Constantius but was …
More -
The Rise to Power of Constantine the Great
The rise to power of Constantine the Great Constantine the Great is best remembered as the Emperor who did the most to turn the Romans into a Christian people and his reshaping of the Roman Empire through his sponsorship of the ‘Nova Roma’ in the east, Constantinople. Constantine was also a fighting leader who lead …
More -
What is the meaning of ‘in hoc signo vinces’?
What is the meaning of ‘In Hoc Signo Vinces’? What is the meaning of ‘In Hoc Signo Vinces’? Traditionally translated ‘in this sign thou shalt conquer’, this is a phrase in Latin which in turn originates from the Greek ‘en toutoi nika’ or ‘in this conquer’. The phrase is historically linked to Constantine the Great, …
More -
What words did Shakespeare invent?
What words did Shakespeare invent? What words did Shakespeare invent? Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon and lived until 1616. He is credited with writing 38 plays and at least 150 poems, many of which are well known such as Romeo and Juliette and others less so. Shakespeare profligacy during his lifetime was truly …
More -
What was the Harrying of the North?
What was the Harrying of the North? The Harrying of the North was a series of military campaigns in the northern shires of England in the winter of 1069 – 1070 by the Normans against the Anglo-Dane population. William the Conqueror had defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. However, the English …
More -
Who said Carthago delenda est?
Who said Carthago delenda est? Marcus Porcius Cato (born 234 BC, Tusculum, Latium – died 149 BC) was a Roman statesman, widely remembered now for his use of the phrase “Carthago delenda est”. Cato was elected Quaestor (205), Aedile (199), Praetor (198) and Consul (195). Cato was also a military success and supressed a revolt …
More