The Tombstone Gunfight

by Jack Le Moine

Time: October 26, 1881, 3 pm
Place: Tombstone, Arizona

City map showing site of gunfight in green; 
O.K. Corral in yellow.

Public domain image from Wikipedia.

Wyatt Earp drew his .44 cal 1869 Smith and Wesson single action revolver, cocked it, and fired. At the same time, Billy Clanton fired his pistol. He missed Wyatt; Wyatt’s shot hit Frank McLaury’s stomach. Wyatt Earp’s brothers, Virgil and Morgan opened fire. Their friend Doc Holliday pulled his short, double-barreled shotgun from beneath his coat, stepped around McLaury’s horse and shot Frank’s brother Tom in the chest. Ike Clanton and Billy Clairborne ran from the fight but Billy Clanton and Frank McLaury continued shooting. Tom McLaury grabbed the horse, struggled out into the street, then collapsed to ground next to a telegraph pole.

Just 30 seconds before, the two groups of men had stood facing one another in the ally off Fremont Street beside C.S. Fly’s Boarding House. Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, and Doc Holliday stood just 6 to 10 feet from the Clancy Gang, Ike and Billy, the McLaurys, Tom and Frank, and Billy Clairborne. The O.K. Corral was elsewhere (see map).

The Earp brothers had come to town some months earlier, drawn by the riches flowing from the mining in the area. Virgil became town marshal, Wyatt Pima County deputy sheriff. Morgan was deputy city marshal. Cattle rustlers such as the Clanton and the McLaury brothers viewed the Earps as tyrants, especially as the Earps were happy to bend law enforcement in their favor when their saloon and gambling interests were involved.

After the gunfight, the Clanton faction accused the Earp faction of murder. There was a coroner’s jury, a preliminary hearing to a murder trial, and a grand jury hearing (in that order). The outcome of these three proceedings failed to indict the Earps. The remaining Clantons vowed revenge.

On December 14th, Tombstone Mayor John Clum was ambushed but got away. On December 28th. Virgil Earp was shot. He survived but had to have an arm in a sling for the rest of his life. On March 18, 1882 Morgan Earp was shot and killed while playing billiards. Wyatt took Morgan’s body to the Tuscon train station along with his brother James and the wounded Virgil to relocate to California. Wyatt saw one of the gang lying in ambush and killed him. The Tuscon sheriff issued arrest warrants on the Earps for this killing. Wyatt Earp decided that his family and him could get no safety in the law and launched his own campaign against the gang, killing 3 more.

Thus ended the saga of “The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” which was never at the O.K. Corral.

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More information from Wikipedia about the Gunfight and from History.net about the O.K. Corral.

Red Army Soldier Gets 30 Years

Stalin with Red Army soldiers.

Public Domain image from Wikipedia.

Sometime in the 1950’s a soldier in the Red Army ran across Red Square in Moscow yelling, “The Commissar is an idiot!”  That’s why he got 30 years.  One year for insulting a Party Official, and 29 years for revealing a state secret.

Antony Seizes Control

Featuring Henry George Liddell from his book A History of Rome from 1855.

Previously on Death of Antony and Cleopatra. And now Henry George Liddell.

Time: August 30 BC
Place: Alexandria, Egypt

 Two or three days after this followed the funeral. The body was to be burned, and the ashes deposited in the Campus Martius, near the tomb of his daughter Julia. But it was first brought into the Forum upon a bier inlaid with ivory and covered with rich tapestries, which was carried by men high in rank and office. There Antony, as consul, rose to pronounce the funeral oration. He ran through the chief acts of Caesar's life, recited his will, and then spoke of the death which had rewarded him. To make this more vividly present to the excitable Italians he displayed a waxen image marked with the three-and-twenty wounds, and produced the very robe which he had worn, all rent and blood-stained. Soul-stirring dirges added to the solemn horror of the scene. But to us the memorable speech which Shakespeare puts into Antony's mouth will give the liveliest notion of the art used and the impression produced. That impression was instantaneous. The senator friends of the liberators who had attended the ceremony looked on in moody silence. Soon the menacing gestures of the crowd made them look to their safety. They fled; and the multitude insisted on burning the body, as they had burned the body of Clodius, in the sacred precincts of the Forum. Some of the veterans who attended the funeral set fire to the bier; benches and firewood heaped round it soon made a sufficient pile.

Saint Patrick's Day, 2015

by Jack Le Moine

Time: March 17, 1762
Place: New York City

Fair use image from a Clip Art collection.

With the French and Indian War over, the colonies were at peace. The Irish soldiers of the British garrison staged a parade down Broadway. People were receptive to celebration. A Saint Patrick’s Day Parade would be an annual fixture in New York ever more.

The Catholic Church had made March 17 a feast day to commemorate Saint Patrick a century before. Since Saint Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland, this day became a civic celebration as well as a religious one for the Irish.

Celebrations would grow all around the world.

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Further information: Jerry Wilson, Wilstar.com.

Julius Caesar Dead

Featuring Henry George Liddell from his book A History of Rome from 1855.

Introduction to our series Death of Antony and Cleopatra:
You’ve seen the movies. Maybe you’ve even seen the mini-series. You’ve read Shakespeare’s play. Maybe you’ve even watched a production of it. Or you can listen to it here.

Now read the real story. It is more than just a romantic drama. It is also the story of the end of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Empire.

Henry George Liddell (1811 – 1898) was a professor who rose to be Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University. He wrote the book on ancient Rome. Here’s the authoritative account of this classic and important story. And now, Henry George Liddell.

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Time: August 30 BC
Place: Alexandria, Egypt

While the conspirators were at their bloody work [of slaying Caesar], the mass of the senators rushed in confused terror to the doors; and when Brutus turned to address his peers in defense of the deed, the hall was well-nigh empty. Cicero, who had been present, answered not, though he was called by name; Antony had hurried away to exchange his consular robes for the garb of a slave. Disappointed of obtaining the sanction of the senate, the conspirators sallied out into the Forum to win the ear of the people. But here, too, they were disappointed. Not knowing what massacre might be in store, every man had fled to his own house; and in vain the conspirators paraded the Forum, holding up their blood-stained weapons and proclaiming themselves the liberators of Rome. Disappointment was not their only feeling: they were not without fear. They knew that Lepidus, being on the eve of departure for his province of Narbonnese Gaul, had a legion encamped on the island of the Tiber: and if he were to unite with Antony against them, Caesar would quickly be avenged. In all haste, therefore, they retired to the Capitol. Meanwhile three of Caesar's slaves placed their master's body upon a stretcher and carried it to his house on the south side of the Forum, with one arm dangling from the unsupported corner. In this condition the widowed Calpurnia received the lifeless clay of him who had lately been sovereign of the world.

Lorenzo de Medici Leaves Magnificent Florence

Featuring Oliphant Smeaton from his book The Medici and the Italian Renaissance published in 1901.

Previously on Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance. And now Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance.

Time: 1449 - 1492
Place: Florence

The Magnificent Medici, Godfathers of the Renaissance a PBS documentary 
He encouraged the printers to double their output; he munificently assisted such undertakings as the first edition of Homer, edited by the famous scholars Demetrius Chalcondyles and Demetrius Cretensis, as well as other editions of the classics prepared by Poliziano, Marullus, and others. In the final estimate of his influence upon his age we hope to show that his aim was as pure as the prosecution of its realization was determined. He encouraged foreigners to come to Florence to study Greek, and, when their funds failed them, in many cases he generously entertained them at his own expense. Grocyn and Linacre, as well as Reuchlin, testify to the wise generosity of the great Magnifico, and all three declare that to him, more than to any other man, the Renaissance owed not only its development, but even the character it assumed in Italy in the second last decade of the fifteenth century.

Reading The New Asia Observer

by Jack Le Moine

One of the many images from this website.

From the latest happenings in things historical. This post On 14 March in Asian History was published today in The New Asia Observer. The post's author is Jacques De Goldfiem.

He publishes these sets of links each day on his website. In addition, he digests the current news from Asia. Everything Asia every day. I don’t think there’s a better site on Asia – especially one that is published by one man. Outstanding!

France’s Wars: Renaissance Italian Wars 1494 - 1559

by Jack Le Moine

Did you ever notice that in almost every great war in history, France has been involved in some way? Here’s an example: the eight wars between France, Italians, the Holy Roman Empire, and Spain for control of Italy.

Summary: It was too easy. When France invaded Italy in 1494, the French found a land filled with culture and riches but unable to defend itself. The temptation lured France into war after war even after the other major powers intervened and even after France was unable to contain the fighting to just Italy. Those other powers were tempted, too. As the decades advanced, France’s objectives changed from dominating to preventing others from dominating the peninsula.

Background: The Renaissance had made the city-states of Italy the wealthiest on the planet. For France, 40 years had passed since the end of the Hundred Years War. The Black Plague was a bad memory. The advancements in military organization and weaponry from that war remained. When the first French army discovered that the walled cities of Italy could not withstand the gunnery of the French artillery, wealth, power, and glory beckoned irresistibly.

Leading and Following

Disraeli as Prime Minister
in 1878

Public domain image from Wikipedia.

I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?

- Benjamin Disraeli

More on Benjamin Disraeli.

Lorenzo the Magnificent Fosters the Renaissance

Featuring Oliphant Smeaton from his book The Medici and the Italian Renaissance published in 1901.

Previously on Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance. And now Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance.

Time: 1449 - 1492
Place: Florence

The Magnificent Medici, Godfathers of the Renaissance a PBS documentary 
This, however, was Lorenzo's last great war. True, he was implicated in the prolonged quarrel between the papacy and King Ferrante of Naples, yet it was more as a mediator between the two antagonists than as the ally of the last-named that he took part in it; although, as Armstrong points out, he paid for the services of Trivulsio and four hundred cross-bowmen, that by enabling the Neapolitans to check San Severino, the leader of the papal-Venetian troops, he might induce Innocent VIII to lose heart and retire from the struggle.

Lorenzo, during the last six years of his life, or, to speak more definitely, after the peace of Bagnolo, had become in Italian, as he was rapidly becoming in European, politics the master-spirit that inspired the moves on the diplomatic chess-board. In the mind of the historical student whose attention is directed to this period, admiration and wonder go hand-in-hand as we contemplate the marvelous sagacity and prevision of the man, together with the skill wherewith he made Florence—the weakest from a military point of view of the five greater Italian powers--the one which exercised the most preponderating influence upon the affairs of the peninsula. His supreme genius conceived and consummated the great scheme for ensuring the peace of Italy by a triple alliance of the three larger states--Florence, Milan, and Naples—against the other two, Venice and the papacy.

Persian Massacre of Samos

Previously in Herodotus

147. Then Otanes the Persian commander, seeing that the Persians had suffered greatly, purposely forgot the commands which Darius gave him when he sent him forth, not to kill any one of the Samians nor to sell any into slavery, but to restore the island to Syloson free from all suffering of calamity,—these commands, I say, he purposely forgot, and gave the word to his army to slay every one whom they should take, man or boy, without distinction. So while some of the army were besieging the fortress, others were slaying every one who came in their way, in sanctuary or out of sanctuary equally.

148. Meanwhile Maiandrios had escaped from Samos and was sailing to Lacedemon; and having come thither and caused to be brought up to the city the things which he had taken with him when he departed, he did as follows:—first, he would set out his cups of silver and of gold, and then while the servants were cleaning them, he would be engaged in conversation with Cleomenes the son of Anaxandrides, then king of Sparta, and would bring him on to his house; and when Cleomenes saw the cups he marveled and was astonished at them, and Maiandrios would bid him take away with him as many of them as he pleased. Maiandrios said this twice or three times, but Cleomenes herein showed himself the most upright of men; for he not only did not think fit to take that which was offered, but perceiving that Maiandrios would make presents to others of the citizens, and so obtain assistance for himself, he went to the Ephors and said that it was better for Sparta that the stranger of Samos should depart from Peloponnesus, lest he might persuade either himself or some other man of the Spartans to act basely. They accordingly accepted his counsel, and expelled Maiandrios by proclamation.

Lorenzo’s Diplomacy Amidst Conflicts

Featuring Oliphant Smeaton from his book The Medici and the Italian Renaissance published in 1901.

Previously on Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance. And now Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance.

Time: 1449 - 1492
Place: Florence

The Magnificent Medici, Godfathers of the Renaissance a PBS documentary 
No sooner had the presence of the Turks at Otranto, in the extreme southeast of Italy, been rendered a thing of the past by the surrender of the Moslem garrison to the Duke of Calabria in September, 1481, than the peninsula was again ranged in opposing camps by the attempt of the Venetians, assisted by Sixtus and his nephew, to dispossess Ercole d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, of his dominions. The Duke had married the daughter of Ferdinand, King of Naples, an alliance which, by strengthening him, gave on that account great offence to the Venetians. They therefore sought to provoke him by insisting on their monopoly of the manufacture of salt in North Italy, and by building a fortress on a part of the Ferrarese territory which they pretended was within the limits of their own. When he remonstrated, they declined to remove it. In vain he appealed to Sixtus. The latter was one of the wolves waiting to devour him. He then turned to Lorenzo.

Lorenzo Becomes “the Magnificent”

Featuring Oliphant Smeaton from his book The Medici and the Italian Renaissance published in 1901.

Previously on Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance. And now Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance.

Time: 1449 - 1492
Place: Florence

The Magnificent Medici, Godfathers of the Renaissance a PBS documentary 
In conjunction with his patronage of printing, there was no line of effort in which Lorenzo did more real good than in collecting manuscripts and antiquities, and in making them practically public property. On this account he is styled, by Niccolo Leonicino, "Lorenzo de' Medici, the great patron of learning in this age, whose messengers are dispersed through every part of the earth for the purpose of collecting books on every science, and who has spared no expense in procuring for your use, and that of others who may devote themselves to similar studies, the materials necessary for your purpose." The agents he employed traveled through Italy, Greece, Europe, and the East--Hieronymo Donato, Ermolao Barbaro, and Paolo Cortesi being the names of some of his most trusted "commissioners." But the coadjutor whose aid he principally relied on, to whom he committed the care and arrangement of his vast museum and great library, was Poliziano, who himself made frequent excursions throughout Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa to discover and purchase such remains of antiquity as suited the purposes of his patron. Another successful agent, though at a later date, was Giovanni Lascaris, who twice journeyed into the East in search of manuscripts and curios. In the second of these he brought back upward of two hundred copies of valuable codices from the monasteries on Mount Athos.

The Middle East That Might Have Been

by Jack Le Moine

From the latest happenings in things historical. This article The Middle East That Might Have Been was published 22 days ago in The Atlantic Magazine. The article’s author is Nick Danforth.

World War I has ended; the Ottoman Empire has collapsed. President Woodrow Wilson appoints a team to find out from the people of the Middle East themselves how they wish to be governed. This team travels the region, talking to the people, organizing polls, and generally doing what they can to ascertain the popular will. They send a report to the President. Had that report’s recommendations beef followed, this is a map of how the Middle East would look like.

Move your cursor over the map and see how interactive it is.

Another Earliest Movies

by Jack Le Moine
The first big hit in American movie history was Edison’s First Kiss. Not very sexy by our standards but serious stuff in 1896.

Every so often we like to resurrect an article from the blog’s past. This one is from December 17, 2008. – Just one of the gems buried in the blog’s archives.

QUOTE:
While the quality of these early movies seems pretty lame today, the audiences of the 1890’s were experiencing the first sights ever seen by anyone in history: pictures that moved. The creativity was limited but the technology was, too. Each movie had to be contained in a film strip only 50 feet long! That means that each movie could last only a few seconds.

Here’s the rest of the article. The original article was written by JL, too.

What If 3 Wise Women Instead of . . .

If instead of The Three Wise Men there were The Three Wise Women, they would have:

• asked for directions sooner,
• arrived in time,
• helped deliver the baby Jesus,
• cleaned the stable,
• did the grocery shopping,
• and given Him gifts that were practical.

- anon

The Renaissance Progresses in Florence

Featuring Oliphant Smeaton from his book The Medici and the Italian Renaissance published in 1901.

Previously on Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance. And now Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance.

Time: 1449 - 1492
Place: Florence

The Magnificent Medici, Godfathers of the Renaissance

a PBS documentary 
In February, 1480, therefore, Lorenzo returned in triumph to Florence, to be received with rapture by his fellow-citizens. Had he delayed a few months longer, his visit and his ‘ad-miseri-cordiam’ appeals would not have been needed. In August of that year Keduk Achmed, one of the Turkish Sultan's (Mahomet II) ablest generals, besieged and took the city of Otranto. In face of the common danger to all Italy, Sixtus was compelled to accept the treaty made by Ferrante with Lorenzo, and a general peace ensued. The decade accordingly closed with an absolution for all offences granted by the Pope to Florence, conditional on the Tuscan republic contributing its share to the expenses of the military preparations to resist the invasion of the Turk.

Notwithstanding the war, the progress of the Renaissance during the first decade of Lorenzo's rule was very marked. To the rapid diffusion of printing this was largely due. Lorenzo had not imbibed the prejudices against the new art entertained by Cosmo and Federigo of Montefeltro. He looked at the practical, not the sentimental, side of the question as regards the new invention. Having seen that the press could throw off, in a few days, scores of copies of any work, of which it took an amanuensis months to produce one; also that the scholars of all Italy could be furnished almost immediately, and at a low price, with the texts of any manuscript they desired, while they had to wait months for a limited number of copies whose cost was wellnigh prohibitive, he supported the new invention from the outset. Having resolved to further his father's efforts to establish printing in Florence, he stimulated the local goldsmith, Bernardo Cennini, to turn his attention to type-casting in metal, and even agreed to pay him an annual grant from the year 1471 until he had fairly settled himself in business. Nor did he confine his favors to him. John of Mainz and Nicholas of Breslau, who arrived in Florence, the former in 1472 and the latter in 1477, also participated in his open-hearted liberality. Printing struck its roots deep into the Tuscan community and flourished excellently. Though the Florentine craft never attained the reputation of the Venetian Aldi and Asolani, the Giunti of Rome, the Soncini of Fano, the Stephani of Paris, and Froben of Basel, it had the name, for a time at least, of being one of the most accurate of all presses.

And a Pestilent Fellow Besides

Previously in Herodotus

141. Darius having heard this prepared to send an expedition with Otanes as commander of it, who had been one of the seven, charging him to accomplish for Syloson all that which he had requested. Otanes then went down to the sea-coast and was preparing the expedition.

142. Now Maiandrios the son of Maiandrios was holding the rule over Samos, having received the government as a trust from Polycrates; and he, though desiring to show himself the most righteous of men, did not succeed in so doing: for when the death of Polycrates was reported to him, he did as follows:—first he founded an altar to Zeus the Liberator and marked out a sacred enclosure round it, namely that which exists still in the suburb of the city: then after he had done this he gathered together an assembly of all the citizens and spoke these words:

"To me, as ye know as well as I, has been entrusted the sceptre of Polycrates and all his power; and now it is open to me to be your ruler; but that for the doing of which I find fault with my neighbor, I will myself refrain from doing, so far as I may: for as I did not approve of Polycrates acting as master of men who were not inferior to himself, so neither do I approve of any other who does such things. Now Polycrates for his part fulfilled his own appointed destiny, and I now give the power into the hands of the people, and proclaim to you equality. These privileges however I think it right to have assigned to me, namely that from the wealth of Polycrates six talents should be taken out and given to me as a special gift; and in addition to this I choose for myself and for my descendants in succession the priesthood of Zeus the Liberator, to whom I myself founded a temple, while I bestow liberty upon you."

Lorenzo de Medici’s Peace Offensive

Featuring Oliphant Smeaton from his book The Medici and the Italian Renaissance published in 1901.

Previously on Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance. And now Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance.

Time: 1449 - 1492
Place: Florence

The Magnificent Medici, Godfathers of the Renaissance a PBS documentary 
The result might have been predicted. The "brief" only tended to knit the bonds of association closer between Lorenzo and the "City of the Flower," while the humanists to a man rallied round their patron. Even the choleric Filelfo, now a very old man, who had been on anything but friendly terms with the Medici, addressed two bitter satires to Sixtus, in which the Pope was styled the real aggressor, while the great humanist offered to write a history of the whole transaction, that posterity might know the true facts. The only power which gave its adhesion to Sixtus was Naples, while Venice, Ferrara, and Milan declared for Florence.

Thus commenced that tedious war which not only ruined so many Florentine merchants, but retarded the cause of learning so materially. When the people were groaning under heavy taxes, when all coin which Lorenzo could scrape together had to be poured out to pay the ‘condottieri’, or soldiers of fortune, by whom the battles of Florence were fought, there was of course but short commons for the humanists who had made Florence their home. Many of those adapted themselves to circumstances, but others, to whom money was their god, left the banks of the Arno for those southern cities where the pinch of scarcity did not prevail.

The Renaissance in Florence

Featuring Oliphant Smeaton from his book The Medici and the Italian Renaissance published in 1901.

Previously on Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance. And now Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance.

Time: 1449 - 1492
Place: Florence

The Magnificent Medici, Godfathers of the Renaissance a PBS documentary 
Lorenzo's services to learning were inspired by feelings infinitely more noble than those actuating his political plans. A patriotism as lofty as it was beneficent led him to desire that his country should be in the van of Italian progress in Renaissance studies. His sagacious prevision enabled him to proportion the nature and extent of the benefit he conferred to the need it was intended to supply. Many statesmen do more harm than good by failing to appreciate this law of supply and demand. They grant more than is required, and that which should have been a boon becomes a burden. Charles V, at the time of the Reformation, on more than one occasion committed this error, as also did Wolsey and Mazarin. Lorenzo, like Richelieu, recognized the value of moderation in giving, and caused every favor to be regarded as a possible earnest of others to come.

The earlier years of his power were associated with many stirring events which exercised no inconsiderable influence on the state of learning. For example, his skilful playing off of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza of Milan against Ferrante, King of Naples, led to greater attention being directed by the Florentines to Neapolitan and Milanese affairs, with the result that humanists and artists from both these places paid frequent visits to Florence, where they were welcomed by Lorenzo as his guests. Then when the revolt of the small city of Volterra from Florentine rule was suppressed by Lorenzo's agents, with a rigorous severity that cast a stain on their master's name, owing to many unoffending scholars having suffered to the extent of losing their all, Lorenzo made noble amends. Not only did he generously assist the inhabitants to repair their losses, not only did he make grants to the local scholars and send them copies of many of the codices in his own library to supply the loss of their books which had been burned by the soldiery, but he purchased large estates in the neighborhood, that the citizens might benefit by his residence among them. In this way, too, he brought the Volterran scholars into more intimate relations with the Florentine humanists, and thus contributed to the further diffusion of the benefits of the Renaissance.

Election Campaigning – State of the Art 2014

by Jack Le Moine

More red, more Republican votes;
more blue, more Democratic votes.

CC BY-SA 4.0 image from Wikipedia.

From the latest happenings in things historical. The article How We Won Texas was published 22 days ago in Politico. The article’s author is Dave Carney.

As 2014 passed into history we noticed what worked and what did not in political campaigning. Every election the state of the art changes. This article described
the Texas governor race and the innovative approaches that were taken.

France’s Wars: The 100 Years War 1338-1453

by Jack Le Moine

Did you ever notice that in almost every great war in history, France has been involved in some way? Here’s an example: England's 100+ war to conquer France.

Summary:
The Kings of England attempted to unite both England and France under their rule. This led to a series of wars that lasted from 1337 to 1453 that are collectively known as The Hundred Years War. This conflict included some of the iconic battles of Medieval history, including Crecy and Agincourt.

Background:
The Plantagenet kings of England had long resentmented and regreted of the loss of their possessions in France under their King John. Calculations of inheritance as well as of the relative weaknesses of the French kings and kingdom led the Plantagenets to go for it all.

In reading stories of the Hundred Years War, it is important to remember that this was also the period of the Black Death that carried away over a third of the total population of Europe. With companies of mercenaries plundering the people and plague decimating them, the armies operated in a desolated land.

All Progress Depends on Who?

Shaw in 1900

Public domain image from Wikipedia.

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

- George Bernard Shaw

More on George Bernard Shaw.

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Tomorrow HUNDRED YEARS WAR, our next installment in the France's Wars series

Florence, Primus Inter Pares

Featuring Oliphant Smeaton from his book The Medici and the Italian Renaissance published in 1901.

Introduction to our series Lorenzo de Medici and Florence’s Renaissance:
William Henry Oliphant Smeaton (1856 – 1914) was a Scottish historian. While the Renaissance began before Lorenzo de Medici’s time, his rule and his city served as a catalyst that took it to the next level. This is the story how that happened. And now, Oliphant Smeaton.

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Time: 1449 - 1492
Place: Florence

The Magnificent Medici, Godfathers of the Renaissance a PBS documentary 
During the twelfth century several of the Italian cities—especially Florence and Venice--rose to great wealth and power. Venice, through her favorable situation, became preeminent in commerce, while Florence was coming to be the most important industrial center of Europe. In the thirteenth century Florence was the scene of continual strife between the Guelfs and Ghibellines, but she not only continued to develop in material prosperity, but also attained to intellectual activities whereby in the next century she gained a higher distinction. She took the foremost part in the Renaissance, and was the birthplace or the home of Dante, Boccaccio, and other leaders of the modern movement.

In the fifteenth century Florence reached a still loftier eminence under the Medici, a family celebrated for the statesmen which it produced and for its patronage of letters and art. Its most illustrious members were Cosmo (1389-1464) and his grandson Lorenzo, surnamed the "Magnificent." Lorenzo was born January 1, 1449, when the second great period of the Renaissance was nearing its close. That was the "period of arrangement and translation; the epoch of the formation of the great Italian libraries; the age when, in Florence around his grandfather Cosmo, in Rome around Pope Nicholas V, and in Naples around Alfonso the Magnanimous, coteries of the leading humanists were gathered, engaged in labors which have made posterity eternally their debtors."

Darius Takes Samos

Previously in Herodotus

137. The Persians then sailing thence and pursuing Demokedes reached Croton, and finding him in the market-place they laid hands upon him; and some of the men of Croton fearing the Persian power were willing to let him go, but others took hold of him and struck with their staves at the Persians, who pleaded for themselves in these words: "Men of Croton, take care what ye are about: ye are rescuing a man who was a slave of king Darius and who ran away from him. How, think you, will king Darius be content to receive such an insult; and how shall this which ye do be well for you, if ye take him away from us? Against what city, think you, shall we make expedition sooner than against this, and what city before this shall we endeavor to reduce to slavery?" Thus saying they did not however persuade the men of Croton, but having had Demokedes rescued from them and the ship of burden which they were bringing with them taken away, they set sail to go back to Asia, and did not endeavor to visit any more parts of Hellas or to find out about them, being now deprived of their guide. This much however Demokedes gave them as a charge when they were putting forth to sea, bidding them say to Darius that Demokedes was betrothed to the daughter of Milon: for the wrestler Milon had a great name at the king's court; and I suppose that Demokedes was urgent for this marriage, spending much money to further it, in order that Darius might see that he was held in honor also in his own country.

Game Changer in the History Profession

by Jack Le Moine
From the latest happenings in things historical. This January 1, 2015 a partnership of the world’s universities opened up their rare manuscript collections to the general public via the internet. Before January 1, these manuscripts had only been available to scholars with an associated university pass. This event opens up primary source material research in this area to the general public.

This is being done in phases. The initial phase releases manuscripts from the early modern era. The service is free.

Google Books may have some of these titles but for now probably they don’t.

The books are available to the public in text files. PDF files are still only available to University subscribers.

My thanks to Professor John R. Yamamoto-Wilson of Sophia University in Tokyo for bringing this news to everyone’s attention (via LinkedIn).

The University Free Partnership
Professor John’s blog post last year.
The discussion in LinkedIn.  (Basic membership in LinkedIn is free.)

Order Restored in the Gold Fields of Australia

Featuring Edward Jenks

Previously on Gold Discovered in Australia. And now Edward Jenks.

Time: February 12, 1851
Place: Lewes Pond Creek

A gold nugget from the Australian
gold fields dug up in 1872.
Public domain image from Wikipedia.

The Governor at once ordered all the available military force to Ballarat; but, before reinforcements arrived, the coolness and promptitude of Captain Thomas--the officer in command of the troops on the Ballarat gold-field when the riot of November 30th took place—had nipped the insurrection in the bud. Captain Thomas saw that, while the Eureka Stockade threatened to become a serious obstacle to the Government if its completion were allowed, in its uncompleted state it was really a source of weakness to the insurgents. By collecting their forces in one spot, and thus rendering them more exposed to a crushing attack, and by drawing off the men who threatened the government camp, it really left the commander of the troops free to act with decision. Accordingly, Captain Thomas at once determined to attack the position. Assembling his forces (somewhat fewer than two hundred men) at three o'clock on the morning of December 3d, he moved toward the stockade.

Who are Historians?

by Jack Le Moine

From the latest happenings in the world of history.

This March 1 the Host of the History Carnival will be in Unspoken Assumptions. Last April 17, 2014 she wrote In Defense of Historians. Her essay’s theme is ‘I’m a historian and you’re not.’ I believe that there’s two things wrong with this essay: (1) it fails to address the differences between professional and amateur historians; and (2) it fails to address the underlying causes of the problems professional historians face today.

Hello, my name is Heather and I’m a historian . . .

I have studied history for over ten years. I’ve written about history, researched history, taught history, attended many history conferences, had my work scrutinized and criticized by other historians.

To sum up, she is a historian. She even has a PhD! The essay then goes to it’s first mark: the great unwashed must not criticize the professional.

Michael Grove is not an historian nor is he an expert on the First World War – therefore he has zero right to criticize how historians do their job.

If the reader doesn’t already know who this MG is; the historian doesn't enlighten him. If the reader puzzles at this decision of the historian, consider what right you might have to express your reaction. If you’re not a credentialed professional or if you’re not an expert, is your right 50%, 25%, 10%, or 0%? From the quote above the correct answer to this multiple choice question is zero but one still must wonder how the essayist arrived at that figure? Was it the result of some mathematical calculation or just mere turf war? Like in ‘I’m a historian and you’re not.’

Loretta Young's Crisis

Time: Summer, 1959
Place: Paris
by Jack Le Moine

Publicity still from sometime in the 1940’s. 

Public domain image from Wikipedia.

The phone rang. Loretta Young answered it. It was bad news. She was dropped.

Her sponsor, Proctor and Gamble had warned her repeatedly for years. Last time they had sent a member of their corporate Board of Directors to deliver their ultimatum. Either stop with all these religious themed episodes or they would drop their sponsorship of The Loretta Young Show. He explained that the company kept getting complaints. They did not like complaints. Large quantities of complaints they liked even less. Large quantities of complaints hitting them year after year, they liked even less still. A top network television show cost a lot of money. Sponsors want to get goodwill and sales for all that money. Sponsors don’t want to spend lots of money to receive badwill.

Chinese New Year, 2015

This may be the oldest holiday we celebrate as it goes back 4,000+ years.  This is the year of the goat.  More about this holiday.

Ash Wednesday, 2015

by Jack Le Moine

This is the first day of Lent in the Christian religion. It is approximately 40 days before Easter when Jesus Christ rose from the dead. The number 40 days comes from passages in the Bible where Jesus went to the desert and prayed and fasted for 40 days. The thinking is that Christians can stand to fit into their schedule some small amount of prayer and fasting, too.

The custom of ashes comes from Biblical Times where penitents used ashes to signify their remorse of their sins. It also ties into the idea of “ashes to ashes, from dust to dust”. In the end, we’re all going to some spiritual destination in the afterlife or if religion is just superstition, we’re going to just stop existing.

The custom of putting on a sprinkling of ashes on one’s forehead grew in the first millennium of Christianity and was ratified by Pope Urban II in 1091. Protestants had and have varying beliefs and practices on this.

I like the idea of this holiday because it reminds us of the big picture in life.

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Further information: Wikipedia.

Expedition to Scout out the Greeks Begins

Previously in Herodotus

132. Then Demokedes having healed king Darius had a very great house in Susa, and had been made a table-companion of the king; and except the one thing of returning to the land of the Hellenes, he had everything. And first as regards the Egyptian physicians who tried to heal the king before him, when they were about to be impaled because they had proved inferior to a physician who was a Hellene, he asked their lives of the king and rescued them from death: then secondly, he rescued an Eleian prophet, who had accompanied Polycrates and had remained unnoticed among the slaves. In short Demokedes was very great in the favor of the king.

President’s Day, 2015

by Jack Le Moine

President’s Day consolidated the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln into one holiday together with the rest of the presidents. This consolidation of multiple holidays into one is a welcome exception to the trend of holiday overload that fills the calendar with holidays. It is a shame that people have stopped observing some of the official holidays.

Presidents have been accorded varying degrees of greatness. Some have been just overlooked. Today, this blog draws attention to one of those.

Chester A. Arthur (President 1881 – 1885) was one of those presidents who did not do much but the nation greatly expanded during his time. Perhaps there’s a causal connection there?

Of all the presidents his reputation and record of corruption in his previous office of Collector of the Port of New York made him distasteful. He epitomized the machine politics of that time. Then he became President on the death of James Garfield. He championed civil service reforms that did away with many of the corrupt practices he had done before.

He was sick at the end of his term and died the next year after his term ended.

Alexander McClure wrote, "No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted as Chester Alan Arthur, and no one ever retired ... more generally respected, alike by political friend and foe."

Here are two pieces of wisdom to take away from his life: (1) the importance of repentance and redemption; and (2) results matter more than activity.

Mark Twain wrote, "[I]t would be hard indeed to better President Arthur's administration."

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Further information: The White House.

War in the Australian Gold Fields

Featuring Edward Jenks

Previously on Gold Discovered in Australia. And now Edward Jenks.

Time: February 12, 1851
Place: Lewes Pond Creek

A gold nugget from the Australian
gold fields dug up in 1872.
Public domain image from Wikipedia.

Just at this moment an event occurred which rendered it impossible for the Government to maintain its position unimpaired with the scanty forces at its disposal. In the middle of September, 1853, the total abolition of the license fee was seriously proposed in the Legislative Council of New South Wales. The news flew like wildfire to Victoria, where the diggers had hitherto looked upon the colonial legislatures—in which, it will be remembered, they were not yet represented--as their natural enemies. It seemed to them now that they had everything in their own hands, and it became clearly impossible for the Government, in the existing temper of the diggers, to exact the full amount of the license fee. A proclamation, hastily published with a view to allay excitement, by an unfortunate omission in the printed copies led the public to believe that the total abolition of the license system was contemplated by the Victorian Government. A select committee of the Legislative Council reported unfavorably upon the system. The Government made the best of a bad bargain, and accepted a fee of forty shillings for the three months ending November 30, 1853; and, on the following day, the Legislative Council passed a new Gold-fields Act, which greatly reduced the fees for diggers' licenses, while it substantially increased those demanded for permission to open stores at the gold-fields. It also provided for the grant of leases of auriferous lands, at a royalty of not less than 5 per cent., and gave legal sanction to the customs regarding the "claims" of diggers, which had gradually grown up to regulate the rival interests of neighboring miners. Offences against the act were to be decided upon by the magistrates; but the accused might demand a court of at least two members, and there was to be an appeal to General Sessions.

Valentine’s Day, 2015

This is a passage from The Courting of Dinah Shadd, by Rudyard Kipling. This short story was part of Indian Tales, published in 1899.

"'A word wid you, Dempsey,' sez I. 'You've walked wid Dinah Shadd four times this fortnight gone.'

"'What's that to you?' sez he. 'I'll walk forty times more, an' forty on top av that, ye shovel-futted clod-breakin' infantry lance-corp'ril.'

"Before I cud gyard he had his gloved fist home on my cheek an' down I went full-sprawl. 'Will that content you?' sez he, blowin' on his knuckles for all the world like a Scots Greys orf'cer. 'Content!' sez I. 'For your own sake, man, take off your spurs, peel your jackut, an' onglove. 'Tis the beginnin' av the overture; stand up!'

"He stud all he know, but he niver peeled his jacket, an' his shoulders had no fair play. I was fightin' for Dinah Shadd an' that cut on my cheek. What hope had he forninst me? 'Stand up,' sez I, time an' again whin he was beginnin' to quarter the ground an' gyard high an' go large. 'This isn't ridin'-school,' I sez. 'O man, stand up an' let me get in at ye.' But whin I saw he wud be runnin' about, I grup his shtock in my left an' his waist-belt in my right an' swung him clear to my right front, head undher, he hammerin' my nose till the wind was knocked out av him on the bare ground. 'Stand up,' sez I, 'or I'll kick your head into your chest!' and I wud ha' done ut too, so ragin' mad I was.

"'My collar-bone's bruk,' sez he. 'Help me back to lines. I'll walk wid her no more.' So I helped him back."

"And was his collar-bone broken?" I asked, for I fancied that only Learoyd could neatly accomplish that terrible throw.

"He pitched on his left shoulder point. Ut was. Next day the news was in both barricks, an' whin I met Dinah Shadd wid a cheek on me like all the reg'mintal tailor's samples there was no 'Good mornin', corp'ril,' or aught else. 'An' what have I done, Miss Shadd,' sez I, very bould, plantin' mesilf forninst her, 'that ye should not pass the time of day?'

"'Ye've half-killed rough-rider Dempsey,' sez she, her dear blue eyes fillin' up.

"'May be,' sez I. 'Was he a friend av yours that saw ye home four times in the fortnight?'

"'Yes,' sez she, but her mouth was down at the corners, 'An'—an' what's that to you?' she sez.

"'Ask Dempsey,' sez I, purtendin' to go away.

"'Did you fight for me then, ye silly man?' she sez, tho' she knew ut all along.

"'Who else?' sez I, an' I tuk wan pace to the front.

"'I wasn't worth ut,' sez she, fingerin' in her apron.

"'That's for me to say,' sez I. 'Shall I say ut?'

"'Yes,' sez she, in a saint's whisper, an' at that I explained mesilf; and she tould me what ivry man that is a man, an' many that is a woman, hears wanst in his life.

"'But what made ye cry at startin', Dinah, darlin'?' sez I.

"'Your—your bloody cheek,' sez she, duckin' her little head down on my sash (I was on duty for the day) an' whimperin' like a sorrowful angil.

"Now a man cud take that two ways. I tuk ut as pleased me best an' my first kiss wid ut. Mother av Innocence! but I kissed her on the tip av the nose and undher the eye; an' a girl that let's a kiss come tumble-ways like that has never been kissed before. Take note av that, sorr. . . ."

Here’s the complete story.

France's Wars: King John’s Angevin War 1202 - 1204

by Jack Le Moine

Did you ever notice that in almost every great war in history, France has been involved in some way? Here’s an example: The wars between Angevin Empire of England between France.

Summary: By 1200 the Kings of England had inherited or conquered over half of France. When Richard the Lionheart died in 1199 and his brother John inherited the throne and his French possessions, King Philip II of France determined to make his sovereignty over those lands real. For two years (1202 – 1204) the two kings fought the climatic war of the Angevin Era.

Background: After William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, he and his descendants kept their title of Duke of Normandy and control over that land. Hence, they were both independent equals of the Kings of France and their subjects, too. Afterwards, marriages brought the English Kings the additional lands and titles of Duke of Aquitaine, Count of Anjou, and other titles and areas of control. Henry II (reigned 1154 – 1189) expanded and consolidated his holdings in France, Scotland, and Ireland.

Philip II was coronated King of the Franks in 1180 and signaled his policy by designating himself “King of France”. It was like a Declaration of Independence.  All future kings of France used this new title. France was officially born.

A series of wars with the English king commenced, first with Henry and then with Richard. There was an interruption for the Third Crusade (1190 – 1192) but while Richard was still in the Holy Land wresting castles from the Saracens, Philip rushed home to resume operations against English interests in France. On the way home, Richard was arrested and imprisoned in Germany. Philip used the time to reconquer most of Normandy. When Richard got out, he took control of the English army and restored his holdings in France.

Richard began building the ultimate castle of the age on the east bank of the Seine River below Paris in 1196. Construction of just this one castle cost more than twice as much as all castle construction in England combined. Richard supervised the building and shrunk construction time from a decade to just two years. It’s name was “Chateau Gaillard “ and it contained innovations that castles would still be adopting a century later. Richard boasted that he could hold this castle “were the walls made of butter”.

But he died in 1199 and his brother John inherited the throne, the noble fiefdoms, and the King of France’s determination of doom.

Gore's 2000 Election Recount Demands

Can we count them with our nose?
Can we count them with our toes?
Should we count them with a band?
Should we count them all by hand?
If I do not like the count,
I will simply throw them out!
I will not let this vote count stand
I do not like them, AL GORE I am!

Can we change these numbers here?
Can we change them, calm my fears?
What do you mean, Dubya has won?
This is not fair, this is not fun
Lets count them upside down this time
Lets count until the state is mine!
I will not let this VOTE count stand!
I do not like it, AL GORE I am!

I'm really ticked, I'm in a snit!
You have not heard the last of it!
I'll count the ballots one by one
And hold each one up to the sun!
I'll count, recount, and count some more!
You'll grow to hate this little chore
But I will not, cannot let this vote count stand!
I do not like it, Al Gore I am!

I won't leave office, I'm stayin' here!
I've glued my desk chair to my rear!
Tipper, Hillary, and Bubba too,
all telling me that I should sue!
We find the Electoral College vile!
RECOUNT the votes until I smile!
We do not want this vote to stand!
We do not like it, AL GORE I am!

How shall we count this ballot box?
Let's count it standing in our socks!
Shall we count this one in a tree?
And who shall count it, you or me?
We cannot, cannot count enough!
We must not stop, we must be tough!
I do not want this vote to stand!
I do not like it AL GORE I am!

I've counted till my fingers bleed!
And still can't fulfill my counting need!
I'll count the tiles on the floor!
I'll count, and count, and count some more!
And I will not say that I am done!
Until the counting says I've won!
I will not let this vote count stand!
I do not like it, AL GORE I am!

What's that? What? What are you trying to say?
You think the current count should stay?
You do not like my counting scheme?
It makes you tense, gives you bad dreams?
Foolish people, you're wrong you'll see!
You're only care should be for me!
I WILL NOT LET THIS VOTE COUNT STAND!
I DO NOT LIKE IT. AND AL GORE I AM!

- Author unknown and no, it was not Dr. Seuss.

More on the election of 2000.

The Gold Causes Problems

Featuring Edward Jenks

Previously on Gold Discovered in Australia. And now Edward Jenks.

Time: February 12, 1851
Place: Lewes Pond Creek

A gold nugget from the Australian
gold fields dug up in 1872.
Public domain image from Wikipedia.

After the comparative failure of the gold-diggings in South Australia, the Government had wisely set itself to secure some part of the prosperity of the gold discoveries for its colony by establishing both land and river traffic routes. In these efforts it was highly successful. Many South Australians made handsome fortunes by sending provisions to the Buninyong and Mount Alexander districts, and the new steamers on the Murray proved a source of profit to the colony which lasted until the development of the railroad system. Unfortunately, this prosperity could hardly be realized at the time, owing to the great scarcity of coined money in the colony. In 1851 the privilege of coining was still jealously monopolized by the mint in London; while the rapid expansion of business in the latter part of that year had rendered the supply of coin in Australia totally inadequate to the demand.

Darius Is Cured

Previously in Herodotus

128. Thus Darius asked, and thirty men undertook the matter, each one separately desiring to do it himself; and Darius stopped their contention and bade them cast lots: so when they cast lots, Bagaios the son of Artontes obtained the lot from among them all. Bagaios accordingly, having obtained the lot, did thus:—he wrote many papers dealing with various matters and on them set the seal of Darius, and with them he went to Sardis. When he arrived there and came into the presence of Oroites, he took the covers off the papers one after another and gave them to the Royal Secretary to read; for all the governors of provinces have Royal Secretaries. Now Bagaios thus gave the papers in order to make trial of the spearmen of the guard, whether they would accept the motion to revolt from Oroites; and seeing that they paid great reverence to the papers and still more to the words which were recited from them, he gave another paper in which were contained these words: "Persians, king Darius forbids you to serve as guards to Oroites": and they hearing this lowered to him the points of their spears. Then Bagaios, seeing that in this they were obedient to the paper, took courage upon that and gave the last of the papers to the secretary; and in it was written: "King Darius commands the Persians who are in Sardis to slay Oroites." So the spearmen of the guard, when they heard this, drew their swords and slew him forthwith. Thus did retribution for the murder of Polycrates the Samian overtake Oroites.

More Gold Discoveries

Featuring Edward Jenks

Previously on Gold Discovered in Australia. And now Edward Jenks.

Time: February 12, 1851
Place: Lewes Pond Creek

A gold nugget from the Australian
gold fields dug up in 1872.
Public domain image from Wikipedia.

He had not long to wait. Almost immediately after the issue of the proclamation another gold-field was discovered on the Turon River, also a feeder of the Macquarie, only a few miles from Lewes Pond; and shortly afterward a third was opened up on the Abercrombie, a tributary of the Murrumbidgee, which takes its rise in the Cordillera, south of Bathurst. By the beginning of June, gold began to pour into Bathurst; but Mr. Hardy, the chief commissioner, was able to report an almost idyllic peace and plenty at the diggings.

In the middle of July an event occurred which at once produced a violent attack of gold fever. This was the discovery of an enormous mass of virgin gold, weighing upward of one hundred pounds, by Doctor Kerr, a squatter on the Meroo Creek. Doctor Kerr had been guided to the spot by an aboriginal who had been in his service several years; and, in his excitement, he broke the matrix in which the nugget was imbedded, and thus spoiled what would have been the most magnificent specimen of gold quartz hitherto discovered. Even as it was, the display in Bathurst of a single find of gold worth four thousand pounds was enough to excite the feelings of the inhabitants to a pitch inconsistent with steady industry.

Just Where He Thought It Would Be

Featuring Edward Jenks

Introduction to our series Gold Discovered in Australia:
Edward Jenks was a famous law professor whose reputation rested primarily on his books on law and government. After spending time in Australia he published A History of the Australasian Colonies in 1895. And now, Edward Jenks.

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Time: February 12, 1851
Place: Lewes Pond Creek

A gold nugget from the Australian
gold fields dug up in 1872.
Public domain image from Wikipedia.

In the year 1851 Edmund Hammond Hargraves, an old settler in New South Wales, returned thither from California, where he had spent about eighteen months in the search for gold. His efforts in California resulted in no immediate prosperity, but he gained much useful practical experience. More than this, as he looked at the natural features of the California gold-fields, a great idea grew up in his mind. Though not a geologist, he appears to have had a quick eye for stratiform resemblances; and the more he studied the peculiarities of rocks and soil in California, the more he became convinced that he knew, in his own colony, a district which presented the same features and which, therefore, might be expected to produce the same results.

Remaining in California only long enough to verify his observations, he returned to Sydney at the beginning of the year 1851. Seldom has such absolute confidence in unverified observation proved so completely justified. According to Hargraves's own account he went without hesitation to a spot on the banks of a little stream known as Lewes Pond Creek, a tributary of Summer Hill Creek, itself a tributary of the Macquarie River, and there at once, on February 12, 1851, found alluvial gold. In April he had so far advanced as to be able to write to the Government offering to disclose his treasures for five hundred pounds. But he subsequently decided to trust to the liberality of the Government, and offered at once to show his workings to the government geologist, an official recently sent out from England to report upon gold prospects. On May 19th Mr. Stutchbury officially reported the discovery of gold in workable quantities at Summer Hill Creek, and by the end of the same month the immigration to the diggings had begun. Hargraves himself took no part in the digging, merely pointing out to others, without reserve, the places in which his experience led him to predict discovery, and instructing them in the processes of washing and cleaning. He was soon made a commissioner of Crown lands, and received a reward of ten thousand pounds.

Probe Lands on

From the latest happenings in things historical. The article Ten Years on Titan linked below was published 23 days ago in Slate.  The article's author is Phil Plait.



This article describes a ten year anniversary that it truly historic. On January 15, 2005 a probe landed on the moon of another planet for the first time. The moon wasTitan, the largest moon of Saturn.

The video originated from the probe as it was landing.  Explanatory graphics were added.  For example, the atmosphere on Titan is thick enough that a parachute-assisted landing could be and was made.  The parachute animation gives you an idea what the probe looked like as it was going down.

Again: Mitch McConnell Fact File

by Jack Le Moine
Who is the new leader of the Senate that’s making so much news? A few years ago I put together a short fact file on his past.

Every so often we like to resurrect an article from the blog’s past. This one is from March 11, 2010 and first appeared in my Political Journal blog. – Just one of the gems buried in the archives.

QUOTE:
Only major Senator to oppose campaign finance reform on Constitutional grounds.

Here’s  the rest of the article. The original article was written by JL, too.

What Rulers Need Most

Bust of Seneca
CC BY-SA 3.0 image by Calidius from Wikipedia.

It is impossible to imagine anything which better becomes a ruler than mercy.

- Seneca the Younger

More on Seneca.

James II Executes the Duke of Monmouth

Featuring Gilbert Burnet

Previously on Monmouth’s Rebellion. And now Gilbert Burnet.

Time: 1685
Place: Ledgemoor, Somerset


View Larger Map
Satellite view of the battlefield today.

His body was quite sunk with fatigue, and his mind was now so low that he begged his life in a manner that agreed ill with the courage of the former parts of it. He called for pen, ink, and paper, and wrote to the Earl of Feversham, and both to the Queen and the Queen dowager, to intercede with the King for his life. The King's temper, as well as his interest, made it so impossible to hope for that, that it showed a great meanness in him to ask it in such terms as he used in his letters. He was carried up to Whitehall, where the King examined him in person, which was thought very indecent, since he was resolved not to pardon him.[3] He made new and unbecoming submissions, and insinuated a readiness to change his religion; for, he said, the King knew what his first education was in religion. There were no discoveries to be got from him; for the attempt was too rash to be well concerted, or to be so deep laid that many were involved in the guilt of it. He was examined on Monday, and orders were given for his execution on Wednesday.

Oroites Must Die

Previously in Herodotus

123. Polycrates having heard this rejoiced, and was disposed to agree; and as he had a great desire, it seems, for wealth, he first sent Maiandrios the son of Maiandrios, a native of Samos who was his secretary, to see it: this man was the same who not long after these events dedicated all the ornaments of the men's chamber in the palace of Polycrates, ornaments well worth seeing, as an offering to the temple of Hera. Oroites accordingly, having heard that the person sent to examine might be expected soon to come, did as follows, that is to say, he filled eight chests with stones except a small depth at the very top of each, and laid gold above upon the stones; then he tied up the chests and kept them in readiness. So Maiandrios came and looked at them and brought back word to Polycrates: