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Little Known Facts Of History


4Vikram

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Nazi Fab Fashion
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I have a love and passion for history and thought I'd share some of that with you guys! I hope you find these little known facts to be as fun and interesting as I do! If this gets enough attention I will be more than happy to make another :) Ever noticed how the Nazi Party and German armed forces had some of the best looking uniforms in the 20th century? That's because the iconic uniforms were designed by Hugo Boss. Hugo Boss was a card carrying Nazi and owes his success to the rise of Nazi power. He joined the Nazi Party in 1931, the German Labor Front in 1936, the Reich Air Protection Association in 1939, and the National Socialist People's Welfare in 1941. Boss' factories often used slave labor to manufacture their clothes, and according to people close to Boss he kept a framed picture in his apartment of himself and Hitler together during one of Hitler's vacations. Following the war Boss was stripped of his voting rights, was banned from doing business, and forced to pay heavy fines as punishment for his continued support of Adolf Hitler as well as human right's abuses. The company was passed on to Boss' son-in-law Eugen Holy; Boss died two years later in 1948.

I'm Not Emo Mom, I'm Goth
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For nearly two thousand years the Goths have been portrayed as savage and ignorant barbarians akin to the ice-river clans in Game of Thrones. But the reality is quite a bit different. There was never a true "Gothic Invasion" (though many would argue that the war lead by Alaric following the death of Theodosius was an invasion, they are using a very subjective definition of "invasion"). Indeed the Romans brought the Goths into the empire as they fled from the advancing Huns in 375 AD. Huddled in camps on the shore of the Danube River the Goths were brought under Roman protection with Roman soldiers helping bring boats back and forth to get the refugees to safety. Once in safety however the Goths were treated quite horribly and subjected to a near slave like state. Starvation was rampant and those who could not afford to pay for the food the Romans provided them were forced to pay with children, and Gothic women were routinely raped by Roman soldiers and officers. Despite their conditions they maintained a unique culture. As noted by Roman historian Tacitus, they elected their own leaders and treated their slaves far better than the Romans treated theirs. The mass immigration of Goths into Rome would see the gates opened to other refugees. The Franks, Saxons (in the not too distant future), and Slavs would all begin migrating and forever changing the socio-political makeup of Europe.

Not So Fast Gringo
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Ask the average American what the oldest city in the United States is and they will without fail tell you either Plymouth or Jamestown. But this is only because of the Anglo-centric education system in the US. The truth is that the oldest city in America is actually St. Augustine (originally San Agustín) in Florida. Founded in 1565 by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. The city served as the seat of Spanish power in the Americas for over 200 years and remained the center of government in Florida until 1824. The city has survived invasions, pirate raids, the wrath of hurricanes, and revolutions. The fort in the city, the Castillo de San Marcos, was besieged by the English fleet for nearly two months and did not fall, nor has the city ever been captured by an invading military. NOTE: Some historians argue that San Juan, Puerto Rico, established in 1509 by Juan Ponce de León is the oldest city in the United States. But being that Puerto Rico is an American territory and not a state I do not ascribe to this belief. If Puerto Rico does become a state one day then that will change.

Tall Tale
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Napoleon Bonaparte has always been portrayed as a wee little man. This is due to his height listed at the time of his death. It was recorded as 5ft 2in (1.57m for those in counties that have never put a man on the moon). But the height was listed in French measurements which differed from English measurements. By modern standards Napoleon was actually 5ft 7in (1.70m) which was an above average height for Frenchmen at the time.

Hit It And Quit It
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Afghanistan is often referred to in a similar vein as Russia... the country which cannot be conquered. But that actually isn't true. Afghanistan almost always losses her major wars (at least in the past few thousand years). Alexander the great (or Terrible, I'm not getting into that mess) would lead a 40,000 man army into the mountains of Afghanistan in pursuit of Artaxerxes V (aka Bessus). Taking city after the city it wasn't long before nearly the entire country was under Macedonian control. But the local Afghans rebelled using deadly guerrilla warfare and soon staying in the country was simply not worth the problems it caused and Alexander withdrew his forces from the edge of the world (a story for another day). Several centuries later Afghanistan was under the rule of Shah Allah al-Din Muhammad II of the Khwarezm Empire. But after capturing and executing Mongol merchants in 1218, and then killing Mongol diplomats sent to resolve the problem peacefully (pretty rare for Mongolia at that time), the Khwarezm Empire managed to piss off the most dangerous man in the world... Genghis Khan. The Mongols decimated the Khwarezm Empire, razing every city, town, and village they came upon, slaughtering thousands of Afghans and constructed massive pyramids out of severed Afghan heads. To make matters worse the Mongols destroyed as much of Afghanistan as they could on their way out, destroying the complex irrigation tunnels in the Afghan mountains. This would deprive many fertile regions of needed water and turned those areas into some of the deserts of Afghanistan we know today. (Not So) Fun Fact: When Genghis Khan finally captured the man who had the Mongols killed (a governor of sorts by the name of Inalchuk) he ordered him executed Viserys style with hot silver poured down his ears and into his eyes. Fast forward to the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan during the Cold War and there is a very similar situation. The Soviets captured the country and did their best to implement a puppet state but were faced with heavy resistance and remained unable to maintain control. The US war in Afghanistan today is no different. The country was not difficult to invade and American forces quickly established military bases and completed strategic objectives. But after years of bloody conflict the country still remains unable to be truly controlled. This is because Afghanistan's historical weakness is also her historical strength. The country is home to many ethnic groups such as the Pashtuns, Hazaras, and Tajiks, and has a history of extreme violence (external as well as intern) dating back nearly 3,000 years. The nation is difficult to unify and has thousands of generations of mountain combat to fall back on whenever faced with an external threat.

 

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