I've been wondering how do people if and after they actually learn how extremely tragic, full of misfortune and poverty, stupidity, insanity, subjugation, illness, death and destruction the past was, they can still feel joy, happiness, will to live, motivation and even want to have children, and not for a few days, but for decades.
I don't understand that. I've been trying, but I don't understand. I guess it's depression.
Re: Modern History (1800 – present)
Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2024 7:49 pm
by Time_Traveller
Asante Gold: UK returns looted Ghana artefacts after 150 years
5 hours ago
The UK has returned dozens of artefacts looted from what is today Ghana - more than 150 years after they were taken.
Some 32 gold and silver items have been sent on long-term loan to the country by the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) and the British Museum.
They were stolen from the court of the Asante king, known as the Asantehene, during 19th century conflicts between the British and powerful Asante people.
The objects are expected to be returned to the current king on Friday.
His chief negotiator, Ivor Agyeman-Duah, told the BBC that the objects are currently in "safe hands" in Ghana ahead of them being formally received.
The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch, was a failed coup d'état by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff and other Kampfbund leaders in Munich, Bavaria, on 8–9 November 1923, during the Weimar Republic. Approximately two thousand Nazis marched on the Feldherrnhalle, in the city centre, but were confronted by a police cordon, which resulted in the deaths of 15 Nazis, four police officers, and one bystander.
Hitler escaped immediate arrest and was spirited off to safety in the countryside. After two days, he was arrested and charged with treason.
The putsch brought Hitler to the attention of the German nation for the first time and generated front-page headlines in newspapers around the world. His arrest was followed by a 24-day trial, which was widely publicised and gave him a platform to express his nationalist sentiments. Hitler was found guilty of treason and sentenced to five years in Landsberg Prison, where he dictated Mein Kampf to fellow prisoners Emil Maurice and Rudolf Hess. On 20 December 1924, having served only nine months, Hitler was released. Once released, Hitler redirected his focus towards obtaining power through legal means rather than by revolution or force, and accordingly changed his tactics, further developing Nazi propaganda.
If you were to ask most American when did Donald Trump first run for president a likely response would be 2016. A week ago, that would have been my response. Actually, Trump first ran in 2000. Here is the sequence of events surrounding that candidacy:
The Federal Election Campaign Act contains provisions for distribution of millions of tax dollars to Democrats, Republicans and minor parties that receive more than 5 percent of the vote. 1974 A.D.
Ross Perot’s Reform Party wins 8 percent of the vote, enough to secure $12.6 million under the Federal Election Campaign Act. 1996 A.D.
The Reform Party’s assets lure a diverse crop of opportunists to its presidential nomination process. Donald Trump wins its California primary before withdrawing his candidacy. Pat Buchanan wins the nomination. 2000 A.D.
Source: Mother Jones,”Party Crashers,” Clint Hendler, page 26, May + June 2024.
Re: Modern History (1800 – present)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2024 9:41 am
by Time_Traveller
Cambridge University releases Everest mountaineer George Mallory's letters
3 hours ago
The final words of mountaineer George Mallory to his wife are among letters made public for the first time, marking his death 100 years ago on Everest.
Mallory studied history at Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge between 1905 and 1909, and the college has now digitised his writings.
Born in Mobberley, Cheshire, he died during an Everest expedition in 1924 but his body was not found until 1999.
Letters found in his jacket pocket are among the collection.
Mallory is known for apparently replying "because it's there", when asked by a reporter why he wanted to climb Everest.
The Spectacular Implosion of the Libertarian Party
I just finished reading an article in Mother Jones concerning the Libertarian party in the U.S. The article traces the history of the party form the 1970s to the present and is therefore hard to cite in 350 words or less. A main thing to note is how the party has partially morphed from one in support of classical liberalism, with an emphasis on minimal government involvement, to a party that advocates restrictions on abortion and immigration rights and is highly racist in nature. This descent has paralleled a high level of faction formation, as some have resisted its more repugnant racist orientation. Like the MAGA movement, conspiracy theorists have also gained influence. Of particularly pernicious influence is the Mises Caucus which began to "wrest control of local and state parties" in 2022. As the title of the article suggests, the overall effect is best described as an "implosion." For the full article:
Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching (21 April 1913 – 23 March 1985), commonly known as Dr Beeching, was a physicist and engineer who for a short but very notable time was chairman of British Railways. He became a household name in Britain in the early 1960s for his report The Reshaping of British Railways, commonly referred to as The Beeching Report, which led to far-reaching changes in the rail network, popularly known as the Beeching Axe.
As a result of the report, just over 4,000 route miles (6,400 kilometres) were removed from the system on cost and efficiency grounds, leaving Britain with 13,721 miles (22,082 km) of railway lines in 1966. A further 2,000 miles (3,200 km) were lost by the end of the 1960s, while other lines were reduced to freight use only.
Hard to believe it's been this long. I have such clear memories. I was at home, in my 2nd year of college. My Dad phoned me with the news, and I remember being incredibly shocked.
For non-UK forumers – this was one of the UK's most well-known TV presenters, just randomly shot dead. Try to imagine someone like Ellen DeGeneres or Rachel Maddow being suddenly and brutally murdered.
