Give me a mind-blowing history fact

214,143 Views | 1105 Replies | Last: 9 hrs ago by HillCountry15
Hey Nav
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AG
Totally agree with what you've said.

I'm just commenting on the silliness of all this.

We haven't renamed to cities of Austin and Houston. Nor D.C. What about Washington state?

I do honor Gen Cavacos, btw.

I lived next door to Ft Bragg for almost 6 years. It will be difficult to get the name change in my brain, as I am old.
Rongagin71
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p_bubel said:




Geronimo, the Apache war chief confined at Fort Sam Houston (in the Quadrangle) in 1886. Captured with 32 other Apache warriors in Arizona, he was sent to Fort Sam while the federal government decided whether they were to be treated as prisoners of war or turned over to civil authorities. The Apaches including the warriors' women and children were housed in Army tents along the Quadrangle's north wall, then home to its blacksmith and wheelwright shops for about six weeks until they were moved to Florida.



I still need to visit the revamped musuem.
I enjoyed seeing that photo of the citadel at Ft Sam,
played with the deer in there more than once.
FTACo88-FDT24dad
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BQ78 said:

I've heard but never confirmed that it is still illegal to have wire cutters in your pocket in Texas.
Lots of outlaws sitting in swings on stack back in the day.
BQ78
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Maybe not a history mind blowing fact, more of a geography mind blowing fact but Vietnam has a desert not too far from the old Cam Rahn Bay naval base, The Mui Ne Dunes is a desert oasis within the ubiquitous jungle and rice paddy nation:



It was formed by sand blowing from the South China Sea coast. It's about halfway between Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). It is the only desert in Southeast Asia.
Rabid Cougar
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Tyrannosaurus Ross said:

Class of 1960


What is the last name? My dad is Roy Boutwell
LMCane
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CanyonAg77 said:

Wonder how many famous generals were stationed in Texas at one time. I know that Robert E. Lee was.

Phil Sheridan was stationed in Texas 1859-1861

"if I owned hell and Texas, I would sell Texas and rent in Hell"
BrazosBendHorn
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This might not be so much mind-blowing as it is eyebrow raising …

If you've ever watched a documentary or news clip regarding the RMS Titanic, you've probably seen some ancient newsreel footage of the ship with a tugboat at her side … and you might have wondered why it looks as though someone deliberately scratched the film, frame by frame, to obscure the name and place of registration on the stern of said tugboat … as I learned earlier this year from the video linked below, this was to hide the fact that this tugboat was registered in New York … and you're thinking "but the Titanic never made it to New York!" … very true, because the ship in that newsreel footage is actually the Titanic's almost-identical sister ship, the Olympic.

Yeah, after the Titanic went down they needed footage of the ship for the newsreels, and apparently there wasn't any. And someone got the bright idea of using footage of the Olympic (because they look just the same anyway, right?). And this misrepresentation has continued for 100+ years.

Sort of like on the anniversary of December 7 you'll see what purports to be film of Japanese dive bombers (which are actually American Navy SBD Dauntless drive bombers that doubled for Japanese bombers in some WWII-era film about the Pearl Harbor attack).



Btw, Oceanliner Designs has a great video about how the HMS Hood met its end …

QBCade
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BrazosBendHorn said:

This might not be so much mind-blowing as it is eyebrow raising …

If you've ever watched a documentary or news clip regarding the RMS Titanic, you've probably seen some ancient newsreel footage of the ship with a tugboat at her side … and you might have wondered why it looks as though someone deliberately scratched the film, frame by frame, to obscure the name and place of registration on the stern of said tugboat … as I learned earlier this year from the video linked below, this was to hide the fact that this tugboat was registered in New York … and you're thinking "but the Titanic never made it to New York!" … very true, because the ship in that newsreel footage is actually the Titanic's almost-identical sister ship, the Olympic.

Yeah, after the Titanic went down they needed footage of the ship for the newsreels, and apparently there wasn't any. And someone got the bright idea of using footage of the Olympic (because they look just the same anyway, right?). And this misrepresentation has continued for 100+ years.

Sort of like on the anniversary of December 7 you'll see what purports to be film of Japanese dive bombers (which are actually American Navy SBD Dauntless drive bombers that doubled for Japanese bombers in some WWII-era film about the Pearl Harbor attack).



Btw, Oceanliner Designs has a great video about how the HMS Hood met its end …




Btw, Rest is History podcast did a series on Titanic. Really enjoyed it.
Who?mikejones!
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I did not know this. I was a tour guide during school too
whoop1995
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Agthatbuilds said:



I did not know this. I was a tour guide during school too
I was a tour guide as well and when we went on the tour with my son years ago I was rather depressed at the lack of a tour we were getting so I spoke up and added a couple of things at a couple of stops. Basic things like there are two 12th man statues. The weather building is the tallest building on campus By the end of the tour the tour guides were asking me if there was anything I would like to add so I went in a little depth like the story about prexys moon and live ammo on campus in the dorms etc.

Both tour guides were sophomores and it was their first season of being a tour guide so I guess I should've cut them a little slack.

By the way rudder tower is taller than kyle field or at least it was before the remodel. That might have changed.
I collect ticket stubs! looking for a 1944 orange bowl and 1981 independence bowl ticket stub as well as Aggie vs tu stubs - 1926 and below, 1935-1937, 1939-1944, 1946-1948, 1950-1951, 1953, 1956-1957, 1959, 1960, 1963-1966, 1969-1970, 1972-1974, 1980, 1984, 1990, 2004, 2008, 2010
CanyonAg77
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Quote:

I was a tour guide as well and when we went on the tour with my son two years ago I was rather depressed at the lack of a tour we were getting so I spoke up and added a couple of things at a couple of stops.

Took my daughter on a tour in about 2006. I spent most of the tour rolling my eyes, shaking my head, and telling my kid I'd tell her the correct info later.
JABQ04
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Agthatbuilds said:



I did not know this. I was a tour guide during school too


I really feel like if this was true it would have been beaten into my brain my fish year in the Corps.
HarleySpoon
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JABQ04 said:

Agthatbuilds said:



I did not know this. I was a tour guide during school too


I really feel like if this was true it would have been beaten into my brain my fish year in the Corps.
I wasn't in the corps and this was beaten into my brain in the early 80's.
Who?mikejones!
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I cant find any official documentation of the claim
nortex97
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Yeah we were taught that, back in the early 90's.

Separately, one of history's most successful pirates was a Chinese (possibly former) prostitute named Ching Shih. She commanded a fleet of over 1,500 ships and 80,000 sailors. In 1810, Zheng Yi Sao negotiated a surrender to the Qing authorities that allowed her and Zhang Bao to retain a substantial fleet and avoid prosecution. At the time of her surrender, she personally commanded 24 ships and over 1,400 pirates. She died in 1844 at the age of about 68, having lived a relatively peaceful and prosperous life since the end of her career in piracy.



With Macau's Ouvidor (magistrate) Miguel Jos de Arriaga as mediator, Zheng Yi Sao, Zhang Bao, and Bai Ling officially met on Zhang Bao's flagship on February 21, 1810. The negotiations quickly broke down when Bai Ling refused Zheng Yi Sao and Zhang Bao's demand of retaining 5,000 subordinates and 80 ships for entering the salt trade and joining the anti-pirate campaign in western Guangdong. At the end of the day, ten British Indiamen sailed past the pirate fleet and alarmed Zhang Bao, who suspected some sort of Sino-European trap and quickly retreated.

On April 17, Zheng Yi Sao, wanting to break the deadlock, personally led a delegation of 17 women and children to the Yamen at Guangzhou and negotiated with Bai Ling, where he yielded to her demands. On April 20, 1810, Zheng Yi Sao and Zhang Bao officially surrendered to Bai Ling near Furongsha, near what is now Guzaiwan with 17,318 pirates, 226 ships, 1,315 cannons, and 2,798 assorted weapons. Zheng Yi Sao surrendered with 24 ships and 1,433 pirates under her personal command. Zhang Bao was awarded the rank of lieutenant, and was allowed to retain a private fleet of 20 to 30 ships. Zheng Yi Sao was also given permission to officially marry Zhang Bao. Zheng Yi Sao and her crews were pardoned, and the men received pork, wine and money.
Cen-Tex
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The famous 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral' (between the Earps, Doc Holiday vs the Clantons, McLaurys, etc) did not actually occur in the corral proper. The gunfight is supposed to have happened in a vacant lot between a boarding house and photography studio near Fremont St., which lies behind the O.K. Corral. In 1924, Wyatt Earp provided a hand drawn map of his remembrance of the gunfight.
nortex97
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Kind of amazing:



I had to look it up and I think the story of the parachuting Lt. shooting a Japanese pilot with a headshot using his 1911 is true.
Ghost of Andrew Eaton
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During World War II, the British established MI9 to help Allied POWs escape captivity. They created ingenious tools like blankets that had clothing patterns written on them with invisible inks, maps written on leaves that could be crumbled up, and the hiding of money/tools in books and other places.

MI9

If you say you hate the state of politics in this nation and you don't get involved in it, you obviously don't hate the state of politics in this nation.
Cen-Tex
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Slicer97 said:

Our campus sits next to Camp Swift between Bastrop and Elgin and used to be part of Swift. Tons of old concrete foundations left over from WWII on our campus and neighboring properties.

Supposedly, 3 German officers were hanged during that time for killing a prisoner they caught acting as an informant.
Every state in the US had POW camps w/the exception of 3 states . Arizona had its share of camps, as well. Here's an interesting story about a German POW escape from the Papago Park POW camp near Tempe in 1944.
https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/escape-into-arizonas-desert-german-prisoners-in-world-war-ii/
p_bubel
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The Espada Aqueduct in San Antonio is the oldest Spanish aqueduct in the United States. (1740 -1745) The aqueduct carries water over Six-mile creek (historically piedras creek) connecting the ditches. The aqueduct is located north of Mission Espada. Water can still be seen today flowing over the aqueduct on its way to Mission Espada.

Mission Espada's acequia (irrigation) system can still be seen today. The main ditch, or acequia madre, continues to carry water to the mission and its former farmlands. This water is still used by residents living on these neighboring lands

In order to distribute water to the missions along the San Antonio River, Franciscan missionaries oversaw the construction of seven gravity-flow ditches, dams, and at least one aqueducta 15-mile (24 km) network that irrigated approximately 3,500 acres (14 km2) of land. The acequia not only conducted potable water and irrigation, but also powered a mill.

A map of the acequia system for the area, 1730-1800



Ultimately, there were over 50 miles of acequia ditches in San Antonio that served the missions, the secular settlement of Bexar, and the military presidio. Some still survive today and are in use while others are sitting in pieces and dry but still visible.
p_bubel
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When Pablo Picasso Was Suspected of Stealing the Mona Lisa

On August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from Paris's Louvre Museum. It was a Monday and the museum was closed and security was minimal.

Several years prior in 1907, Gery Pieret had stolen at least two Iberian sculptures made in the 3rd or 4th century BCE and sold them to Picasso, who paid him 50 francs per piece. (Picasso used these artifacts to inspire his work Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.

Although he was in possession of stolen art, the judge determined that the situation had nothing to do with the Mona Lisa's disappearance and decided to throw the case out.

Two years later, he would be cleared of any possible connection to the crime when police discovered the painting had been stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, an Italian artist who had been working at the Louvre.
p_bubel
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How American 'Dollar Princesses' Invaded British High Society

Between the late 19th century and World War II, a flood of "dollar princesses" flocked to England looking for love. In return for a coveted title, they offered their much-needed wealth to an aristocracy desperate for cash. And along the way, they helped change British royalty forever including the lives of the modern-day heirs to Britain's throne.

It's estimated to have injected a billion pounds into the British economy and saved a large number of floundering estates.
HarleySpoon
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p_bubel said:



How American 'Dollar Princesses' Invaded British High Society

Between the late 19th century and World War II, a flood of "dollar princesses" flocked to England looking for love. In return for a coveted title, they offered their much-needed wealth to an aristocracy desperate for cash. And along the way, they helped change British royalty forever including the lives of the modern-day heirs to Britain's throne.

It's estimated to have injected a billion pounds into the British economy and saved a large number of floundering estates.
Downton Abbey as a fictional, but popular example,
Ghost of Andrew Eaton
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Wasn't Churchill's mother American?
If you say you hate the state of politics in this nation and you don't get involved in it, you obviously don't hate the state of politics in this nation.
Jabin
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Yes.



Quote:

The marriage of Winston Churchill's parents in 1900 is a prominent example of the trend.

Lord Randolph Churchill's parents were reportedly horrified at the prospect of their son marrying Jennie Jerome, an American socialite and the daughter of a social climbing financier. That was until they realised just how wealthy Jerome was; her dowry was $250,000 (the equivalent of $6.7m today).

This match might have secured a title for the Jeromes and riches for the Churchills, but it didn't result in love. The pair were involved in countless affairs, with Jennie's lovers including the future King Edward VII, and King Milan of Serbia.
Dollar Princesses | American Heiresses Who Changed British Aristocracy - HistoryExtra
LMCane
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Hood and Prince of Wales were regarded as two of the strongest warships in the world

within 5 months they would both be at the bottom of the sea,

Hood from one shot by Bismarck and POW sunk in one Japanese air raid near Malaysia.
JABQ04
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I really enjoy Oceanliners Design YouTube Channel. Lots of great stuff on there.
YZ250
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HMS Prince of Wales really got around. I always found it interesting that the Prince of Wales brought Churchill to the Argentia, Newfoundland meeting from August 9-12, 1941. Then arrived in Singapore 4 months later on 2 December before being sunk on 10 December.
JABQ04
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Sad that the PoW and Repulse have been virtually destroyed by scavengers
CanyonAg77
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Not to derail the thread too much, but wife and I are fans of the latest incarnation of All Creatures Great and Small on PBS.

The housekeeper, Mrs. Hall, has a son, Edward, from who she is estranged. In the current timeline WWII has begun and the son is in the Navy, about to join his ship. They have an episode where Mrs. Hall and Edward try to reconcile, mostly successfully.

Edward is in uniform, and his hat is marked with the name of his ship: Repulse

This being the History Board, I'm sure most are aware that Repulse and Prince of Wales were lost on 10 December, 1941, the former with the loss of 508 of her crew of 967.

I expect the news of the sinking and the suspense over whether Edward survived, to be a major plot point next season.

CanyonAg77
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JABQ04 said:

Sad that the PoW and Repulse have been virtually destroyed by scavengers China
Rongagin71
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The British Museum has long maintained that it was a safe place for valuable historical artifacts, but since this vast theft lasting years came to light about 9 yrs ago, the Chinese (among others) have renewed demands for returns.
Aggie1205
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In 1940 the Russians shot down a Finnish Civilian aircraft that had a US diplomat on board. At the time Finland and Russia weren't even at war. This was after the 1940 Winter war ended. It was kept quiet to not stir things up as it was during the Russian occupation of Estonia (see long Russian history of being a bad neighbor).

Quote:

American diplomat Henry W. Antheil Jr., who is now considered one of the first U.S. casualties of World War II, was aboard the plane when it went down.

Before him, an American military attach to Norway was killed by the Germans.


The Plane was recently found

I do wonder what discussions FDR had with his team about what to press the Russians on. We know that he suppressed the report from George Howard Earle that accurately concluded that the Russians were behind the Katyn massacre. He even sent him off to the Samoas to keep him quiet.
p_bubel
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Y'all are familiar with the mountains of the Hindu Kush.

Kush is killer in Hindi.

Hindu Killer.
Aggie1205
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If you add up military deaths of all of the Allied countries (even though some of the deaths from countries like Poland could have been killed in the service of Germany or Russia), the number comes to a bit over 2 million. To put things in perspective, there were 3.3 million Russian POW's who died in German POW camps alone. Since they were considered traitors for having been captured, no one even knows many of the names and families weren't notified.
 
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