This Day in History

[besilarius]

1152.  King Henry II of England (19) weds Eleanor of Aquitaine (30).

A jolly Christmas of that typical English family, the Plantagenets.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fKoYHKpCSc4&pp=ygUadGhlIGxpb24gaW4gd2ludGVyIHRyYWlsZXI%3D

[Sir Slash]

I remember that wedding. I was carrying Eleanor's train for her. Then later me and the Beef-Eaters got 'royally' drunk.   

[besilarius]

Here's A gumdrop of knowledge.
When chess was invented in India, the powerful piece was called the Grand Vizier, or the General.
The first time it was called the Queen, was at a winter court of Queen Eleanor.

[besilarius]

In 1777, Frederick the Great of Prussia declared, "Many battles have been fought and won by soldiers nourished on beer, and the king does not believe that coffee drinking soldiers can be  depended upon."He barred his soldiers from imbibing this beverage.
Frederick was quite disappointed with coffee.  As a young man, he finally got access to a splendid library (his father believed books and culture would make him a sissy).  Enjoying himself thoroughly, he felt sleep was a waste of time.  For most of a week, he tried to avoid sleeping by drinking fifty cups of strong coffee a day.
It took almost two years for his digestion to recover.

[Sir Slash]

Geez, no wonder he was always invading somebody. 

[GROGnadsUSA]

Geez, no wonder he was always invading somebody.

Yes, them 'Bohemian Bier & Pretzels' "WAR Games" had made HIM: "Bloodthirsty"-!   

[besilarius]

In 1498, Portuguese explorer Vasco de Game arrives in Calicut, India. 
After this auspicious event, all navigators will be nicknamed Vasco.

[besilarius]

In 1762, the Spanish frigate Hermione was captured off of Cadiz by the British ships Active and Favorite.  The Hermione was transporting the annual treasure of Peru to Spain.
Prize Money was the value of a captured ship and it's cargo, determined by a Royal Court.  The value of this capture was set at a very uninflated 519,705 pounds.
In the past, all captures were the property of the crown, who got the value of the captures, Droits of the Crown.  However, the king - God bless him - gave over his captures to the Lord High Admiral, Droits de Admiralty, who shared it with the sailors who actually accomplished the captures.
Thus admiral Hawke (victor of Quivering Bay but was not even present),  and Captains Pownall and Sawyer 65,000 pounds each.  Then using traditional rules, each crew member received their share.  Even the lowliest cabin boy had a share, in the case 482 pounds. Taking into account inflation and various costs of living, this comes out to about $180,000 in today's money.

[bayonetbrant]

that's good money for a cabin boy

[besilarius]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tRzNr9Q9iOw&pp=ygUYc3F1YWx1cyBzdWJtYXJpbmUgcmVzY3Vl

On this day in 1939, Swede Momsen saves 33 crew of the sunken sub, Squalus.

[besilarius]

On this day in 1789, a duel was fought between the Duke of York, colonel of the Coldstream Guards, and lt. Colonel Charles Lennox of the Cold stream Guards.  Firing first, Lennox slightly wounded the Duke, who chivalrously refused to fire.

In 1922, Lenin suffered a stroke, which unfortunately was not fatal.

In 1946, the US filed for a patent on the H bomb.

[besilarius]

1541.  Margaret de la Poole, 67, beheaded for being catholic and royal.
1606, the False Dmitri, usurping tsar, butchered by the people of Muscovy.
1610, Francis Ravallaic, 32, hung, drawn and quartered for the murder of French king Henri IV.
1661.  Archibald Campbell, chief of clan Campbell, beheaded.

A busy day.

[besilarius]

1541.  Margaret de la Poole, 67, beheaded for being catholic and royal.
1606, the False Dmitri, usurping tsar, butchered by the people of Muscovy.
1610, Francis Ravallaic, 32, hung, drawn and quartered for the murder of French king Henri IV.
1661.  Archibald Campbell, chief of clan Campbell, beheaded.
1941.  Admiral Gunter Luytjens and approximately 1,500 crew of battleship Bismarck.

A busy day.