Category Archives: History

Assassination as policy: a few examples

Posted on July 19, 2021 by odeboyz

“In the thousand years the Roman empire survived in Constantinople, 65 out of its 107 emperors were assassinated. In Venice in the 15th and 16th centuries 200 assassinations were plotted for foreign policy reasons…Other than probably the CIA, Israel’s intelligence … Continue reading →

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Two Barbaric Sentencing Regimes: England, 1723 and California, 1994

Posted on July 15, 2021 by odeboyz

Background Barbaric sentencing and moral panics are linked. “A moral panic is a widespread feeling of fear, often an irrational one, that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society.”1 The events … Continue reading →

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An Italian economic boycott, 1848

Posted on July 12, 2021 by odeboyz

….the inhabitants of Milan, under Austrian rule, followed the principle of the Boston Tea Party by giving up smoking in order to stop the Austrians obtaining revenue from a tax on tobacco. Richard Evans The pursuit of power p189

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Winston Churchill advocates the ‘United States of Europe’

Posted on July 7, 2021 by odeboyz

With this plea for a United States of Europe, Churchill was one of the first to advocate European integration to prevent the atrocities of two world wars from ever happening again, calling for the creation of a Council of Europe … Continue reading →

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The Wrong Answer

Posted on June 21, 2021 by odeboyz

Emperor Augustus was touring his Empire and noticed a man who looked so similar that he could have been his brother. Intrigued he asked: “Did your mother work in the Imperial Palace?” “No, Your Highness. But my father did.”

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Winston Churchill mocks Clement Attlee (who got the last laugh*)

Posted on June 10, 2021 by odeboyz

Churchill said: “An empty taxi arrived at 10 Downing Street, and when the door was opened, Attlee got out.” And the classic “He is a modest man with much to be modest about.” Finally: Attlee is, ‘A sheep in sheep’s … Continue reading →

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London and the Great Plague, 1665: Plague Pits

Posted on June 10, 2021 by odeboyz

Records state that plague deaths in London and the suburbs crept up over the summer from 2,000 people per week to over 7,000 per week in September. These figures are likely to be a considerable underestimate. Many of the sextons … Continue reading →

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Hitler’s Invasion Plan: Operation Sea Lion, 1940

Posted on June 3, 2021 by odeboyz

Hitler issued Directive No. 16 on July 16 [1940]…., “As England, in spite of the hopelessness of her military position, has so far shown herself unwilling to come to any compromise, I have decided to begin to prepare for, and … Continue reading →

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Why did so many Germans support Hitler?

Posted on May 10, 2021 by odeboyz

A well-respected German historian has a radical new theory to explain a nagging question: Why did average Germans so heartily support the Nazis and Third Reich? Hitler, says Goetz Aly, was a “feel good dictator,” a leader who not only … Continue reading →

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Germany and the Cause of the First World War

Posted on May 4, 2021 by odeboyz

“The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of … Continue reading →

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