sheepyvillian Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 On 30/01/2024 at 08:02, Mandy Lifeboats said: This is a very interesting topic. The UK and Portugal have one of the oldest military alliances. But the UK agreed to refrain from activating that treaty in 1939. That allowed Portugal to stay neutral. It was also a way to pressure Spain into staying neutral. Had Spain joined the Axis the Portuguese would probably have joined the British. This would have tied up the Spanish forces who were still recovering after their civil war. It's unlikely that the Spanish forces could have defeated Portugal, defended Morocco from a US landing and helped the German defense of France. It would also have led to the Canary Islands being quickly conquered by our vastly superior navy. As opposed to being invaded by British tourists a few decades later. I think Franco is fairly unique in history. He's probably the only fascist dictator that left his country in a very good position. Nothing unique about Franco, just another mass murderer like any other despot. It's like the comment you sometimes hear from ignorant people, "Hitler did some good things". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Lifeboats Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 5 hours ago, sheepyvillian said: Nothing unique about Franco, just another mass murderer like any other despot. I agree. But my point was that he left Spain in a reasonable state which is unusual. Most modern dictators have left their country under attack and/or financially ruined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheepyvillian Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 Just now, Mandy Lifeboats said: I agree. But my point was that he left Spain in a reasonable state which is unusual. Most modern dictators have left their country under attack and/or financially ruined. He was unique in that he unfortunately made it into old age, unlike his bosom buddies, Mussolini and Hitler, but I understand your point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Angry Birds pig. No surprise, it was made in China. Maybe more surprising? It's 3000 years old. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 11 Moderator Share Posted March 11 7 minutes ago, Xann said: Angry Birds pig. No surprise, it was made in China. Maybe more surprising? It's 3000 years old. Twang Dynasty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 11 minutes ago, bickster said: Twang Dynasty? There are comedy sounding Chinese dynasties, so had to look it up just in case. It's the name of the 90s comeback album by Man. Maybe one to come back to? 3000 years? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 John Bulwer's 'Chirologia', or 'The Naturall Language of the Hand' - 1644 Some memes don't change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakemineVanilla Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 After reading Harald Jähner's Aftermath recently, I find I have a totally different view of Germany's "economic miracle" and the extent of their sense of guilt about the war. I had failed to fully grasp the significance of the introduction of the Deutsche Mark, which eradicated 90% of both Government and private debt. The way the new currency was allocated substantially reduced economic inequality, which made for a very stable society. This contrasted starkly with British war debts, mostly owed to the Americans. The fact that the population of Germany was bigger by the end of the war than at the beginning seemed like a further advantage. As was to be expected, the fact that so few of those who perpetrated Nazi war crimes were punished, is inevitably depressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 On this day in 1948, The Republic of Ireland Act was passed, declaring the description of the State was The Republic of Ireland. Subsequently, the Ireland Act 1949 passed through Westminster, acknowledging acknowledged that Ireland had “ceased to be part…of His Majesty's dominions” and therefore a member of the Commonwealth.” Its easy to forget how recent and young this whole relationship is. But anyway, yeah, happy 75th anniversary. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veloman Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 On 11/04/2024 at 17:25, MakemineVanilla said: After reading Harald Jähner's Aftermath recently, I find I have a totally different view of Germany's "economic miracle" and the extent of their sense of guilt about the war. I had failed to fully grasp the significance of the introduction of the Deutsche Mark, which eradicated 90% of both Government and private debt. The way the new currency was allocated substantially reduced economic inequality, which made for a very stable society. This contrasted starkly with British war debts, mostly owed to the Americans. The fact that the population of Germany was bigger by the end of the war than at the beginning seemed like a further advantage. As was to be expected, the fact that so few of those who perpetrated Nazi war crimes were punished, is inevitably depressing. I'm hardly an expert on Macro Economics but it was a part of the qualification I was attempting !! But .. didn't the IBRD have quite a significant impact on the Economic recovery of both Germany and Japan ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Lifeboats Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 I was lucky enough to retire recently at 53. I decided that was too young to stop work completely. I wanted to do some good whilst also doing something I enjoyed. I decided to volunteer for National Trust. They accepted my application but also converted me into a paid role where they were desperately short. I now work 2 or 3 days a week in Croome Court (just off the M5 between Worcester and Gloucester. Croome was the ancestral home of the Earl of Coventry and had all the decadence and splendour you would expect. It was also the site of RAF Defford in WW2. This was where we developed airborne Radar. Only tiny amounts of the base remain but the small RAF museum occupies the base's hospital. After WW2 the Earl of Coventry was in severe financial difficulties and sold the entire estate including the house and all its contents. Around 80% of the contents of the house went to private collectors and museums around the world. The house became a Catholic boys school, then a Hari Krishna temple, then passed to several property developers before finally being taken by the National Trust. By this time it was in very poor repair and virtually empty. It's still very much "work in progress". It's impossible to restore it back to its former splendour. For instance, one of the rooms is on display at the New York Metropolitan Museum. We have just borrowed the library bookcases from the V&A and hope to raise the £5 million to keep them. The nuns simply destroyed numerous "immoral" pieces of artwork containing nudity. One of the property developers installed a huge bath in the main bedroom which ruined the floor and the ceiling below. He also installed built in wardrobes from IKEA into 1800s plasterwork and oak floors. Removing them would take seconds. Repairing the damage they have caused will cost thousands. It's a lovely feeling to be playing a small part in restoring history. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 For those enjoying shogun this is what I'd expect is the last episode, the battle of sekigahara It's almost a shame that the show is based on the book rather than actual history as they could have kept going or expanded it Also no masamune date who seems a good character in everything I've seen him in before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted April 19 VT Supporter Share Posted April 19 13 hours ago, Mandy Lifeboats said: The nuns simply destroyed numerous "immoral" pieces of artwork containing nudity. On that subject (and this could equally have gone in the Books or Religion threads), this is well worth a read: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted May 5 VT Supporter Share Posted May 5 80th Anniversary of D Day soon. That's how far away Victorian times were for me as a kid I always associate Peak Victorian times as about 100 years ago but it's more like 150 now 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted May 13 VT Supporter Share Posted May 13 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Lifeboats Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 Apollo 15 - 1971 The crew smuggled 400 postal covers and stamps all the way onto the moon. They had been paid by a stamp dealer who intended to sell the postal covers as having been to the moon and back. Following their return to earth the crew were picked up by a US navy ship. The scheme was detected when they attempted to add postage marks from the ship's mail room. They never flew in space again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 (edited) I’m sure there will be a family tree / genealogy thread somewhere, but this will do. Just been sent some some fascinating documents of named relatives being persecuted in the 1600’s for their religious beliefs. They were Quakers, and were regularly raided by the constables and the local priest over a a few years from 1661 onward. Typically, if they didn’t show up at church on a Sunday, they’d get a visit and stuff would be seized as punishment. They had scissors and knives and plates taken on the first raid. 1663 they had gloves and coats taken. later in 63 a prison sentence. In 1663 cloth, yarn, bowls and plates were confiscated. 1664 is a personal favourite, they were put in prison, but at the trial when the sessions judge visited launceston they had to be released and nobody knew why they’d been put in prison. Edited June 28 by chrisp65 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Lifeboats Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 (edited) I have started working for the National Trust. Last week I got hold of the keys to our 300 year old church. They are absolutely huge in comparison to modern key. They are also a work of art in themselves. I knew the church had a crypt and there is a corresponding key, but no entrance was apparent. To get into the crypt I have to dig down at a certain spot in the garden until I find a staircase. By digging out the soil in the staircase I will find a wall. Demolishing the wall will reveal the locked entrance. 1. I don't think I will bother. 2. No-one has bothered since 1956. It just blows my mind that I know a 300 year old "secret" entrance to a crypt. I'm Indiana Jones! Edited June 28 by Mandy Lifeboats Spelling mishsteaks 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy Lifeboats Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 In 1943 the Nazis built an automated weather monitoring site in Canada. The Canadians didn't find it until 1977. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted August 4 VT Supporter Share Posted August 4 16 minutes ago, Mandy Lifeboats said: In 1943 the Nazis built an automated weather monitoring site in Canada. The Canadians didn't find it until 1977. Source? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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