Category Archives: History
The Ruins of Tyndaris
Most of the souvenir and snack shops on the side of the road winding up to Tindari are closed. In Sicily, late April is still off-season. If you own a shop at the place that will be visited both for the ruins of the ancient city … Continue reading
Why is there such a mess in Iraq?
A country rich in oil, one of the cradles of human civilization, bestowed with a democracy and rule of law which it received from the benevolent world community. That is Iraq. Why is this country deteriorating? Why is there a … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, Donald Duck!
It’s Donald Duck’s 80th birthday. Enjoy this short film which won an Oscar in 1943:
An idea for Kaliningrad
From the letters to the editor in The Economist: SIR – I suggest taking another page from Mr Putin’s playbook to resolve the lingering issue of Kaliningrad. This Russian-governed territory sits squarely isolated in the midst of the European Union and … Continue reading
Commemorating World War I
For the 100th anniversary of World War I in 2014, the participating countries have different plans to commemorate this 4-year long war: The United Kingdom will hold a military parade in London and bask in memories of the Empire that once spun … Continue reading
“The Liberator” by Alex Kershaw
The full title of the book The Liberator: one World War II soldier’s 500-day odyssey from the beaches of Sicily to the gates of Dachau gives you the gist of the story already. It recounts the experience of Felix Sparks who served … Continue reading
Emigrants are better people
Emigrants are bolder, willing to take on more risk, more active and more appreciative of freedom than those staying behind. General Patton already knew that. From his letter to the Allied forces before they first stepped onto the European continent by landing … Continue reading
Easily Confused (35) Perished Cities
Old cities, whose ruins we visit, wondering how erstwhile grand and important cities could cease to exist: Aleppo, Syria: (Diesen Vergleich gibt es auch auf Deutsch.)
Easily confused (34) Holocaust denial
There are people who deny that the Holocaust really happened, and then there is someone who claims that Germany denies the historical facts of the Holocaust. This is rather illogical because – for example – the Holocaust denier depicted above, … Continue reading
The Happy Hermit 