Archive for the ‘History’ Category
Sarajevo: the site of the origin of the First World War – and of the longest siege in modern history
June 28th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
One hundred years ago today, Gavrilo Princip, the Bosnian-Serb radical, set in train a chain of events that led to the outbreak of the First World War when he assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. The resultant global conflict killed at least 15 million people. But, as this article explains, in Sarajevo itself, the memory […]
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The other D-Day: Operation Bagration launched on 21-22 June 1944
June 21st, 2014 by Roger Darlington
“There were two D-days in June 1944. The landings in Normandy on 6 June, Operation Overlord, recalled so movingly a fortnight ago, are part of British national memory. The other D-day remains virtually unknown both here and in America. Yet it was equally important in ending the second world war. And it also marked the […]
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The remarkable story of the Czech wartime politician Ladislav Feierabend
June 9th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Vee and I enjoy having friends of different ages and backgrounds. Everyone has a story but some have very special stories to tell. We recently had lunch with a dear Czech friend of 84 whom we have know for around 30 years. Hana Ludikar is the widow of Marcel Ludikar (1920–2003) who flew with the […]
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The 70th anniversary of D-Day: remembering how it happened and the price that was paid
June 6th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
The D-Day landings at Normandy on 6 June 1944 was the largest maritime invasion in world history. It was a success but at a heavy cost in lives. The “Mirror” newspaper has a summary of the timeline of the invasion and a map showing the locations of the attack and the death toll at each […]
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The assassination of American presidents
May 27th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
This Bank Holiday weekend, as well as viewing the movie “X-Men: The Days Of Future Past” [my review here] – which suggested that President Kennedy was shot because he was a mutant (!) – I attended a one-day course at London’s City Lit on the assassination of American presidents. It was led by Dr Dale […]
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How in 1945 the American Brigadier General Bonner Fellers was instrumental in saving the Japanese Emperor Hirohito from execution as a war criminal
May 19th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
We all know that, after its defeat in World War Two, the Japanese were allowed to retain their emperor, although merely in a ceremonial role and without his previous god-like status. But who made the decision and why? Although the decision was made by General Douglas MacArthur on pragmatic grounds, a key role was played […]
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Intergenerational tale (2): what I would like to be doing if I reach 100
May 14th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I love life, so I’d like to think that I might one day live to be 100. I love stories and really enjoy telling them or reading them to youngsters. I love children and like the idea of different generations coming together to enthuse each other. So I was fascinated to read of the experience […]
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Remembering those who fought for freedom in World War Two
May 11th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
This afternoon, my wife Vee and I were at Brookwood Military Cemetery, south west of London, for a ceremony to mark the 69th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. It was my first visit, but Vee has been once before. Brookwood is the largest military cemetery in the UK with […]
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Which was the largest empire in world history?
May 7th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Recently I watched a television programme about Genghis Khan and this raised in my mind just how large was the Mongol Empire whose creation he started? I had assumed that the largest empire in history was the British Empire and, on checking out the relevant Wikipedia page, i find that I am not wrong. In […]
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The road to democracy in Britain has been long and troubled – and the Great Reform Bill of 1832 was one of the greatest battles
April 27th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Many in Britain take our democracy for granted, not appreciating how hard to was to win and how long the battles took. It is no wonder that countries like Afghanistan and Iraq find that creating a democracy from scratch is exceptionally difficult. I have just finished an immensely readable account of the extended political campaigning […]
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