History!!

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Not that it's too historical but Che Guevara could have played for the Irish football team.
Ant Celts used to boil things in a fulachta fiadh and they did other stuff with it.
Although people used them before the Celts in the Bronze age to I think.

 

[Deadpoolsbrain]

Here's a difficult one. What legend say how the Russians became orthodox.

It is said to have been founded by the Apostle Andrew. According to legend, Andrew reached the future location of Kiev and foretold the foundation of a great Christian city, and the spot were he erectted a cross is supposedly the spot of St. Andrew's Cathedral today.

That's one but there is an even funnier version of events. Supposedly the Russian kings were all trying to find a more "cosmopolitan" religion, so they could develop good trade relations. So they sent people out to look for what religion they should be. They first found Jews but they don't eat ham so that was a no go. Then they found Muslims but alchohol is not cool with them plus they don't like ham and asking a Russian to give up their booze...well it didn't work out. Finally they reached Constantinople with it's huge cathedrals and the scouts were awestruck and when they found out they could drink their booze and eat their ham well that sealed the deal. This is just a legend however.

 

[Deadpoolsbrain]

How did Atilla the Hun die?

Wasn't it apparently of a nosebleed, suggesting that he had severe internal bleeding somewhere?

Yea he died from heavy drinking which gave him a brain hemmorage or something to that effect which gave him a nose bleed on his wedding night.

 

[The Infamous Scamola]

Edit: here is a source for the above http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon#History

You should check the page on Pheidippides, it seems to confirm my version, although it must be noted that Herodotus uses another version altogether.

From Wikipedia:

The traditional story relates that Pheidippides (530 BC?490 BC), an Athenian herald, was sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon, Greece.
He ran 240 km (150 miles) in two days. He then ran the 40 km (26 miles) from the battlefield near the town of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) with the word "Νενικήκαμεν" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won') and died on the spot.

 

[HerrBobo]

How did communism get the association with red? I've always wondered that...

How did Catherine the Great die? Iz can't remember.

EDIT: Oh, and I'd always wondered. Which was the first country or culture (In recorded history) to have a female leader?

Boudicca of England maybe? She lead a revolt against the Romans.

There's probably an earlier one then her though, but that's just off the top of my
head

Good one but Cleopatra was ruler in Egypt in 51BC. I reckon there are examples way before that though. The Amazons lived in Turkey during the Trojan War (and they took part in it) there leaders were women. If you can belive Homer.

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

Who was Incitatus?

 

[Deadpoolsbrain]

Who was Incitatus?

Caligula's horse who he made a consol.

 

[lostclause]

Edit: here is a source for the above http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon#History

You should check the page on Pheidippides, it seems to confirm my version, although it must be noted that Herodotus uses another version altogether.

From Wikipedia:

The traditional story relates that Pheidippides (530 BC?490 BC), an Athenian herald, was sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon, Greece.
He ran 240 km (150 miles) in two days. He then ran the 40 km (26 miles) from the battlefield near the town of Marathon to Athens to announce the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC) with the word "Νενικήκαμεν" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won') and died on the spot.

That's because Herodotus doesn't refer to him as Pheidippides. In his version the name is Thersipus (as you can see in my source), so his version of Marathon won't be included under Pheidippides' page. I was refering to him as Pheidippides simply because I didn't want to sidetrack over something so minor as his name.

 

[The Infamous Scamola]

Good one but Cleopatra was ruler in Egypt in 51BC. I reckon there are examples way before that though. The Amazons lived in Turkey during the Trojan War (and they took part in it) there leaders were women. If you can belive Homer.

Well, Homer is thought to have never existed in the first place, the creation of the "Iliad" being attributed to various authors who wrote down the great legends of the greeks that up until that moment had been only told by word.

However, it all seems to be based on partial truths, and the Trojan war itself seems to have actually happened (Just not for the reasons mentioned in the Iliad). The Amazons of greek mythology were actually based on a real population of female warriors, probably situated in Sarmatia (modern Ukraine).

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

Who was Incitatus?

Caligula's horse who he made a consol.

Yep. Good old Caligula. Mad as a balloon

 

[HerrBobo]

Who ran the first Marathon and why?

Always loved this guy's name.

It was (supposedly) that Greek, Pheididipus or something typical like that. He had to go tell the Athenians that the battle of Marathon had been won, so ran all the way to the city, then all the way back to the beach at Marathon to tell the army commander the return message. its rumoured he dropped dead upon returning

I learnt it that he ran to sparta to get help. They refused because they were in the middle of a celebration for Apollo so he ran back to Athens and dropped dead there.
It doesn't really make sense otherwise, why would you kill yourself running when there's no danger?

You got the Spartan's refusal bit right. Thucydides tells us that the Spartans did eventually arrive, but only after the battle had been fought. They couldn't believe they'd missed out and demanded to see the bodies
But no, he didn't run to Sparta. The Athenians did not expect to win the battle of Marathon against the Persians, and were preparing to evacuate the city. Pheidippides ran to urge them not to. The distance he ran was 26 miles, from Marathon to Athens, hence why the 26 mile run today is called a Marathon

Herodotus claims that it was Sparta that he ran to, some 150 miles. I reckon its all a load of BS anyhow.

 

[Deadpoolsbrain]

Who was Incitatus?

Caligula's horse who he made a consol.

Yep. Good old Caligula. Mad as a balloon

Caligula is definantly my favorite Roman emperor, Nero was sweet too.

 

[XJ-0461]

How did Hitler lose his testicle?

I think he lost it because he got caught up in an explosion in WW1. I'm not sure though.

And to the OP, nice idea for a thread. I think I'll stick around here for a while.

 

[Deadpoolsbrain]

Name some of the things Nero is famous for.

 

[The Infamous Scamola]

Why wasn't the Vatican tried for warcrimes during World War II?

Because they didn't actually do anything, they just stood there and watched as the slaughter happened, which some people might think is an even worse crime, but hey, whatcha gonig to do...

Herodotus claims that it was Sparta that he ran to, some 150 miles. I reckon its all a load of BS anyhow.

Well, the mith (in any of it's incarnations) is pretty much widely acknowledged as a load of BS, and Pheididipus himself didn't really exist.

Then again, we all know how much Herodotus was fond of the bullshit...

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

Who ran the first Marathon and why?

Always loved this guy's name.

It was (supposedly) that Greek, Pheididipus or something typical like that. He had to go tell the Athenians that the battle of Marathon had been won, so ran all the way to the city, then all the way back to the beach at Marathon to tell the army commander the return message. its rumoured he dropped dead upon returning

I learnt it that he ran to sparta to get help. They refused because they were in the middle of a celebration for Apollo so he ran back to Athens and dropped dead there.
It doesn't really make sense otherwise, why would you kill yourself running when there's no danger?

You got the Spartan's refusal bit right. Thucydides tells us that the Spartans did eventually arrive, but only after the battle had been fought. They couldn't believe they'd missed out and demanded to see the bodies
But no, he didn't run to Sparta. The Athenians did not expect to win the battle of Marathon against the Persians, and were preparing to evacuate the city. Pheidippides ran to urge them not to. The distance he ran was 26 miles, from Marathon to Athens, hence why the 26 mile run today is called a Marathon

Herodotus claims that it was Sparta that he ran to, some 150 miles. I reckon its all a load of BS anyhow.

One of Herodotus' nicknames is "Father of Lies" a twist on his title "Father of History". He tend to preoccupy himself with the stories and fantastical elements because that makes better reading. So yeah, I'd take anything that old with a pinch of salt

 

[HerrBobo]

Name some of the things Nero is famous for.

Being an actor?
Liking Greek culture?
Being the last Julio-Claudine Emperor?
Throwing parties?
Rebuilding Rome after the great fire?
His Golden Palace?

 

[The Infamous Scamola]

Name some of the things Nero is famous for.

Killing his own mother Agrippina and his childhood advisor and tutor Seneca. He also was pretty fond of persecuting Christians.

According to popular legend, it is said that he played the fiddle while he watched Rome burning during the great fire. This however is not true, since the fiddle did not exist in 1st century Rome, and Nero is believed to have been nowhere near Rome at the time.

 

[HerrBobo]

Who ran the first Marathon and why?

Always loved this guy's name.

It was (supposedly) that Greek, Pheididipus or something typical like that. He had to go tell the Athenians that the battle of Marathon had been won, so ran all the way to the city, then all the way back to the beach at Marathon to tell the army commander the return message. its rumoured he dropped dead upon returning

I learnt it that he ran to sparta to get help. They refused because they were in the middle of a celebration for Apollo so he ran back to Athens and dropped dead there.
It doesn't really make sense otherwise, why would you kill yourself running when there's no danger?

You got the Spartan's refusal bit right. Thucydides tells us that the Spartans did eventually arrive, but only after the battle had been fought. They couldn't believe they'd missed out and demanded to see the bodies
But no, he didn't run to Sparta. The Athenians did not expect to win the battle of Marathon against the Persians, and were preparing to evacuate the city. Pheidippides ran to urge them not to. The distance he ran was 26 miles, from Marathon to Athens, hence why the 26 mile run today is called a Marathon

Herodotus claims that it was Sparta that he ran to, some 150 miles. I reckon its all a load of BS anyhow.

One of Herodotus' nicknames is "Father of Lies" a twist on his title "Father of History". He tend to preoccupy himself with the stories and fantastical elements because that makes better reading. So yeah, I'd take anything that old with a pinch of salt

Yes, but the same can be said of any ancient historian.

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

Name some of the things Nero is famous for.

Trying to subtly having his mother killed (seriously, where'd he get that sinking boat idea from?), and when that failed, sending thugs round to her villa to beat her to death. IMO it shows his personality (or at least what we think of his personality) absolutely perfectly