History Forum / General / General Topics / December 2005

1770s:
America's birth as a nation began as a rebellion against the British
Empire.  Lead by General George Washington, the Americans fought a
losing campaign against England's 2nd string forces until a Prussian

  What book(s) would you recommend about social life in and around
Paris during the time of Louis XIII and XIV.      
 If possible, one with a fairly good map of the city at the time.

"The Oregonian", 11-XII-2005:  Krauthammer  is Misguided
Columnist Charles Krauthammer begins by calling the Saddam
Hussein trial a "self-inflicted gratuitous bungling"  by
the Bush administration.  He goes on to say the purposes

According to the 2001 Edition of The Republic of China on Taiwan's
Yearbook, the national anthem, adopted ~1928, was honored as Best
National Anthem at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Can someone explain that?

I was not aware that the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk gave the Germans
control of Transcaucasia. Therefore, I was completely startled when I
read:
"On 7 June [1918] he [the Kaiser] 'emphatically endorsed'

I have heard that in the 19th Century, an American woman was arrested
for wearing pants.  Can anyone direct me to a website about this?  I'd
also like to know if there's a website devoted to just how pants became
acceptable attire for women in the US.

A close friend of my family is the son of a famous British author of the
early 20th Century. He is also himself something of an international
celebrity.
During the prewar 1930s, while a schoolboy, he had to a dare for his

In "Lives of the Caesars" (trans by Catharine Edwards), Oxford
(2000), Seutonius wrote the following:
"According to an old and established belief widespread throughout the
East, it was fated that at that time men coming from Judea would take

[Follow-ups set]
December 24
1939
In Lublin, Mr. Sekutowicz (chairman of the Court of Appeal), Mr.

United Press International
Menorah vandalized in Philadelphia park
Dec. 21, 2005 at 9:02PM
Vandals ruined a Hanukkah menorah from a Philadelphia park, but

On 12 December 1916, the Central Powers offered to start peace
negotiations without mentioning any terms. When President Wilson tried
to get involved by calling for detailed suggestions about terms, this
was the Kaiser's reaction:

http://www.taemag.com/issues/articleID.18870/article_detail.asp
Sleeping with the Enemy
By James Webb
It is difficult to explain to my children that in my teens and early

[Follow-ups set]
December 22
1943
Berlin threatens punishment of Allied prisoners of war in

[Follow-ups set]
December 23
1944
The first transport of Slovakian Jews from the Sered labor

What would have happened if Lincoln had just allowed the South to
secede?
Would the ConfederateSA have lasted very long?
Would the North have lasted very long in spite of damage to its