I had always heard that General Patton sounded nothing like George C. Scott. I heard his voice described as ‘squeaky’, among other things. A few days ago Mark Grimsley over at ‘Blog Them Out of the Stone Age’ had a link to an audio clip of Patton.
Here is a LINK to The Patton Society website with that audio clip, as well as one from the 1970 movie for comparison.
Not every invention takes off and benefits mankind. This one definitely does not benefit ‘man’kind. Patent #875845
Illustration of Ellen E. Perkins' invention
Here is a description of the invention of Sexual Armor by the inventor, Ellen E. Perkins of Beaver Bay, Minnesota:
“It is a deplorable but well known fact that one of the most common causes of insanity, imbecility and feeble mindedness, especially in youth, is due to masturbation or self abuse. This is about equally true of both sexes.
Physicians, and more particularly physicians, nurses and attendants associated with insane asylums, have long found this habit the most difficult of all bad practices to eradicate, because of the incessant attention required of them in respect to the subjects in their care. In fact it has been found practically impossible to give to any such unfortunate person that constant personal attention which is, under heretofore tried methods of treatment, necessary to accomplish the redemption of such persons from such habits. Therefore, with persons who have carried on such disastrous practices until serious ailments of the mind have resulted, there has been but little hope of cure. These are all facts too well known by persons whose professions have made them familiar with this subject.”
I’m not too sure how much use this invention received for its intended purpose. However, it could be of some great use in today’s society. It might not be a bad idea if everyone elected to public office were required to wear such a device with their spouse owning the only key.
PRIMARY SOURCE
http://patimg1.uspto.gov/
OTHER SOURCES
http://www.weird-websites.com/justweird/inventions.htm (Accessed 29 June 2009)
This is an interesting 13 episode series. It is packed with a large number of stars and has the ambitious objective of following the royal dynasties of Germany, Russia, and Austria from the late 1800s to the end of World War One when all three were no more (sorry to spoil the ending…). That is a lot of territory to cover in just 13 episodes.
I recognized a few of the stars including John Rhys-Davies (as Grigory Zinoviev), Collin Baker (briefly as Crown Prince Willy of Germany), and Patrick Stewart giving a very energetic performance as Lenin. Maurice Denham did a good job overall at portraying Kaiser Wilhelm I. Most of the actors did a very good job.
Some of the locations and costuming were excellent, but since different film types were used on location, outdoors, and on sets it does make transitions between two different types of scenes look strange at times.
Despite the limited length of the series it does a great job of giving a basic overview of the relations between the three Empires in the years building up to the Great War as well to a number of historical events. Given how little of these things are taught in public schools in the States this is one time where television could be a good tool in education.
The main problem with the series is that with the limited time and large scope many important details would get glossed over. There was plenty of room for expanding the storyline to many times the number of episodes made. Another limitation is the regular use of stock footage and shots of paintings of important battles while a narrator explains what is happening… pretty weak by today’s standards, but for a 1974 BBC budget there is only so much that can be done.
In this era of remakes, reboots, reimaginings, and general lack of creativity from Hollywood, a show like this deserves another chance. With modern technology improvements the weaker aspects of the original series are possible. A series like this deserves to be remade and expanded. It won’t happen; something historic and educational is of no use in entertainment where the goal is either killing brain cells or political indoctrination. Instead of making shows and movies that remake and usually mock the things our parents watched back in the day, it would be nice if we made something that would be of some value to our children. Sorry, I’m getting way off topic at this point.
If you enjoy this era of history and are comfortable with the production values and pacing of 1970s British television this would be a great series to check out. As I have mentioned, the only real problem I had with the series is its short length.
Roughly every week I’ll be trying to post interesting links to other history blogs out in the ‘blogosphere’ to help add a little variety here. Today, for the first such post, I’ve decided to link up to an article over at the History Blog entitled: A Brief History of Toilets: From Ancient Toilets to Thomas Crapper. It’s a brief and interesting article… and it makes you appreciate living in modern times a little more.
When the Great War started in Europe, a number of colonies and forces in Africa agreed not to fight. Their fate would be determined by what happened in Europe, not by any battles or conquests in Africa. Why waste resources and lives for a war they could not alter the outcome of? Besides it would not be in their best interests to have the natives see Europeans fighting each other. However it was only a matter of time before the rulers in Europe to force the war to spread to Africa.
German East Africa was one of the colonies targeted by the British Empire. One of the keys to conquering the colony was the port city of Tanga. Plans were made for an invasion. Today Tanga is in the nation of Tanzania along the coast not far from the border with Kenya.
Map of Tanzania in 2009
“In all there were some 8,000 troops, but except for the 2nd Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, in the Bangalore Brigade, they were generally poorly trained and ill-equipped.” (Farwell 163-164) Major General Arthur Edward Aitken would not even take an opportunity to let his troops to disembark from their transports for a few days after being stuck in overcrowded transports for weeks.
“Captain F.W. Cauldfield, RN, in HMS Fox had steamed ahead of the convoy and on 2 November arrived off Tanga at 7:05 A.M….. Because of the 17 August agreement between the captain of the Astaea and Governor Schnee guaranteeing the neutrality of Dar-es-Salaam and Tanga, Cauldfield thought it only fair to warn the Germans that the deal was off.” (Farwell 166)
Von Lettow-Vorbeck was watching as the British took their time landing. The pace of the British landings gave the Germans fifty-four hours to prepare. Von Lettow-Vorbeck believed that things would go his way: “for one thing, from experiences in East Asia, I knew the clumsiness with which English troops were moved and led in battle, and it was certain that in the very close and completely unknown country in which the enemy would find himself directly he landed, these difficulties would grow infinitely larger. The simplest disorder was bound to have far-reaching consequences.” (Farwell 170)
One of the contributing factors to the slow pace of the landing was the extreme caution Captain Cauldfield was exercising due to his obsessive fear of mines. He was not the only Captain who had such fears, such fears were what allowed the SMS Königsberg to be as successful as it was.
Despite gathering little intelligence on the situation in Tanga as well as sending out few patrols Aitken felt confident that Tanga was unprotected and that he could take possibly take the city without a shot being fired. “…[H]e was so confident of snaffling the town without a fight that he took the decision for Tighe to advance when only one and a half of the three battalions allotted to take the town were ashore. They would, he was certain, be ’sufficient for the time [being]‘.” (Paice 46) Needless to say, the Germans were willing to fight and they caught Tighe unprepared. German reinforcements were arriving as the survivors of Tighe’s troops were routed, many of the officers were killed during the fighting.
“The Battle of Tanga has been called “The Battle of the Bees,” for at one point swarms of angry bees joined the fighting with an élan that Aitken and Lettwo-Vorbeck would have admired…. ….When rifle and machine gun bullets battered their hives, the bees swarmed out in force…. ….The Times later reported that the hives were devilish devices which the Germans had deliberately incorporated into their defenses.” (Farwell 171-172) “This was the first but not the last time in [the African campaign] that combatants were routed by angry bees.” (Farwell 172)
“Von Lettow-Vorbeck decided…. That he would ignore Schnee’s instruction ‘to avoid a bombardment of Tanga at all costs’ and would ‘meet the attack’. ‘To gain all we must risk all’ was his maxim, despite the only too obvious numerical advantage of [the British], and he issued his orders accordingly.” (Paice 50) His willingness to take the initiative, as all good commanders should, gave the Germans a large advantage over Aitken’s forces. “Lettow-Vorbeck was outnumbered eight to one, but he was eager to counterattack and anxiously awaited the arrival by train of the 4th Field Company.” (Farwell 173)
"Battle of Tanga, 3rd-5th November, 1914" by Martin Frost (1875-1927)
“By nightfall the bush, mangrove swamps, and sisal and rubber plantations were full of clusters of disoriented sepoys trying to retreat to the beach where they had landed. Their flight had panicked the carriers, adding to the chaos.” (Farwell 173)
Not all of the bad luck was experienced by the British. “A German askari bugler suddenly blew the Sammeln, the same command as had been used the previous day to order the German troops to withdraw when Fox had bombarded Tanga, and from all across the battlefield German troops began to make their way back to the assembly point at Muhesa.” (Paice 55) It took the Germans some time to reorganize and they were not able to push their advantage.
“The next morning (5 November) Meinertzhagen, carrying a white sheet on a pole, was sent to the German lines with bandages, chloroform, and other medical supplies for the wounded prisoners. He also carried a letter of apology from General Aitken for the shell from the Fox that had struck the German hospital. On the way he passed [the bodies of a British officer and his sepoys lying face down] each with his own bayonet stuck in his back.” (Farwell 175) Arrangements were made so that the British could withdraw. They also made plans to allow wounded British prisoners to retreat with their comrades, usually under the condition that they would swear not to fight Germany again. The scene was chaotic. The Germans noted that the British were not acting as if that had not been badly beaten in the battle. At times the patience of the Germans wore very thin.
“The Germans made no attempt to stop the British departure and all was progressing smoothly until the covering party fired a few shots at a German patrol.” (Farwell 175)
“The Germans were left with an enormous quantity of war materiel. Lettow-Vorbeck was able to re-arm three companies with modern rifles, for which he now had 60,000 rounds of ammunition. He also had sixteen more machine guns, some valuable telephone equipment, and large numbers of coats and blankets.” (Farwell 178) This gear would help von Lettow-Vorbeck greatly during the remainder of his time spent in the war.
“’So ended,’ wrote the intrepid Lieutenant Russell, who had escaped from Dar-es-Salaam and twice been sent to reconnoiter Tanga at night, ‘one of the most ignominious defeats ever inflicted on a British Army’.” (Paice 58)
WORKS CITED
Edward Paice, World War I The African Front: An Imperial War on the African Continent (copyright 2008 by Edward Paice; W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York) ISBN: 978-1-933648-90-3
Byron Farwell, The Great War in Africa (copyright 1986 by Byron Farwell; W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York) ISBN: 0-393-30564-3
IMAGE SOURCE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_tanga.jpg (accessed 25 June 2009)
MAP SOURCE
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/TZ.html (accessed 26 June 2009)
Out of the many inventions mankind has created over the millennia writing is one of the most important, and one of the more difficult ones to invent. There are between two and four places where writing was invented without any outside influence; most other forms of writing were copied from these or used as inspiration for creating something new. According to Jared Diamond the origin points of writing are Sumeria and Mesoamerica with China and Egypt possibly having independently developed it as well.
The development of a fully functional written language took many, many steps. It took the Sumerians many centuries to refine it. Starting out as just a method for the government to keep track of taxes due and inventories it eventually developed into a much more efficient means of communication that their neighbors would adapt or use for inspiration to create their own writing system.
By 1819 a Cherokee silversmith named Sequoyah had invented a written form of his own language. “Sequoyah observed that white people made marks on paper, and that they derived great advantage by using those marks to record and repeat lengthy speeches. However, the detailed operations of those marks remained a mystery to him, since (like most Cherokees before 1820) Sequoyah was illiterate and could neither speak nor read English.” (Diamond p.228) He set out to develop his own method of writing for his people, with only inspiration from the white people.
”After attempting to create a character for each word, Sequoyah realized this would be too difficult and eventually created characters to represent syllables.” (Wikipedia) Having characters represent syllables instead of individual words it cut down the number of characters in the alphabet to a reasonable number. “He initially devised 200 syllabic signs and gradually reduced them to 85….” (Diamond p.228)
The Cherokee Alphabet - some familiar characters, but very different meanings
The Cherokee took to this writing very quickly, and within a few short years of its introduction the literacy rate among their people was higher than the rate of the whites that lived around them.
“Cherokee writing remains one of the best-attested examples of a script that arose through idea diffusion.” (Diamond p.229-230) He had the materials and symbols to create writing, but he did not know the details or basic principles of the existing languages around him. Quite an amazing accomplishment.
Works Cited
Jared Diamond, Germs, Guns, & Steel (copyright 1999, 1997 by Jared Diamond, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York) ISBN: 978-0-393-31755-2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_syllabary (Accessed 23 June 2009)
Image Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sequoyah_Arranged_Syllabary_.png (Accessed 23 June 2009)
This British series seemed interesting to me when I first heard of it. It is based off the life of one of a top British secret agent, Sidney Reilly (played by Sam Neill). Reilly was one of the first and greatest agents the British had. He was supposedly the real life person who inspired Ian Fleming’s James Bond. On top of that he spent his time trying to overthrow the Bolsheviks. I couldn’t wait to check it out.
The first episode seemed to have a bit of a slow pace. Here this character is being introduced to audiences and he does things that James Bond would never do (at least the film version of Bond anyway, I’ll have to read some of Fleming’s novels now).
Future episodes pick up the pace a bit. Again Reilly does things that a hero shouldn’t do… but they are things that have to get done in the world of espionage. No crazy gadgets, no cornball jokes after dispatching the villain, just the necessary actions of a man who would have great influence on numerous events in the first twenty years of the twentieth century.
Reilly didn’t just work for the British, he worked for himself. He grew accustomed to a certain lifestyle and wished to maintain it. When his homeland of Russia fell to revolution he became obsessed with stopping the Bolsheviks. There are, of course, inaccuracies in the show, but since no one knows the whole truth of many of the events they are just as entertaining.
I’m not sure how accurate the depiction of Reilly’s involvement at the start of the Russo-Japanese War was, but he was at Port Arthur during the Japanese attack. I could have done without his psychic girlfriend in a couple of the later episodes, but overall the series was very entertaining. It gives some good insights into the world of high politics about a century ago and how nations were trying to adapt in a rapidly changing world.
Right now I’m reading a book on Reilly by Robin Bruce Lockhart, the son of Sir Robin Bruce Lockhart (the elder Lockhart was a friend of Reilly’s and involved in a plot to assassinate Lenin, among other things).
The complete series ran 12 episodes, all in the DVD set I watched.
Overall I give the series a rating of 280 out of 300 Spartans.
George Westinghouse is one of the most important figures in American history related to invention and technological development. One of his first inventions was a railway air brake in 1872.
Prior to the air brake accidents on the railways were very common. Trains were growing more powerful becoming faster and longer which made stopping them quickly and safely more and more difficult. Trains had brakemen who would manually apply the brakes in each car on the train. On freight trains they would sit on top of the train and have to jump from car to car to perform their duties…. An extremely dangerous endeavor.
Diagram of the Westinghouse Air Brake
The same basic principles of these brakes are still used on trains today. The railway air brake was just the first of numerous inventions Westinghouse created that improved rail safety and travel. The success of these inventions allowed him to create his vast financial empire and create countless other innovations.
Works Cited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_air_brake (accessed June 16, 2009)
Westinghouse (copyright 2008, Inecom Entertainment Company; directed by Mark Bussler)
Image Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Westinghouse_Air_Brake_piping_diagram.jpg
(accessed June 16, 2009)
The 1938 version of The Dawn Patrol is pretty good. I have not seen the 1930 version, but from what I’ve read it is a nearly identical plot.
Courtney (Errol Flynn) and Scotty (David Niven) are great friends and two of the pilots of a British squadron during World War I. They have been sustaining regular casualties and new, young pilots are being brought in on a regular basis with little training. These new pilots don’t last too long.
Courtney and Scotty blame their commanding officer, Major Brand (Basin Rathbone) for the deaths not realizing that the Major has been fighting headquarters trying to get more training for the new recruits.
Eventually Brand is promoted and he gives command to Courtney. It does not take long for Courtney to learn of the troubles Brand was facing. The reality of the situation forces him to become more and more like Brand. This strains his relationship with Scotty, especially when Scotty’s younger brother joins the squadron.
There is also an interesting scene where a German pilot is taken captive after a battle where two British pilots has died and Scotty was presumed dead. Despite the loss of their friends they treated the captive very well… especially when they all got drunk and attempted to take him into town to carouse. The German had a good singing voice and they wanted him to come with them…. Luckily Brand reminded them that he was a prisoner of war.
As for the seemingly indifferent HQ that forced the use of inexperienced pilots to try establish some sort of air superiority. While it might seem bizarre to send inexperienced men on combat missions as portrayed in the film, it was most likely based off numbers; a handful of pilots being sacrificed so that thousands of soldiers on the ground may survive. Brand and Courtney, from their perspective realized how insane the orders were and fought them best they could, but the Generals back at headquarters were looking at things from a very different angle.
Rating:
I give this film 272 out of 300 Spartans. It was entertaining and had a moral to it as well. The music was pretty good too and usually fit the scene well.
Back in 1877 the Russo-Turkish War was in full swing. Russia was hoping to recover from some of the losses for the Crimean War and hoped to capture Constantinople. The other great powers grew concerned and intervened. Russia decided that they needed to distract the British by making a diversionary invasion of India. The problem was that between Russia and India was Afghanistan.
According to Wahab & Youngerman “…A 250-man delegation under General Stolietov [was] to ride to Kabul to extort Sher Ali’s support.” The Emir didn’t want to receive any foreigners and tried to bar the Russians, but failed to keep them out. “On July 22, 1878, unaware that peace had been signed the previous day, they met with Sher Ali and offered him a defensive and offensive military alliance.” Additionally the Russians would extend its roads and telegraphs into Afghanistan. When they learned that peace had been reached in Europe the Russians left. (Wahab & Youngerman p.89)
The British were outraged that the Russians received a meeting with the Emir and demanded that one of their missions be admitted to Kabul, but the Emir’s son had recently died and he requested time to mourn before formally replying to the British.
The British became upset with the delays and finally decided to invade under the orders of Viceroy Robert Bulwer-Lytton. “The rapid success of the military campaign left Lytton with the problem, which he seems to have left out of his calculations… how to deal with Afghanistan. Costs were mounting and his forced were in a barren country at the end of long supply lines, were being harassed by the tribes. To undertake a permanent occupation … which would contribute little to the Indian exchequer, would be financially crippling.” (Ewans p.63) Afghan appeals to Russia for help were ignored. They were on their own.
On 26 May 1879 the treaty of Gandamak was signed with Yakub Khan, who had assumed the Afghan throne. In this treaty “the British agreed to withdraw from Jalalabad and Kandahar but kept the territories they had taken at the southern approaches to the Khyber and other passes (which to this day remain on the Pakistan side of the border). In a provision that is still regarded with shame by Afghans, [Yakub] committed future emirs to “conduct all relations with foreign states in accordance with the advice and wishes of the British Government.” In addition, the British finally got their permanent missions in Kabul and other areas; in return, they agreed to pay the emir… £60,000 a year and promised to defend the country against unprovoked foreign attacks.” (Wahab & Youngerman p.90)
The treaty did little good since Yakub was not universally accepted as ruler of the land. Tribes continued to skirmish with British forces. The British assigned Sir Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari as envoy to Yakub Khan’s court. Six weeks later he and nearly every last member of his contingent were killed by Afghan regiments (belonging to Yakub’s brother, Ayub Khan) and a civilian mob. (Ewans p.64)
Major-General Roberts lead and army to Kabul. “…they were opposed at Charasyab by a substantial force, supported by artillery and irregulars, and a vigorous battled had to be fought before the pass was cleared. On the 9th [of October] they entered Kabul.” (Ewans p.64) Retribution for Cavagnari’s death was severe. “Roberts proceeded to conduct in Kabul what can only be described as a reign of terror. Mass arrests were made… Almost certainly, many more hangings took place than the eighty-seven to witch Roberts later admitted: of those executed, only eleven were alleged to have been directly involved in the murder of Cavagnari.” (Ewans p.64)
Kandahar 92nd Highlanders by Richard Caton Woodville
The fighting would continue until 1880. The British would win most engagements. The Afghans had a victory in the Battle of Maiwand, but even that ‘victory’ cost them over 2,000 dead and 1,500 wounded.
“…The British reached a political settlement with Adbur Rahman. They agreed to forego a permanent mission in Kabul and to refrain from interfering in internal affairs, while [Afghanistan] accepted the loss of Kandahar and agreed to avoid relations with any other foreign country…” (Wahab & Youngerman p.92) The brutality in Afghanistan was a contributing factor to a change in government back in London.
The costs of the war were over £17 million and many thousands of lives, mostly Afghans. The area was destabilized and there was a continued threat of the Russian Empire gaining more influence in the area. Militarily the British won, but on a strategic level they failed to gain anything major objectives before their withdrawal from Kandahar in 1881.
I hope to find some more sources on this war. I would like to find more details on the conflict, especially the movements of British forces in Afghanistan and the battles they were involved in. In particular I would like to find details on the 66th Regiment of Foot. If anyone knows of some good sources, please let me know.
Works Cited
Shaista Wahab and Barry Youngerman, A Brief History of Afghanistan (copyright 2007 by Infobase Publishing, New York)
Martin Ewans, Afghanistan: A Short History of Its People and Politics (copyright 2002 by Martin Ewans; HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. New York)
Image Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kandahar_92nd_Highlanders.jpg
