Amazing historical factoids

[Magical Realist]

"Aboard the USS Burrfish (SS312) near Peleliu in the Pacific Ocean, part of a UDT special mission group of volunteers that conducted the only UDT submarine launched operation during World War II. (L-R) Leonard Barnhill, John MacMahon, LT M.R. Massy, Bill Moore and Warren Christensen, John MacMahon (pictured) and Robert Black and CPO Howard Roeder (not pictured) were captured by the Japanese the night after this photograph was taken and killed while in captivity.

The Museum flies its flags at half-staff today to honor these men."

[Image: ZsJyhts.jpeg]

[confused2]

Bosnia
British soldiers were first deployed to Bosnia in 1992 during the country's vicious civil war. Initially tasked with protecting aid convoys

https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/bosnia

Civil war
Following the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991, and fighting between Serbs and Croats in Croatia, a civil war erupted in the new Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Bosnia had a mixed population of Muslims, Serbs and Croats. In 1992, the Bosnian Serbs attacked their neighbours, seizing large tracts of land which they then ‘ethnically cleansed’ of non-Serbs.

Ethnic cleansing
As the war went on, the Croats and Muslims also carried out ethnic cleansing. An estimated 2 million people were driven from their homes.

Which is why

British soldiers first deployed to Bosnia in 1992 .. have remained there on peacekeeping duties ever since.

[Magical Realist]

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1868536336969204

[Magical Realist]

The history of ice cream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L04oMN1m0pg

[Magical Realist]

"In 1787, when Beethoven was 17 years of age he left Bonn on six months' leave of absence from the court orchestra, and arrived in Vienna a month later. Armed with a letter of introduction from Max Franz, whom Mozart knew, he gained entry into Mozart's home and was ushered into the music room to meet his great idol.

Mozart was in no mood to receive him. His health was plaguing him – his untimely death at the age of 35 was less than five years away – and he did not relish having to stop work to listen to a child prodigy from somewhere hundreds of miles away.

"Play something," he told Beethoven. Beethoven played the opening of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor. "Not that," said Mozart. "Anybody can play that. Play something of your own." So Beethoven did.

When the young man had finished, Mozart walked into the adjoining room where his wife Constanze was entertaining friends.

"Stanzi, Stanzi," he said, pointing back into the music room, "Watch out for that boy. One day he will give the world something to talk about."

He agreed to take Beethoven on as a pupil, but when Beethoven returned to his lodgings there was an urgent letter from his father telling him to return to Bonn by the next stage – his mother was seriously ill with consumption and doctors feared for her life.

Beethoven had no choice but to leave. Less than two weeks after arriving in Vienna for what promised to be a trip that would change his life, he left for Bonn without ever achieving his ambition of taking lessons with Mozart.

By the time he returned to Vienna in November 1792, Mozart was dead."

https://www.classicfm.com/composers/beet...nd-mozart/

[C C]

[...] Beethoven had no choice but to leave. Less than two weeks after arriving in Vienna for what promised to be a trip that would change his life, he left for Bonn without ever achieving his ambition of taking lessons with Mozart.

By the time he returned to Vienna in November 1792, Mozart was dead."

https://www.classicfm.com/composers/beet...nd-mozart/

Just as well. Beethoven probably would have been so indoctrinated with Mozart's style and theory approach to composing music that it would have crimped his own potential novelty. Equivalent to a Mozart chatGPT just cranking out new stuff that Mozart might have written if he was still around.