In 2022, the 500th anniversary of the First Circumnavigation of the World was celebrated, the Spanish maritime expedition that allowed for global circumnavigation and opened a route to the Spice Islands as an alternative to the route along the southern tip of Africa, which was monopolized by Portugal. It was a grand adventure in which […]
Jorge Álvarez
Degree in History and Diploma in Archival and Library Science. Founder and director of Apuntes magazine (2002-2005). Creator of the blog El Viajero Incidental. Travel and tourism blogger since 2009 in Viajeros. Editor of LBV Magazine.
Posted inSecond World War
Why did the Iroquois Confederacy Declare War on Germany in 1942?
Maybe it was just a footnote to Hitler, but in 1942, the Iroquois Confederacy declared war on Germany, separate from the war declared by the Washington government. This was a sign of the autonomy with which this ancient entity, also known as the League of Six Nations, operates. Today, with about forty-nine thousand members (plus […]
Posted inModern Era
The German General who Died Dressed in Tutu and Crown of Roses Dancing for the Kaiser
A deep shock must have seized those attending the party at Donaueschingen Castle on the night of November 14, 1908. There, in the middle of the ballroom, in the presence of Kaiser Wilhelm II, lay the body of a high-ranking German Empire general, Dietrich von Hülsen-Haeseler, who had just suffered a heart attack. This might […]
Posted inAncient Greece
Lamian War, the Conflict that Marked the End of Athens’ Independence and the Decline of Greek City-States
322 B.C. was one of the most disastrous years in the history of Athens, if not the worst. Two of its most distinguished sons, the philosophers Demosthenes and Hyperides, died within a week, and thousands of Athenians followed them to that tragic fate due to a severe famine. Eleven thousand others were stripped of their […]
Posted inAge of Exploration
Henry Every, the Captain who Made the Biggest Booty in Piracy History
Classic piracy still retains that aura of romanticism and carefree adventure, which it gained primarily in the 19th century. But while it might seem attractive and fascinating to an onlooker, it was anything but to those who suffered from it, as it usually cost them their possessions, if not their very lives. Interestingly, it also […]
Posted inModern Era
Khalsa, the Sikh warriors who had the duty to protect the innocent from any form of religious persecution
Globalization has allowed the Hindu festival of Holi to spread almost everywhere—at least where there is an Indian community—with its irresistible springtime joy and colors. However, another lesser-known festival often takes place around the same time, typically on March 21: a Sikh event called Vaisakhi, which has a strong agrarian aspect and also commemorates the […]
Posted inModern Era
When Lenin and Stalin Robbed the Bank of Tiflis in 1907
The first quarter of the 20th century was a golden age in the history of bank heists, perhaps not in quality but in quantity—if we consider the amount stolen in the first case and the frequency in the second. The transition from famous 19th-century outlaws like Ned Kelly, Butch Cassidy, Harry Longabaugh, the Dalton brothers, […]
Posted inModern Era, Science
Soviet Experiments to Create a Man-Ape Hybrid that Inspired an Unfinished Opera by Shostakovich
In 1932, Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the most significant composers of the 20th century, started writing a satirical opera that he ultimately left unfinished. Its title, Orango, refers to the name of the unlikely protagonist of an almost surreal plot about the life of a Parisian journalist, a hybrid between a man and an ape. […]
Posted inMiddle Ages
The Turbulent Life of Andronicus I Comnenus, who Managed to Become Emperor by Escaping after 12 Years in Captivity
It’s tough to imagine a life more turbulent and extravagant than that of Andronicus Comnenus, Byzantine emperor and the last of his dynasty. Charismatic, contradictory, lover of worldly pleasures, expert military man, his strong character and lack of scruples led him to experience extreme situations, including twelve years of captivity, numerous military campaigns, scandalous love […]
Posted inScience
Edward Emerson Barnard, the greatest observational astronomer in history
The 85th episode of The Sopranos, from its sixth season, is titled “Blue Comet” because one of its protagonists, a mobster fond of toy trains, is about to purchase one with that name when he gets murdered. The Blue Comet was a passenger railroad – painted blue, obviously – that linked New Jersey with Atlantic […]
