History fascination

I didn't know where to post this, so I simply slapped it into the Chit Chat section in the hope of getting as many views as possible. I hope no one minds :p

The reason I put this thread up, is because one of the things me and my beautiful woman have in common is a love for the wonders of history. This fascination for the past was one of the reasons for choosing Rome as the location for our first meeting. So, I'm interested to see if anyone else here share our passion for history^^

For me, the most interesting about history is the creations of war (a very 'boy' thing to be interested in, huh? :rolleyes:), and then in particular from the medieval period. I kid you not: ask me a question along the lines of 'What is the best missile weapon of the medieval age' or 'Best Siege engine' or 'best type of protective armour', and I will drag you into an hour-long discussion about strengths and weaknesses of every famous and infamous piece of equipment from year 800AC to 1700AC! :D

Now, what is your historical passion?

'What is the best missile weapon of the medieval age'

Trebuchet, surely? :D

Yeah, we both like history generally. We like to visit castles, and there's a lot of them in the UK. Wales is our favourite place to go. We'll go pretty much anywhere historical, we've been to burial mounds, and old Viking site (in York), Cathedrals. We're hopefully going to get to see a couple of castles and an old Roman site in a few weeks when we visit the UK.

Most of the books I read nowadays are history based books. I'm reading a book about Vikings (a brief history basically) and have a couple of books about the Bayeux Tapestry and the Romans to read.

Oh, and I would love to visit Rome.

For me, the most interesting about history is the creations of war (a very 'boy' thing to be interested in, huh? :rolleyes:), and then in particular from the medieval period. Now, what is your historical passion?
Have you read Machiavelli (sp?). It is fascinating reading if you like history and wars. Post Medieval but nevertheless interesting, with lessons that apply even today.

I and my YM really share a deep interest in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War. On of the best books capturing the build-up to World War I and the tragedy of the War's progression is "All Quiet on The Western Front." The film adaptation is incredibly moving and has lessons for all those who have an interest in understanding the nature, psychology, and tragedy of war. "Paths of Glory" is another great World War I movie. I'm not even going to get started getting into World War II and the Vietnam War because I could go on forever. Perhaps this thread will allow us to continue a discussion of these and other subjects.

We often visit Civil War battle fields and have a colllection of books, documentaries and movies on the subject. This, of course, is a war that defined a nation and to some, the Civil War continues, even today. That said, some great Civil War movies that we have watched time and again include "Glory," "Gettysburg," and "Gods and Generals."

It's not about "war" per se, but read Malleus Malleficarum, if you want to read something interesting and terrifying at the same time regarding medieval philosophy and the judicial system during the Inquisition.

Many people don't know that this book was the second most published book, after The Bible, for over FOUR hundred years.....

Any of the buildings that could be considered part of art history. Starting with the Egyptian pyramids, and the Mayan ruins, and all of those great buildlings you probably saw in Rome. I can discuss the difference between the Greek and Roman styles of architecture, and identify most of hte types of Greek columns (yes, I realize this is a completely useless piece of knowledge lol). Michaelangelo is one of my favorite artists so anything he designed or painted or scuplted. And DaVinci.

I'll stop now before all my art geekiness shows.

I've always been a history nut. In fact, I've felt that I am a man from another century who, unfortunately, is living in the present day. I would fit better into life 200 years ago than I do into our time. There would be only two things I'd miss (granted, they're big) if I were transported from 2008 to 1808--modern medical practice and sanitation.

I majored in history as an undergraduate. My focus was United States history, but I also studied ancient Greece, the Middle Ages, and surveyed European history from the 1500s to date. The medieval period I continue to find fascinating (particularly, I'll admit, the darker aspects like warfare, the Inquisition and the plague).

The history that I find most interesting is that which is around me. The large majority of the history that I've studied since college has been the story of California (my home state for the past 17 years) and Nevada (where I grew up).

Trebuchet, surely? :D


lol^^
By 'missile weapon' I meant things like bows, javelins, crossbows, early firearms and so on. Basically, all handheld missile weapons. But yeah, the Trebuchet is one of my favourites in the category 'best Siege weapons', in the top three along with the mangonel and the ballista^^

@Sheila4pd:
No, I haven't read Machiavelli, but I've heard about it^^ It's from there you get the phrase 'Machiavellian scheming'^^

@Unconventional:
If you wanna discuss WWII, I'm all up for it^^ After the Medieval age, the World Wars are my secondary historical passion^^

@eponavet:
Oooh, I love the Inquisition. The thought of such widespread madness and shadow-chasing really appeals to my sadistic side :tongue2: I especially like all their creative and interesting torture methods^^

@Tigerlilly5:
Roman architecture has to be among the most beautiful and intriguing in the world. I was really awed by everything me and Nat saw in Rome, and I love the way the ancient mixes so well together with the modern there. It's sad, really, that we don't make much architecture like that in our modern society. A true shame.

@LADave:
When I'm going for the University this autumn, History and English will be my two subjects. I can't wait to study history with others who share that passion. People in my current class have no interest in history whatsoever, so there's not many I can discuss history with^^

And Dave, I know that feeling. Sometimes I wish I could travel back to the Medieval age, just so I could get to see all those amazing inventions in practice. Especially on the field of battle :bgrin2:

@eponavet:
Oooh, I love the Inquisition. The thought of such widespread madness and shadow-chasing really appeals to my sadistic side :tongue2: I especially like all their creative and interesting torture methods^^



Unfortunately, those creative and interesting torture methods resulted in the deaths of millions of innocent people, mostly women. And when you follow the "history", it was directly related to the banning of women from practicing medicine, for hundreds of years, among other atrocities that still permeate patriarchal societies to this day.....

Several towns in Germany were left with only a single woman inhabitant during the height of the insanity.

I am hoping that people's sadistic sides would be tempered by actually reading the history and absorbing the reality of what the Inquisition was - a religious reign of terror that decimated an entire gender (along with the mentally ill, homosexuals, pagans...to name a few) for generations.....:(

Ooooo Medieval...I know you like that baby ^^

I love history which is more to the world war 2...I love Medieval clothing more...:P

VIKINGS!!!!!!!!!!! OH and Joan of Arc is my fav..I was able to visit the Château De Chignon where she was in prison.

History...... I can bore people to death on the subject of Medieval women or Restoration England or The Tudor period or any number of other era's LOL I have studied history for most of my life and am constantly finding new areas of interest, hence my ever growing history textbook collection!

However my fav subject is much earlier :) Prehistory! Australopithicus anyone?? LOL

My big interest is tonypandy (history that has been falsified, either on purpose or mistakenly). Ever since I read "Daughter of Time" by Josephine Tey many years ago, I search out such stories.

My second interest is WWII, and I read everything I can on it, especially the European theater. I'm not obsessed to the point of memorizing battles and strategies, I just like to read about it--the personal stories mostly.

The Indian Wars, the Overland Trail and Indian history. It's not at all what it's been whitewashed to be...

Since it is after mid-night here, I'll preface our World War II chit chat with the following quote:

"War is the continuation of politics by other means."


Sleep time for sure now, but I will return for chit chat on this fascinating subject. By the way we recently saw two WWII films that blew us away. We always wait for films to come out on DVD so we can watch them from the comfort of our couch.:yes:

Sophie Scholl
Hitler The Rise of Evil -- a 2003 CBS production that truely exceeded our expectations. You've probably seen this one, but if you haven't you might want to check it out.

In my opinion, the height of medieval weapon ingenuity has to be the crossbow, and especially the Italian crossbow. Compared to a bow, the crossbow may look inferior, being slower to fire and possessing a much shorter range. But the strength of the crossbow lies in the fact that the bolt or arrow is not powered by hands, and therefore can reach a much more powerful hit. Italian crossbows from the 13th and 14th century were easily able to penetrate most armour available at that time, and because they were so easy to use (a decent crossbowman could be trained in two or three weeks, while it took at least five years to train a longbowman to the same level), they were tried banned by the Pope as being 'ungodly and hateful'.

Opinions? Anyone disagree on the superiority of the crossbow? :tongue2:

You sound a lot like me and my love for knowledge about modern military weaponry, ordinance, camouflage, and training, etc.

I know tons about lots of different military capabilities of other countries right down to accuracy, reliability, and ballistics of each countries weapons. I also know what ordinance is likely to be used when where and why.

I just enjoy knowing these things. Coming from a guy with an American flag on his wall next to a ghillie suit, what can you expect. :)

Oh, do I feel a bit odd even in history... I was raised by nuns (of the catholic kind), and educated by priests (of the jesuit type - read inquisition), so a lot of the medieval stuff comes a little too close for comfort.

Yes to all the European followers, wars there were really something, and really marked the technological advances of the time. I'm psychologically synched and genetically based on the Americas, and actually studied Christopher Columbus and the subsequent conquest of the New World ad nauseum; followed by its colonization according to Europe. Pretty heavy stuff that you can still flavour first-handed in some Latin American countries. Nothing like the sound of a bullet passing a couple of meters beside you, and I'm not kidding.

Anyway, going back to the subject: first femenist in the New World was Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juana_Ines_de_la_Cruz), who'd rather take her vows as a the only option besides marriage in the 1600's while having very close 'friendships' with other aristocratic women. Her poetry is amazingly fresh and current to this day.

And let's not forget most current history in the person of The Man, no one less than Ernesto "Che" Guevara (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernesto_Guevara)...

Oh yes, I welcome anyone who'd like to discuss anything starting from the last crusades up to the difference between "machism" and "patriarchalism" based on the historical experience on this side of the pond.

And yes Haraio, I admit to the superiority of the crossbow hands down. Can you imagine the impression of a Spanish conquistador -read Hernan Cortez (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernan_Cortez)- sporting a crossbow while riding a horse in Tenochtitlan (current Mexico city)... poor Aztecs, who had never seen either a crossbow nor a horse in their life.

Food was also an issue... avocados for instance. Just read this story. Moctezuma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moctezuma_II) invited Cortez for dinner and presented him with ahuacamolli, or guacamole. Of course, Cortez had never seen or tasted guacamole, and asked what it was. Moctezuma explained that it was just smashed ahuacatl, which literally means "testicle" in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. Cortez thought it was a peculiar dish, but was not able to pronounce ahuacatl correctly, so he simplified the pronunciation to abogado, which literally means "lawyer" in Spanish. So, Cortez went back to Spain with "abogados", which were later introduced to France as "avocats", which also means "lawyer", and then to England as "avocados", an alternate pronunciation of the Spanish term. Spaniards returned to Mexico and managed to correct the mistake, but to this day the mistake persists in both English and French. So, think about this the next time you eat guacamole while drinking a beer... nothing less than smashed testicles.:rolleyes:

...especially undergarments and shoes.

The commercial products they came up with for us women to use during menstruation is also pretty interesting in a macabre sort of way...

Because I don't have the resources to produce the clothing, I've limited myself to collecting patterns. Some are historically accurate, but most are not. I've got examples of things from from Medieval times through the 1950's.

At one time, I also had a decent .jpg collection of vintage fabric & wall paper from the Depression and WWII eras. (I wonder where that went?)

I love old kitchen gadgets because they remind me of my grandmothers, and I like old dishes from the 1930's, 40's and 50's...especially Homer Laughlin "Skytone" and "Jubilee".

I am attracted to several eras. Art Deco, The Atomic designs (Googie architecture and design) and the Edwardian Era. I love the clothing, and worldly goods. Not too keen on the Roaring 20's. Loved the 1950's, but not the political atmosphere. Looking back, I see that so many things were just well made. I love old buildings, Woolworth's and the fancy salons, and tea rooms. The amazingly beautiful department stores.

Life just isn't the same now. I won't set foot in Wal Mart. I roast my own coffee, because starbucks got way too yuppified.
I love the golden age of Toys (the 1950's) and I suppose you can say I am mainly into POP culture, and this country when it was making so many things that actually lasted. I love the clothing from the 1930's and 40's. Do women wear hats any more ? I grew up in the Washington DC area in the 1950's, so I got a pretty good start with variety. What really broke my heart was watching buildings that were built in 1950 being torn down a few years ago to put up gas stations with ugly white lights. When I grew up, we had smaller billboards, and lots of neon, with mom and pop stores. And the ice cream was FAR better than what they sell now with all the chemicals. And oh how I loved the drive in movies, and old theaters.

I find very interesting the comments by MissMuffins and Desert Rose. The general idea that history is made of wars and conflicts is probably too lineal. Maybe it's more like invention and ideas... otherwise, where how would arms would be conceived, but that's not all.

After all, the New World was first "visited" by the Vikings for other reasons: got lost looking for food, maybe, not quite sure about this part. And then, it was "discovered" by Christopher Columbus for the sole purpose of bringing silk, sugar and spices faster to Europe.

And of course, the conception of civility at different points in time. People take for granted the incredible amount of thought that architects put in order to build a dome in a chappel, or maybe how italians, for the pure love of coffee, managed to design well, the espresso machine.

Just to keep you entertained, something about chocolate... you probably know that this is something Europe didn't have until they visited the Americas. Some of the native cultures consider cocoa beans as good as money, literally.

We all know how good chocolate is, to the point that some of us would kill for it. Well, in Spanish colonial times, some of the aristocrat ladies actually brought their maids to church, so that they could prepare hot chocolate during mass since the ladies couldn't go without. This was barely tolerated until a new priest arrived in town directly from Madrid. This priest was so outraged by the local vice that he immediately banned drinking the substance. Well, to make the story short, the priest was found dead in his quarters by unknown reasons. The new priest arrived and tacitly re-instated the chocolate drinking practice by keeping his mouth shut.

Wow, this is too awesome!^^
Just found a video of someone firing a trebuchet. What a range on that thing. Truly, the Trebuchet must be the number one Siege weapon of Medieval times :yes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thiTa8wfZsc

Wow, this is too awesome!^^
Just found a video of someone firing a trebuchet. What a range on that thing. Truly, the Trebuchet must be the number one Siege weapon of Medieval times :yes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thiTa8wfZsc

I found a few videos on youtube about various things :)

US Navy Seal Snipers, US Navy Seals, Snipers in Iraq (all western forces snipers, Oorah), Marine Scout Snipers firing their M40A3s, F-14Bs flown by the US Navy's Jolly Rogers and also the US Navy firing the CIWIS.

I was happy. :yes:

Out of all modern firearms, my favourites have to be the AG3 (I've tried firing this at Home Guard training), and the Sten Mk II^^ The last one for the awesome job it did for underground forces in Asia during WWII^^

Oh, and I found some videos of people shooting a Ballista at human dummies. I was soooooooo happy ^_^ The Ballista has to be one of the kewlest anti-personell weapons in history (see the likeness to the crossbow in this one? :tongue2:)

Håkon have you seen the program called Surviving History (http://www.history.com/video.do?name=survivinghistory)?

I don't know what shows you are familiar with being there is a country difference between us, but the show recreates devices (weapons, torturing devices) and tests them out. Awesome show that me and Alex are into that upon seeing this thread I thought you'd enjoy.

Tonight's episode is about the Breaking Wheel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_wheel) and fire walking.

Surviving History? No, I haven't seen it^^ Haven't even heard about it lol^^ I've been watching another show that recreates medieval items, called the Perfect Weapon (runs on NGC). Very fun show, and highly destructive with medieval weapons. Lots of fun^^

Surviving History? No, I haven't seen it^^ Haven't even heard about it lol^^ I've been watching another show that recreates medieval items, called the Perfect Weapon (runs on NGC). Very fun show, and highly destructive with medieval weapons. Lots of fun^^

I'll have to look for that one! :bgrin2:

EDIT TO ADD: My favorite weapon is the ballista. I prefer the arrow propelling version over the rock, but like both. I think the ballista is Roman empire though. :o

Yeah, the Ballista was first employed by the Roman Legions, both as infantry support weapons but also on fortifications, because of its incredible accuracy at range. A legion of 5,000 fighting legionares would have about 50-100 Ballista, in addition to other siege weapons. Most often the Onager catapult, although in smaller numbers than the lighter Ballista :D Gawd, I am such a nerd :rolleyes: