BBC British history timeline

Filed under: en, history, Education
Added by Marius P.: May 23, 2007 8:57 pm

The BBC website contains very good educational content, besides excellent news.



The British History section, for example, features an interactive
British Empire history timeline
. You can scroll in time, zoom in to see
more details of a period, see main events as information tooltips etc.

You can

Explore all of British history, from the Neolithic to the present day,
with this easy-to-use interactive timeline. Browse hundreds of key
events and discover how the past has shaped the world we live in today.


[Found via information aesthetics.]

Assignat-ul

Filed under: ro, fr, history
Added by Marius P.: December 8, 2006 12:25 pm

Stiati ca Assignat-ul a fost moneda oficiala a Frantei in timpul Revolutiei? Nici eu.

Assignat
Iata ce spune pagina franceza a Wikipedia:

Quelques mois après la Révolution, les finances de l’État sont catastrophiques. Pour régler ce problème, le député Talleyrand a l’idée de confisquer les biens du clergé. C’est ainsi que le 2 novembre 1789, l’Assemblée nationale constituante décide que tous les biens du clergé seront « mis à disposition de la nation ». Ces biens seront dorénavant des biens nationaux, destinés à être mis aux enchères pour remplir les caisses de l’État.

Le problème est que la vente de tant de biens prend du temps, au minimum un an. C’est un délai beaucoup trop long, les caisses de l’État sont alors vides et la faillite arrivera bien avant que tout ne soit vendu.

C’est ainsi qu’est décidé de créer, le jour même de la création de la Caisse extraordinaire, des billets dont la valeur est assignée, sur les biens du clergé. L’assignat est né.


Pentru cei ce prefera limba engleza, pagina similara a Wikipedia spune asa:

Assignats were banknotes issued by the National Constituent Assembly in France during the French Revolution. The assignats were issued after the confiscation of church properties in 1790 because the government was bankrupt. The government thought that the financial problems could be solved by printing certificates representing the value of church properties. These church lands became known as biens nationaux.

Istorie sonora

Filed under: ro, history, music
Added by Marius P.: October 27, 2006 8:25 pm

Drumul muzicii de la fonoautograf la iPod
Aproape 150. Acesta a fost timpul necesar pentru ca muzica sa treaca bariera laboratorului lui Leon Scott pentru ca acum sa fie ascultata in metrou pe device-uri capabile sa inmagazineze cateva mii de piese. HotNews.ro va propune o calatorie prin toate etapele ce au condus la inventarea IPod-ului si MP3 player-ului.

Articol complet pe situl Hotnews.ro.

Hungary 1956

Filed under: en, history
Added by Marius P.: October 23, 2006 11:28 am

The Hungarian uprising in 1956 was a vital moment in the Cold War, showing both the aspirations of the peoples of Eastern Europe but also the determination of the Soviet Union not to lose its grip. It also demonstrated the limits of Western power. Despite a desire to “roll back” the Soviet Empire in Europe, President Dwight Eisenhower did not help the Hungarians, in order to avoid the risk of general war.

And it coincided with another international crisis, Suez, the effect of which on Soviet actions has always intrigued historians.

However, secret documents that have emerged since the end of the Cold War also demonstrate that the Soviet intervention was not quite the cut-and-dried decision that it appeared at the time.

There was a brief moment when it hesitated.

The BBC News writes about the moment when When the Soviet Union nearly blinked, the refugees drama, the brain drain that followed the uprising, along with a timeline of how the Hungarian Revolution was won, lost and won again.

“October 23, 1956, is a day that will live forever in the annals of free men and nations. It was a day of courage, conscience and triumph. No other day since history began has shown more clearly the eternal unquenchability of man’s desire to be free, whatever the odds against success, whatever the sacrifice required.” - President John F. Kennedy, on the first anniversary of the Hungarian revolution.

Hungary1956
Hungary1956

The change the Hungarian 1956 uprising produced in Russia’s image in the West is even more stretched by Andy H, an English blogger living in Romania:

Hungarian readers may be interested to learn that the 1956 events more or less destroyed the far left in the UK (obviously no major deal compared to what upheaval it caused in Hungary). After the second world war, the communist party was quite strong in Britain, but 1956 split it completely asunder between those who supported the uprising and those who advocated mother Russia sending the tanks in. To this day, the derogatory slang term for Stalinists in the UK (yes there are some) is “tankies“.

(article link)

More audio and photos on the hungary1956.com and the REImagineFreedom.org websites.

Flickr photos byeszter.

[Français]

Imperial history

Filed under: en, history
Added by Marius P.: October 20, 2006 8:53 pm

I have come across an interesting article on the mapsofwar.com website.

Who has controlled the Middle East over the course of history? Pretty much everyone. Egyptians, Turks, Jews, Romans, Arabs, Greeks, Persians, Europeans…the list goes on. Who will control the Middle East today? That is a much bigger question.

View animation here.

Hongrie, 23 octobre 1956

Filed under: fr, history, documentary
Added by Marius P.: October 19, 2006 3:31 pm

Le 23 octobre 1956, les Hongrois se révoltent, à Budapest, contre la domination des Soviétiques depuis la seconde guerre mondiale. Cette insurrection sera durement réprimée le 4 novembre par les chars de l’Armée rouge. Ce soulèvement spontané représentait avant tout une critique du régime communiste et trouvait sa source dans des assemblées d’étudiants, rejoints par des ouvriers, des soldats et des intellectuels de tout le pays.

Voir le film sur lemonde.fr, les photos sur le site hungary1956.com ou cette belle infographie sur le site du Monde.

Le Figaro présente, à son tour, une chronologie des évènements, avec des liens à la situation d’aujourd’hui:

En février 1956, lors du XXe congrès du Parti communiste de l’URSS, Nikita Khrouchtchev prononce un discours secret dans lequel il dénonce les méthodes de Staline : culte de la personnalité, purges systématiques, politique de la terreur. A la suite de fuites, ce rapport est diffusé dans le monde entier, indignant les non-communistes et troublant les «camarades». En Europe centrale, c’est tout le système qui est ébranlé. Le 28 juin 1956, en Pologne, une grève spectaculaire éclate à Poznan : 50 000 ouvriers exigent une hausse des salaires, la liberté religieuse, des élections libres et le départ des troupes soviétiques. La répression se solde par 54 morts et plusieurs centaines de blessés. Mais l’ancien secrétaire général du Parti, Wladyslaw Gomulka, victime d’une purge en 1949, est rappelé pour sauver le régime : avec l’aval de Moscou, il retrouve son poste le 21 octobre 1956. A ce moment, Budapest est au bord de l’explosion.

Article complet sur le site du Figaro.

[English]

Malancrav, un loc parca din alt timp

Filed under: ro, history, tourism
Added by George P.: 3:25 am

Intr-una sau in doua scurte plimbari pe coclaurile din vecinatatea Sighisoarei am avut ocazia sa descopar niste zone uitate de lume, unde doar cativa oameni se mai impotriveau izolarii lor si a tinuturilor cu pricina. Defapt este vorba doar de un caz din sutele de asemenea cazuri prezente Romania post-decembrista, unde satele aflate in zone mai izolate au fost parasite incet de oameni si lasate in grija naturii din nou. In cazul de fata ar mai exista insa o cauza, plecarea in masa a sasilor in special in perioada comunista cat si imediat dupa 1989. Acum o sa vorbesc in special de sate precum Malancrav sau Viscri, unde o fundatie aflata sub umbrela casei regale britanice a deschis drumul renasterii acestor localitati reusind sa convinga si pe altii sa incerce acest drum, chiar daca la o scara mai mica. Iata o mica analiza efectuata de Dan Tapalaga pentru ziarul “euROpeanul“, articol aparut si pe situl HotNews (HTML, PDF).

Au cumparat casa de la o familie de sasi cu 6000 de euro, ca sa-i opreasca macinarea. Au platit tigani din sat si i-au invatat sa pretuiasca o mostenire care nu e lor: sa tencuiasca numai cu var si nisip, sa inchege lemnul cu fier lucrat de fierarul din sat si sa se tina departe de betoane si termopane.

Printului i-au placut toate: bucataria cu soba de pamant, dormitoarele cu teracota pictata, lavitele mancate de carii, scarile de lemn, broderiile de la ferestre si „armarai”-ul, un mic dulap sapat in zid inchis cu usa pictata. Ar fi preferat perdele lungi, dar i s-a explicat ca traditia cere musai broderie saseasca. „A zis sa punem legume in gradina, sa le crestem organic.

La Viscri calca, pe timp de vara, cam 40 de turisti pe zi, mana cereasca pentru cele 12 gospodarii autorizate sa primeasca oaspeti. Vin multi francezi, nemti si englezi. Romanii nu prea dau buzna. Satul a ajuns intre timp pe lista monumentelor protejate de UNESCO. Caroline Fernolend nu vede insa cu ochi buni viata in UE: „Pentru noi, cei din Viscri, integrarea nu e buna.”.

Cei care au case de oaspeti nu vor mai putea vinde turistilor vin de casa, rachiu, sa taie porcul in curte etc. Caroline se teme ca, fara derogari de la regulile europene, tot ce au investit in turism ecologic se va duce pe apa sambetei: „Nu poti aduce turisti la Viscri si sa le pui pe masa lapte de la METRO. Nici legume din gradina nu poti sa le mai dai. Le trebuie certificat de producator”

Prin Malancrav m-am plimbat acum vreo 3 ani, dupa ce am urmat drumul de pamant ce leaga satul de soseaua Sighisoara-Medias. Izolarea acestuia fata de agitatia oraselor te face sa vezi altfel lucrurile, e ca si trecerea de la mersul pe autostrada la mersul pe strazile unui oras - trebuie sa franezi si sa mergi mai incet ca sa poti vedea mai multe. Incepi sa strabati la pas stradutele satului admirand casele inca frumoase in ciuda parasirii care si-a lasat amprenta pe ele, apoi incepi sa te uiti prin curtile lor si chiar sa intri in cate-o casa. Nu te poti opri insa si imediat ce iesi din sat te pierzi intr-un camp plin de flori care te face sa te freci de cateva ori la ochi gandindu-te daca nu cumva ai aterizat intr-un basm.

31/10/2006: Gasiti un articol interesant despre biserica din Malancrav pe site-ul Patzinakia.

Lindenfeld, satul fantoma

Filed under: ro, history, tourism
Added by George P.: September 23, 2006 2:44 pm

Acum vreo 3 ani am citit cateva articole si descrieri de trasee insotite de poze pe MyBike.ro despre zona satului Lindenfeld din judetul Caras-Severin, un sat parasit, locuit odata de o comunitate germana. Nu stiu exact ce m-a atras atunci, probabil misterul ruinelor, probabil zona frumoasa (rezultata din poze) sau mai mult ca sigur accesul pe bicicleta, insa zona mi-a ramas intiparita in memorie ca si "de vazut". Iata ca, la 3 ani distanta gasesc un articol descriptiv asupra aceluiasi sat intr-un ziar romanesc (Evenimentul Zilei):

… Nimic nu ne-a facut sa ne gandim ca satul ar fi aproape, doar la un moment dat, ca din neant, ni s-au ivit in fata niste ruine. "Am ajuns", ne-am spus, incercand sa ne adunam sufletul si sa intram in sat. Nu au latrat caini, nu am vazut animale, doar ruine, de parca am fi fost la un capat de lume, parasit in timp si in spatiu. Din loc in loc, resturi de ziduri ce formau pe vremuri case, ferestre, sunt acum prabusite, martori muti ai unei epoci care s-a sfarsit si a alteia, care poate incepe. Pe marginea fostelor strazi, stau incarcati pomi cu mere si pere, de care nimeni nu s-a mai atins. Un izvor cu apa limpede ne astampara setea si ne uitam cu mirare la tufele ce au crescut in case, la petele colorate de tencuiala si incercam sa ghicim cum forfotea satul, acum o jumatate de secol…

Cateva poze de acum 3 ani din Lindenfeld gasiti aici: http://www.mybike.ro/modules.php?name=coppermine…

O alta poza din Lindenfeld mai puteti vedea si aici: http://photoart.montanbanat.de/details.php?image_id=104

Tot de acum 3 ani puteti vedea niste poze facute intr-un alt sat parasit, Nadas (jud. Timisoara): http://www.mybike.ro/modules.php?name=coppermine…

An urban legend

Filed under: en, history
Added by Marius P.: September 15, 2006 10:08 pm

Everybody knows what Urban Legends are, right? Of course, they are … Legends, you know, except that  sometimes they have some truth in them. Like The Unsolvable Math Problem.

This legend is used as the setup of the plot in the 1997 movie Good Will Hunting. As well, one of the early scenes in the 1999 film Rushmore shows the main character daydreaming about solving the impossible question and winning approbation from all.

I think that everyone has dreamed about solving their company’s biggest financial problem and receiving a big check just in time to buy that new gadget. Or about finding the ingredient of that particular glue Stradivarius used on his violins and blow away all the world’s most famous violonists. I guess this urban legend about solving "unsolvable" math problems would come from time to time visiting maths or computer science students or professors etc.

Short version:

Student mistakes examples of unsolvable math problems for homework assignment and solves them. 

But it seems that this legend comes from a true fact:

One day, in 1939, George Bernard Dantzig, a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, arrived late for a graduate-level statistics class and found two problems written on the board. Not knowing they were examples of "unsolvable" statistics problems, he mistook them for part of a homework assignment, jotted them down, and solved them. 

And the rest is … you know, Legend! The professor helped him publish the demonstrations and later he received recognition for his work. It’s interesting to see how, afterwards, the story passed into a Legend. A Lutheran Reverend had heard the story and asked the permision to include it into a book about thinking positively:

The moral of his sermon was this: If I had known that the problem were not homework but were in fact two famous unsolved problems in statistics, I probably would not have thought positively, would have become discouraged, and would never have solved them.

Read full article here, on the Urban Legends Reference Page.

Mica istorie a etniei rome

Filed under: ro, history, documentary
Added by George P.: September 5, 2006 2:04 am

Acum un an citeam pe versiunea romaneasca a site-ului BBC un reportaj foarte interesant despre istoria romilor, de unde au venit, de ce au venit, cum s-au asezat prin Europa, etc.

Romii sunt cea mai mare minoritate din Europa. Potrivit ultimelor estimari, doua treimi din cei in jur de 10 milioane de romi europeni traiesc in Europa Centrala si de Est…

Ipoteza acceptata de cei mai multi istorici este ca stramosii lor au migrat din nordul Indiei, catre vest, acum mai bine de 1000 de ani. De ce au migrat?

“Cred ca au fost impinsi sa imigreze de luptele date in nordul Indiei, o zona continuu invadata din nord si din vest, afirma Donald Kenrick. Iar daca aveai un anume tip de ocupatie in acea perioada, orice posibilitate de munca era blocata. Pentru grupurile de nomazi, astfel de conditii de viata erau extrem de dificile. Nemaivorbind ca in vreme de razboi nu erau nici bani pentru distractii, asa ca muzicienii si artistii nu gaseau de lucru”.

Lista completa a articolelor:
1. Romii - Repere istorice
2. Romii - Campurile mortii din Transnistria.
3. Romii - Supravietuire culturala, cultura supravietuirii.
4. Romii - Copiii romi si scoala. Sanse si nesanse.
5. Romii - Coliba unchiului Rom. Locuintele si conflictele inter-etnice.
6. Romii - Viitorul romilor in Europa. Scenarii fericite si sumbre.