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 LordofHats wrote:
Speaking of man-eating lions does anyone else seek out weird stories of History? Tsavo Man-Eaters, the Beast of Gevuaden, Roanoke Colony, the mysterious death of Silas Deane, and the like? Those not so huge but interesting events that happen?

Recently, and I blame the alien thread for this, I've been skimming up on the history of UFO's. I never even knew Project Blue Book existed, let alone some of the weird stuff the USAF investigated in connection with those flying unknowns.

Yeah, I know a few things about that from when I was a pre-teen. I voraciously read about UFOs, the paranormal, and cryptozoology (i.e. Monsters). I liked the famous Bermuda Trianle story about the lost squadron of dive bombers, the Mary Celeste, and lake monsters in places other than Loch Ness (Lake Champlain, Lake Ogopogo, Lake Pepin, etc.).

I quite like 'The Glorious Revolution' That period in England the led up to the Civil War. You cannot really understand the Civil War until you study what King Charles the first actually did to parliament and what happened when parliament responded. There is also the founding of the constitutional monarchy and the new parliament, the foundation for the system we have today. The war in Ireland after the Civil War (usually this gets lumped in with the Civil War, but in my opinion is a separate Issue, much like Afghanistan is a separate Issue to Iraq) and it's consequences are also worth studying to understand the relationship between Ireland and mainland Britain today, since it was at this point when the English Protestants went over and settled in Ireland. The Civil War, the period before and after it gives one an understanding on the political situation of Britain today. If you want to find out where modern Britain originated this is the period to study.

I could go on about it.

I also have a 'thing' for the American Civil War. not sure why but it vastly fascinates me. I studied it for my degree, and it has fascinated me so I carried on the subject, and now have 2 wargaming armies and a dissertation on Robert E Lee, that many Southerners will probably not like.

I also have a soft spot for the wars of the roses, but then it's the period I re enact. To me the medieval world was a different world from the one we live in, and I want to find out (if at all possible) what made the people tick, why the various systems were in place, how people felt under these systems and what caused them to behave the way they behaved.

The battle of Thermopylae. Perfect example of Spartan military prowess.

 Frazzled wrote:
Pre Columbian Central and South American history, especially the ancient Maya.

Initial culture / fixed settlements in northern Yucatan is now set at 2,500BC. Interesting things include evidence of a strong middle class, and 3 football field wide raised plaza akin to the bottom half of one ofthe great pyramids of Egypt.

I'm sorry, you didn't list the Battle of the Alamo.

Please turn in your Texas Flag and present for mandatory relocation to Oklahoma.

The beginning of the 1500's In Europe.

Some bloke called Michelangelo carves up a block of marble. He ends up with a representation of David.

Artists viewing the David at its current home in The Academia - Florence - Still weep that they cannot produce something as beautiful.

 sebster wrote:
The French invasion of Russia has my interest right now. Just overtaken the French Indian wars.


Interesting that the thread is about history, but it's stated that we are to state the battle we're most interested in- we couldn't think the renaissance or the industrial revolution was our most interesting point or, well, anything that wasn't about people fighting.

Also interesting is that I was going to name a military campaign anyway

Well, you are on a wargaming forum. Most of the people here, me included, will find military conflict interesting.

I would say the invention of the automobile would be a significant event.

Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin and his 13 ships against more than 300 Japanese ships. The poor Japanese never knew what hit them.

 d-usa wrote:

 Frazzled wrote:
Pre Columbian Central and South American history, especially the ancient Maya.

Initial culture / fixed settlements in northern Yucatan is now set at 2,500BC. Interesting things include evidence of a strong middle class, and 3 football field wide raised plaza akin to the bottom half of one ofthe great pyramids of Egypt.

I'm sorry, you didn't list the Battle of the Alamo.

Please turn in your Texas Flag and present for mandatory relocation to Oklahoma.

Thats not a battle. Thats a religious experience for all Texans. I have made the Hajj to the Mission De Bejar six times infidel.

In general I am fascinated with anything historical, but in the last couple of years I've developed a particular fascination with 19th century Europe and Russia (going into the 20th with the latter), entailing the fall of two major monarchies and really creating the international system we have today. Its a fascinating period militarily with the Napoleonic wars, the Russian expansions and the Crimean and Russo-Japanese wars, but also industrially and socially with the first real development of 'modern' systems of industry and farming, bringing with them an entirely new social and economic structure. Politically you also have the major Europe-wide shift from Monarchies to (at least in name) democratic systems. 1848 is particularly interesting, with revolution across Europe.

Other areas of particular interest are both World Wars, and ancient history (Roman, Greek, Egyptian). That said, anything remotely historical I'll take an interest in.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
I am also a fan of the American Civil War. Being from Virginia, I had family on my mother's side that fought for the South. I also live near quite a few famous historical sites, including some John Mosby sites (he is a personal favorite figure of mine).

Reading a book about him right now, Gray Ghost: The Life of Col. John Singleton Mosby

 necrovamp wrote:
and a dissertation on Robert E Lee, that many Southerners will probably not like.

Well if it has any basis in reality it probably wasn't flattering.

Late Roman Republic 1st century BC.

Fascinating times from long ago yet known in lurid detail.

1066. That era of time is easily my favorite to follow and learn about. Next to say the days of the Roman Empire and the Wild West.

Plus the tale of Stamford bridge really rocks my socks.

 MrDwhitey wrote:

 necrovamp wrote:
and a dissertation on Robert E Lee, that many Southerners will probably not like.

Well if it has any basis in reality it probably wasn't flattering.

It was about how he is remembered, really debunking the myths that he was the best American general and how he is twisted by various people to their own views rather than shown as the man he was among other things. Example would be repeating the mistake he made at Malvern Hill at Gettysburg (Pickets charge, at Malvern hill he charged over open ground towards dug in Union troops and artillery and was defeated, he did the same thing at Gettysburg, just on a bigger scale) My personal view being it was a case of Union generals being worse than him, rather than Lee's own skill that got him as far as he got.

sorry i'm rambling!

You're rambling to someone who fully agrees with you, so it's ok.

Definitely the Reformation in terms of religious significance.

In terms of actual battles, the Franco-Prussian War was pretty damn awesome. Bismark truly earned the title of the Iron Chancellor. Everything was fine until that dope Kaiser Wilhelm ruined everything he helped build Germany up to

Other than that probably the Opium War, really shows how far the Qing dynasty had fallen in terms of political and military stability since their peak with the Emperor Kangxi. That plus the fact that they lost was more due to internal reasons such as the Taipeng Rebellions than simply the Brits being stronger technologically or military-wise.

I do love a good Roman War, the second Punic war will always stand out for me in terms of sheer badassery

*Well Hannibal has no way into Italia, he can't cross the sea with us around!*

But I'm also a fan of the Persian Empire, I'm currently studying Darius I of Persia, which is an excellent period full of brilliant warfare, such as the Battle of Marathon, and excellent administrative ideas, such as divided the worlds largest Empire into manageable chunks that could be easily controlled from a central power.

I'm currently reading on the Crusades. Just read a good book on Vikings, and before that a lot on the Revolutionary War.

welshhoppo wrote:
I do love a good Roman War, the second Punic war will always stand out for me in terms of sheer badassery

*Well Hannibal has no way into Italia, he can't cross the sea with us around!*

But I'm also a fan of the Persian Empire, I'm currently studying Darius I of Persia, which is an excellent period full of brilliant warfare, such as the Battle of Marathon, and excellent administrative ideas, such as divided the worlds largest Empire into manageable chunks that could be easily controlled from a central power.

If you like historic fiction have you tried the 'Emperor' series by Conn Igulden. It's a 4 book series all about the rise of Julius Ceaser, and while it's fiction, it's more a dramatization then a novel. It is a very very very good series.

And i'm glad someone agress wih me MrDwhitey

 Frazzled wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

 Frazzled wrote:
Pre Columbian Central and South American history, especially the ancient Maya.

Initial culture / fixed settlements in northern Yucatan is now set at 2,500BC. Interesting things include evidence of a strong middle class, and 3 football field wide raised plaza akin to the bottom half of one ofthe great pyramids of Egypt.

I'm sorry, you didn't list the Battle of the Alamo.

Please turn in your Texas Flag and present for mandatory relocation to Oklahoma.

Thats not a battle. Thats a religious experience for all Texans. I have made the Hajj to the Mission De Bejar six times infidel.

I want to sig this so bad. Can I?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Shadowbrand wrote:
1066. That era of time is easily my favorite to follow and learn about. Next to say the days of the Roman Empire and the Wild West.

Plus the tale of Stamford bridge really rocks my socks.

Already called it. In the end the Norse hero gets killed by a cheapshot to his boys after killing 40+ Englishmen over a half hour period.

DJ. I got my hook on Crusades from Youtube. So pretty much went over 1st, 2nd and 3rd Crusades.

 Asherian Command wrote:
I did say Events.

Battles or Events

Ah, my mistake

The Golden Age of Piracy was pants gakkingly awesome.

Ghengis Khan is my personal hero, and the final evidence that Alexander the Great should be renamed "Alexander the Lucky To Be Remembered He Sucked So Hard" sure it's a mouthful but the little wimp barely ruled even a majority of a continent and his empire endured less then the scent of a taco fart after his death.

Finally, most people don't realize that most of the lines in the movie 300 are goddamn quotes.

After invading Greece and forcing the submission of many city states, Philip II, King of Macedon sent a message to the Spartans. "You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people and raze your city." The Spartan rulers replied with only one word. "If". Philip of Macedon and his son Alexander the Mildly Incompetent both avoided Sparta completely.

When asked by a woman from Attica:
'Why are you Spartan women the only ones who can rule men?',
she said:'Because we are also the only ones who give birth to men.'
- Queen Gorgo (daughter of Kleomenes I, born ~506. Married Leonidas I)

When the Persians sent envoys to the Spartans demanding the traditional symbol of surrender, an offering of soil and water, the Spartans threw them into a deep well, suggesting that upon their arrival at the bottom, they could "Dig it out for yourselves."*

When Leonidas was asked why he had come to fight such a huge host with so few men, Leonidas answered, "If numbers are what matters, all Greece cannot match a small part of that army; but if courage is what counts, this number is sufficient." On being again asked a similar question, he replied, "I have plenty, since they are all to be slain."

Another classic line from the movie with historical fact behind it. the Spartan Dienekes was told that the Persian archers were so numerous that when they fired their volleys, their arrows would blot out the sun. He responded with “So much the better, we'll fight in the shade” this response is now the motto of the Hellenic Army's 20th armored division.

Before the battle of Termoplylae Xerxes sent an offer to King Leonidas that he would spare his men if they gave up their arms. Leonidas replied "Molon labe" (Greek: Μολών λαβέ), which translates to "Come and take them".

The Etipath of the 300

Ὦ ξεῖν', ἀγγέλλειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ὅτι τῇδε
κείμεθα, τοῖς κείνων ῥήμασι πειθόμενοι.

Ō ksein', angellein Lakedaimoniois hoti tēide
keimetha, tois keinōn rhēmasi peithomenoi.

"Go and tell the Spartans, stranger passing by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie."


*Holy Feth, the original line was MORE badass.

My dissertation is only early modern naval history, so I can highlight a few key events.

The Spanish Armada- While the Royal Navy actually didn't contribute much to the end of the Armada, its destruction heralded the beginning of the end for Spain as a Great Power.

Battle of Traflagar- This battle, as much as any other, determined the course of early modern history. By the end the Royal Navy were the undisputed masters of the sea and for the next 100 years England dominated the course of history.

Battle of Hampton Roads- The first confrontation between iron hulled warships. Overnight the world's navies were rendered obsolete, and the world began an arms race that led to WW1.

Battle of Manila Bay- America proves that it can play with the big boys and wipes out a spanish squadron in Manila.

Battle of Tushima- The only time one battleship fleet decisively defeated another. Proved the effectiveness of long range gunnery and torpedoes and secured Japan as a Great Power. Led to the development of Dreadnoughts.

The World Wars had several important battles as well, Jutland, and Midway were probably the most important.

Other one to mention is Operation Praying Mantis, a US-Iranian Navy battle in the Persian Gulf. Its important because its the only major fleet action since WW2 and gives us an idea what a major modern fleet action would look like.

Battle of Waterloo, If World Wars aren't allowed. The British Army routed the Old Guard, famed for either never losing a battle or never running away, I don't remember which. Also the battle that named all the Guards Regiments of Foot.

In joint second is the Hundred Years War and the War of Independence. Namely because The Black Prince not only went on a rampage through the France and then beat a numerically superior French force, It was the war in which the Order of the Garter decimated the French Order of the Sun.

The War of Independence is fascinating because of the propaganda and stigma attached to it. For anyone interested, Rebels & Redcoats by Hugh Bicheno is a very enlightening book. A little hard going at times but very good.

 The Crusader wrote:
Battle of Waterloo, If World Wars aren't allowed. The British Army routed the Old Guard, famed for either never losing a battle or never running away, I don't remember which. Also the battle that named all the Guards Regiments of Foot.
\

To be fair there were other nationalities present at Quatre Bras and Waterloo in the British half of the army, and there was also the impending Prussian assault which was weighing on the French. But I agree, it's a fascinating campaign in general. The Peninsular Campaign is brilliant as well.

For me its the fall of Constantinople by the ottoman empire a pretty significant point in history especially as it was pretty much the end of the Byzantine's and there were some very cool strategy used in the siege.

Some other important battles.

The Battle of the Cowpens - American Revolution: A relatively small engagement, this battle is important because it is cite-able evidence of Washington's tactical skills, with George himself forced to focus on strategic concerns over pure tactical engagement, George's reputation for losing is unjustified. We can however look to Colonial Army Brigadier General Daniel Morgan, the commanding officer at the Battle of the Cowpens, who by his own admission learned everything he knew as Washington's aide with the British army during the French and Indian Wars, and later a one of his picked officers through out the course of the revolution.

On the date of battle BG Morgan had a force of around 800 men. A mix of Colonial regulars, militia and a small force of cavalry. His opponent? Colonel Banastre Tarleton and his force of 1000+ British regulars, with a force of 300 cavalrymen and a 24 gun battery of artillery, a much better equipped force then Morgan's. Tarleton (aka the bad guy from The Patriot. Seriously) was a cavalry man so those 300 dragoons are important. You can research the details but Morgan played his own weaknesses (namely the militia) and Tarleton's weaknesses (Disdain for militia, being British) off each other and pulled off a classic double envelopment. Tarleton himself barely escaped and a force of 1000+ of the British Army's elite (Dragoons, Highlanders Royal Fusiliers, etc) were either killed, wounded or captured, striking a powerful blow to Cornwallis in the South, and providing the Continental Army with a much needed moral boost.

-------------------

The Battle of Antietam - American Civil War

This engagement beyond being the bloodiest single day in American history, was the vital turning point of the entire Civil war. Had McClellan actually had pair and pursued after defeating Lee's Army of Northern Virginia the war could have been over much sooner turning an important defeat into a complete route.

However the battle remains absolutely vital. The Union victory just south of Sharpsburg's effects on the social and political aspects of war were almost more important then the vital blunting of Lee's attack into the north. The victory provided a much needed moral boost for both civilian and soldier a like, while again throwing Lee's army of Northern Virginia back into Northern Virginia. It also delayed the possibility of foreign intervention, as the British policy was to wait for a "clear winner". Lincoln used every second of this delay, and this new found high spirits, securing the upcoming elections in Congress for the Republicans, which gave him (Lincoln) the fuel to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended all specter of foreign intervention in the American Civil War. (The British population in particular didn't much like that sound of helping slavers. Good on you 18th Century British types)

Asking a British person for their thoughts on Waterloo is often a useless exercise as they seem taken up with mindless and incorrect nationalism over it.

Very Anglo-centric historians full of crap on that one have doomed us all.

Also the Old Guard did not attack and be routed, that was the Middle Guard (who were apparently woefully equipped, using bits of string as slings for example). The French routed en-masse shortly after due to the massive force of blue coated chaps that had appeared on one flank and started shooting, and who actually decided the outcome of the battle.