Category: Biography

The Fallacy of the American Cowboy Dueling at High Noon

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The classic cowboy motif of two gritty outlaws squaring off at high noon in the middle of the street is a fallacy. Street duels directly related to the American West have only occurred 5x – 10x from 1860 – 1900. The most well renowned high noon dual and the inspiration for much of the cowboy genre aesthetic within Hollywood cinema was in 1865, a standoff between Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt in Springfield, United States of America. This particular dual inspired over a century of cinematic exaggeration and hyperbole within the film genre. In reality, most gunfights within the American West during the 19th century were spontaneous, chaotic, and rarely honorable (e.g. ambushes from behind saloon doors or shootouts from areas with ample coverage etc.). Whilst Hollywood would later romanticize these rare dual encounters, the cowboy lifestyle day to day was far more rugged and utilitarian than it is depicted within media. Cowboys were working class laborers, much like agricultural workers of the modern day, they were often young, diverse in background, and driven by necessity of survival rather than personal glory. These men and women spent long days upon horseback herding cattle across a vast and unforgiving landscape, contending with harsh weather cycles, animal stampedes, and the constant threat of injury via animal or human being. The cowboy period of American history, although brief, played a vital role in shaping the economic and cultural landscape of the American frontier

The Origin of the Excalibur Sword Mythology

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In 1136 A.D., a Welsh cleric named Geoffrey of Monmouth while traveling through South Wales, wrote a chronicle entitled “Historia Regum Brittaniae” (pronounced “his-tor-ee-yah ray-gum brit-ann-ee-eye”) which means the “History of the Kings of England” in Latin. This compendium was a clever weave of historical facts and fantastical tales, and the text did a great deal to reignite the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Geoffrey wrote of Caliburnus which is translated to “Excalibur” in English, the mythical sword which provided Arthur the destiny to rule over England. Geoffrey accounts that the sword was forged upon the Isle of Avalon which would “carve the souls from out of them with blood”. Excalibur is an excellent demonstration of how highly the English venerated their swords, with other western cultures following suit

The Reason Living Wills and Last Will and Testaments Were Developed

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Living wills and testaments were designed because it was believed that being prayed for sped up the time in which one stayed in purgatory and although during the modern day, living wills and testaments do not include the prayer portion, this was the main reason the concept was designed during the Middle Ages. Living wills often instructed people to pray for the deceased a set amount of times per day, week, or month, as well as the type of funeral service desired, with minute details being paid attention to (e.g. the type of candles which would burn alongside the gravestone etc.). Living wills and testaments also offered the bequeathing of physical, tangible items that the dead would no longer need. In the modern day, living wills and testaments do not include the prayer portion, but this was the main reason the concept was designed during the Middle Ages

The Reason Europeans Began Consuming Coffee During the 16th Century

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Coffee was initially referred to as a drink only consumed by the devil and frowned upon until Pope Clement VIII tried it and changed his opinion which changed Rome, Italy’s stance. Coffee was seen as the devil’s drink because it was the drink of the Muslim and therefore by default the infidels with whom Christians had been at war for centuries. Pope Clement VIII famously stated that coffee was so delicious that Christians should cheat the devil by baptizing the beverage

The First Assassination With a Firearm

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The first assassination using a firearm was of James Stewart the Earl of Moray, in 1570, who was assassinated by James Hamilton. Hamilton stalked Stewart for weeks, following him from Perth, Scotland to Stirling, Scotland, and finally pouncing when in Linlithgow, Scotland. Hamilton was well prepared, hanging a black cloth textile behind him so that his shadow could not been seen upon the street and putting down bird feathers to muffle the sound of his movements. As Stewart rode by, Hamilton raised up his weapon, a short barreled hunting carbine, and fired, hitting Stewart in the stomach. This shot caused much confusion but by the time Stewart and his entourage had figured out what occurred, Hamilton was long gone, as his escape route was pre-planned. Stewart managed to stumble to the home he was staying but died later that same evening. Hamilton was never caught for this crime but the entire act is immortalized in stained glass at Saint Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland. This assassination caused chaos in Scotland and made the English court immensely nervous as bodyguards were no match for a distant assassin within the shadows who could pick off their target and vanish without a trace. Firearms were deemed during this era a threat to national security in Europe, especially after the advent of the wheel lock mechanism in 1515 which was a mechanized method of igniting gunpowder, allowing for the design of the pistol to work in practice for the very first time

The First Female Sculptor Within Italy During the Renaissance

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Properzia de Rossi, who was born in Bologna, Italy in 1490, aspired to become a sculptor and was the first female marble sculptor within Italy during the Renaissance of the 16th century. Although de Rossi left no diaries, fragments of her early work are still available during the modern day. Despite marble sculpting being viewed as a masculine art form during the Renaissance in that it required muscle to perform and an intelligent mind to create, both of which women were not thought to possess during this period. Because of this, de Rossi found her medium in other art forms, most notably her “Madonna of Mercy” within the Grassi Family Crest work which was a silver crest with 11 nectarine buttons which were carved intricately with small images of religious piety. By 1525, aged 35, de Rossi entered a contest for the main cathedral basilica of Bologna, San Petronio, of which she won. The piece was named “Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife” which depicts a fallen women who’s breasts are exposed, rising off of her bed to try and claim her husband as he leaves. It was believed during the period that it was unthinkable for a woman to study the male nude form through nudity. Because de Rossi’s sculptures were so accurate, it was assumed she knew too much of the male form and therefore she was dammed for her talent. In 1530, de Rossi died penniless and alone, a retched end for a great artist who was pushed out of society due to the sheer beauty and creativity of her work. Had de Rossi not been a victim of her time, she would have been celebrated with the most revered male Renaissance artists

The Color of Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra’s Skin

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Cleopatra VII, the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt, was of Macedonian descent, which makes her Greek, as her family was established by Ptolemy I, a soldier who later became a General within Alexander III’s military force, a person more commonly referred to as “Alexander the Great”. The Ptolemies practiced interfamily marriage, meaning siblings, or more uncommonly cousins etc., as Cleopatra herself married her brother, therefore her ancestry was predominantly Greek. The caveat to this is that the identity of Cleopatra’s mother is unclear, leaving a lot of room for speculation of potential Egyptian as well as other African or regional influences. As for her skin color specifically, historical depictions and recorded texts do not provide clear evidence, but based upon her Greek heritage, she likely had a light olive complexion, common in persons of Mediterranean lineage during the modern day. Cleopatra’s exact skin tone however remains uncertain without genetic evidence as her remains have never been identified and/or located

The North Korean Government Executing Convicted Persons for Minor Criminal Offenses

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North Korea is the only country in the world which kills its citizens for making unauthorized international telephone calls. Many assassinations have been made for similar reasons such as sleeping on the job as was the case when 1 person was killed, defaming Kim Jong Un’s wife as was the case when 9 people were killed, or being the ex-girlfriend of Kim Jon Un, as was the case when Kim Jong Un’s girlfriend was sentenced to death by firing squad. These executions occur as a deliberate strategy to maintain the North Korean governments absolute control over its population. By enforcing extreme punishments for the most minor infractions, the North Korean government instills a pervasive sense of fear, ensuring that citizens remain obedient and submissive. These actions are rooted within the governments desire and need to suppress dissent and eliminate any perceived threats to its authority, regardless of how trivial they may appear. Executions also serve as a haunting reminder of the consequences of disloyalty against the North Korean state, reinforcing a culture in which silence and compliance are essential to survive. By targeting individuals for minor actions, the North Korean government sends a clear message that no person is beyond its reach, and that every aspect of life is subject to its control. This calculated system of fear and punishment is central to the North Korean government’s strategy of self-preservation

The Fallacy of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte Being Short in Stature

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Napoleon Bonaparte was not actually short in stature, in fact he was of average height. This misconception stems from paperwork being written about Bonaparte which states that he was 5’2″, written as 5 pieds 2 pouces within France during the early 19th century, but it was from a French town which used an antiquated unit of measurement referred to as the “French foot”, which classified the imperial measurement of 1′ as 13″ instead of the 12″ which is what 1′ is stated to be within the imperial measurement system. When accounting for this error in transcription, it would appear that Bonaparte was actually 5’7″ which during the last half of the 18th and beginning half of the 19th century when Bonaparte was alive, was considered average, or even slightly above average in regard to the stature of height. The fallacy of Bonaparte being short was exaggerated by English propaganda, particularly satirical cartoons which portrayed Bonaparte as small and temperamental, affixing this image to Bonaparte for centuries and into the modern day

The Reason Japanese Samurai Shave the Top of Their Head

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The practice of “chonmage” (pronounced “chon-mah-geh”) which means “tied knot on top” in Japanese is the reason Japanese samurai shaved the tops of their heads, in a pattern reminiscent of male pattern baldness. Japanese Samurai shaved the top of their heads in this particular style for both pragmatic and symbolic reasons. The shaved portion of the head helped secure their helmets referred to as “kabuto” which means “helmet” in Japanese, making them more comfortable but also prevented overheating during battle. Over time, the chonmage became a status symbol within Japanese society, symbolically representing a samurai’s loyalty and discipline. The chonmage aesthetic also reflected the samurai’s adherence to Bushido, the warrior code. Different variations of chonmage emerged within Japan over the centuries, with the style remaining a distinctive hallmark of the samurai class until the Meiji Restoration in 1868 when Japan modernized and abolished the traditional feudal samurai system