Chronicles of the Past
Why was China so poor back then? China’s GDP has grown by a factor of over 1,000 since 1952, but its growth was slow from the 1950s to mid-1970s. The country remained relatively poor in this period, due to its backward infrastructure left by years of war as well as the inefficient planned economy and …
Read the full post →“Why was China so underdeveloped until not so long ago?”
There is probably no direct connection between the two. The reason for this is that one of the members of the sea people confederation appears to be the Philistines, a Levantine people. Other vague links connect Crete and Cyprus to the confederation. Were the sea people Trojans? The Sea Peoples were veterans of the battle …
Read the full post →“Is there a link between the Sea people and the Trojan War?”
What happened to the green movement in Iran? While the protests started out as a peaceful, non-violent movement, hundreds of people were arrested and several died as protests turned more violent in the following months. The movement eventually had trouble with retaining its momentum. What ended the Arab Spring? The wave of initial revolutions and …
How much bread is made every day? Bread consumption The equivalent of nearly 12 million loaves are sold each day. Approximately 75% of the bread we eat is white and sandwiches are thought to account for 50% of overall bread consumption. Average bread purchases are the equivalent of 43 loaves per person per year. How …
Read the full post →“How often was bread made at home? Daily? Weekly?”
Because it was (sometimes) more efficient. In warmer climates, with no A/C systems, a high ceiling allowed hot air to rise, leaving a (slightly) colder one at the people level. It was specially useful for the last story of the buildings to provide insulation from the heat radiating from the ceilings. Why do Victorian houses …
Read the full post →“Why are the ceilings so high in older houses?”
What was the ww1 uniform? Troops were issued with the 1902 Pattern Service Dress tunic and trousers, as well as kit such as webbing to help them carry their essentials easily. The jacket and trousers were made of thick wool, effective in the cold winter but stifling in the summer – not to mention itchy! …
Read the full post →“What is this (possibly WW1) officer’s uniform and regiment?”
The Ottomans lost to the Egyptians at the Battle of Nezib on 24 June 1839 but were saved by Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia, who signed a convention in London on 15 July 1840 that granted Muhammad Ali and his descendants the right to inherit power in Egypt in exchange for the removal of Egyptian …
Read the full post →“Did the Ottoman Empire lose some control over Egypt during the Crimean War?”
In 1935, no prize was awarded and in 1936 it was postponed, because “the Nobel Committee for LiteratureLiteratureAs of 2022, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to 119 individuals. The youngest laureate was Rudyard Kipling, who was 41 years old when he was awarded in 1907. The oldest laureate to receive the prize …
Read the full post →“Why was no Nobel Prize for Literature awarded in 1935?”
Who was responsible for the Great Purge? The political purge was primarily an effort by Stalin to eliminate challenge from past and potential opposition groups, including the left and right wings led by Leon Trotsky and Nikolai Bukharin, respectively. Could Germany have won the Eastern Front? The Eastern Front enabled Germany to stay in the …
Read the full post →“Did the Germans fuel the general’s purge?”
Is Magnificent Century Kosem a true story? It tells the story of Kosem Sultan (true story actually), and her reign over her husband Sultan Ahmed I, her two sons Murad IV & Ibrahim I and her grandson Mehmed IV this three last people she was a regent during their reign for half of the time …
Read the full post →“Is the famous painting of Kösem Sultan breastfeeding authentic?”