Chronicles of the Past
What happened to the buildings around the Eiffel Tower? They were demolished afterwards, so no they were not destroyed by war. Fun fact: the Eiffel tower was also intended to be a temporary structure for the World Fair of 1889 … and intended to be demolished after 20 years. But then wireless technology took hold, …
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How did Romans pay their taxes? Under their system, the Roman State reassigned the power to collect taxes to private individuals or organizations. These private groups paid the taxes for the area, and they used the products and money that could be garnered from the area to cover the outlay. How were taxes paid in …
Who is Gog and Magog in British folklore? According to British legend, Gogmagog was the last survivor of a mythical race of giants that ruled the island of Albion before the arrival of Brutus of Troy and his Trojan followers. What does the Bible say about Gog and Magog? In Revelation, Gog and Magog together …
What route did ships take from England to Australia? The most common route to Australia from Britain and Europe was via the Suez Canal. Stopovers were at Port Said in Egypt, Port Aden in what is now Yemen, and then via the Arabian Sea to Colombo in Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon). Why did Australians …
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Why did Europeans not mention the crab supernova? By Chinese accounts, the supernova was a tremendous celestial display. But the Europeans may not have agreed, because astronomers have not found any European records of the event. The American Indians in northern Arizona, however, may have been so inspired by the event that they drew pictures …
Who was better equipped in the Civil War? The two sides did not use the same quality materials in their ammunition, weapons, clothes, and food. The Union army were in a better condition compared to their Southern enemy. What was it like as a soldier in the American Civil War? The life of a soldier …
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How Germany could have won ww1? Ideally, Germany could have found diplomatic means to have fought against Russia alone without war with France, or vice-versa. Failing that, and given the shorter distances in the West, it would have been better to have temporarily conceded some East Prussian territory while concentrating on capturing Paris. How did …
Why did Mesopotamia use 60? The theory is that the Sumerian and Babylonians were keen on the number 60 because 60 has many factors, including the first six numbers, one to six, but also 12, 15, 20, 30. This meant dividing by 60 often gives easy fractions. Much easier than say, the numbers 13 or …
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To signal the changes that had come to Persia under the rule of Reza Shah, namely that Persia had freed itself from the grip of the British and Russians, it would be known as Iran. When did the name change from Persia to Iran? 1935 For most of history, the tract of land now called …
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How high were taxes in the Middle Ages? Overall, the period between 1365 and 1424 would see the average annual tax rate to be 177 grams of silver, or the equivalent of 105 kilograms of butter or 15% of the value of a farm. What taxes did medieval Europeans pay? The main tax was the …
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