Blackbeard

Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies during the early 18th century. He is one of the most famous and feared pirates in history, known for his intimidating appearance and audacious tactics.

Wikipedia

Blackbeard's early life remains somewhat mysterious, and there are limited records about his origins. He was likely born around 1680 in Bristol, England, and little is known about his early years. 

He served on privateer ships during Queen Anne's War. In 1716, Teach joined the crew of Benjamin Hornigold, a pirate who operated from the island of New Providence. He quickly gained a fearsome reputation.

Blackbeard captured the French slave ship La Concorde in November 1717 and subsequently renamed it Queen Anne's Revenge. The ship, originally built as a merchant vessel, was armed with 40 cannons and became Blackbeard's flagship. He modified and outfitted Queen Anne's Revenge to enhance its firepower and make it suitable for piracy.

Under Blackbeard's command, The Queen Anne's Revenge, became one of the most feared vessels in pirate lore. With its firepower and Blackbeard's ruthless tactics, the ship terrorized merchant vessels and coastal towns throughout the Caribbean and along the American coast.

In the Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard blockaded the port of Charles Town, South Carolina, with an alliance of pirates. After successfully ransoming its inhabitants, he settled in Bath Town, but soon returned to piracy.

Blackbeard and his crew would lock themselves in the hold of the ship and light pots of sulphur to see who could last the longest without suffocating.

Blackbeard would go into battle with anywhere from six to ten pistols on his person, and multiple blades. His fighting style with a cutlass was meant to be intimidating as well as effective.

According to contemporary sources, Blackbeard flew a black flag with a skull and a blood red flag. Blackbeard's flags were designed to intimidate his enemies. The skull and crossbones were a symbol of death, and the blood red flag was a symbol of violence. 

Some historians believe Blackbeard was a ruthless pirate who killed and maimed without mercy, while others believe that he was a more complex figure who used violence only when necessary.

There is evidence to support both sides of the argument. On the one hand, Blackbeard was known for his fearsome appearance. He would often tie burning fuses into his long, black beard, giving him a terrifying appearance. He also carried a variety of weapons, including swords, pistols, and grenades. Sometimes he tortured prisoners to extract information or to maintain control over his crew.

On the other hand, there are accounts of Blackbeard sparing the lives of his enemies and even showing them kindness. For example, when he captured a ship in 1718, he allowed the crew to keep their belongings and even gave them food and water.

In 1718, a naval expedition led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard was dispatched to hunt down Blackbeard. On November 22, 1718, the two forces clashed in a fierce battle off the coast of North Carolina. Despite Blackbeard's legendary status, he was ultimately overwhelmed by Maynard's men. After sustaining multiple gunshot wounds and being struck with swords, Blackbeard was finally brought down. His head was severed and displayed as a warning to other pirates.

Capture of the Pirate, Blackbeard, 1718, Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, painted in 1920

When Blackbeard captured the ship that would become Queen Anne's Revenge, there were 455 African slaves on board. Many of the African slaves would go on to become pirates rather than continue to be slaves. At the time of Blackbeard's death, nearly one-third of his total crew were former slaves.

Blackbeard's brief but impactful pirate career left an indelible mark on pirate folklore and popular culture. His larger-than-life persona, fearsome appearance, and ruthless tactics have made him an enduring figure in history and a symbol of the Golden Age of Piracy.

Black Sportsmen and Sportswomen

The cyclist Marshall Taylor was the first widely recognised black American athlete. He won national championships at the height of cycling's popularity from 1899 to 1904 overcoming racial discrimination.

Galveston “Jack” Johnson (below) became the first black world heavyweight boxing champion on December 26, 1908 when he beat Tommy Burns over 14 rounds in Sydney, Australia. Two years later, on July 4, 1910, Jack Johnson knocked out white boxer Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match, sparking race riots across the United States.

Lucy Slowe became the first the first African-American woman to win a major sports title when she won the national title of the American Tennis Association's first tournament in 1917. 

The New York Renaissance was the first all-black professional basketball team. Established February 13, 1923, the Rens won 88 consecutive games, a mark that has never been matched by a professional basketball team.

The New York Renaissance basketball team was founded by Robert L. "Bob" Douglas (November 4, 1882 – July 16, 1979). Nicknamed the "Father of Black Professional Basketball", Douglas owned and coached the Rens from 1923 to 1949, guiding them to a 2,318-381 record. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor on February 5, 1972, the first African American to be enshrined.

At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Hitler publicly acclaimed the first two winners but then snubbed the black American Jesse Owens who won four gold medals. "The Americans ought to be ashamed of themselves, for letting their medals be won by Negroes," he said.

When Jesse Owens won the 200-meter dash at the Berlin Olympics, his teammate, Mack Robinson, finished second. Mack’s little brother, Jackie, later would break the color barrier in major-league baseball when he played for the Montreal Royals, the AAA affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He was the first black player in a major-league baseball game since brothers Moses and Welday Walker played for Toledo in 1884.

Jackie Robinson of the Kansas City Monarchs signed a contract for the Brooklyn Dodgers on October 30, 1945 to break the baseball color barrier.  He made his major league debut on April 15, 1947,  at the relatively advanced age of 28, at Ebbets Field before a crowd of 26,623 spectators, more than 14,000 of whom were black. Although Robinson failed to get a base hit, he walked and scored a run in the Dodgers' 5–3 victory.  He had a successful season for the Dodgers and was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award. 

Robinson with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954

Robinson had an exceptional 10-year baseball career. He was an All-Star for six consecutive seasons from 1949 through 1954, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949—the first black player so honored. 

The first Black baseball player in the American League was Larry Doby. While Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the National League on April 15, 1947, Doby followed suit just three months later by making his debut for the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) on July 5, 1947. So, while Robinson may be more widely recognized for his historical significance, Doby's role in integrating the American League and paving the way for future generations of Black players should not be forgotten.

Emmett Ashford (1914-80) became the first African-American umpire in organized baseball, when on February 20, 1952, he was authorized to be a substitute umpire in the Southwestern International League. 

Ashford became major league's first black umpire in 1966. He gained a reputation for his flamboyant calling of balls and strikes.

Emmanuel Ifeajuna became the first black African to win at a major international sports competition when he won the high jump at the 1954 British Empire and Common­wealth Games.

When Althea Gibson won the Wimbledon championships on July 6, 1957, she became the first black athlete to do so.

Althea Gibson, World Telegram & Sun photo by Fred Palumbo.

Afro-Canadian Willie O'Ree was the very first black player in the NHL. Signed by Boston Bruins, he made his NHL debut with the Bruins on January 18, 1958, against the Montreal Canadiens. 

O'Ree appeared in two games that year playing as a winger, and came back in 1961 to play 43 games, scoring 4 goals and 10 assists. O'Ree is referred to as the "Jackie Robinson of ice hockey" due to breaking the black color barrier in the sport.

Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila became on September 10, 1960 the first sub-Saharan African to win an Olympic gold medal. 

Abebe decided to run the Rome marathon without shoes, the way he'd trained for the race, so he won in bare feet.

Bikila near the finish line at the 1960 Olympics

Basketball player Bill Russell was the first African-American head coach of a major professional sports team in the United States. He served a three-season (1966–69) stint as player-coach for the Boston Celtics.

Arthur Ashe was the first black tennis player to win the US national singles and open championships in 1968. While actively protesting apartheid in South Africa, he was granted a visa in 1973 to become the first black professional to play in that country.

 Arthur Ashe at the 1975 World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. By Bogaerts, Rob 

Frank Robinson made history by becoming the first African-American manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). On April 8, 1975, Robinson managed his first game for the Cleveland Indians, breaking the racial barrier as a player-manager.

Robinson's managerial career extended beyond his time with the Indians. He went on to manage the San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, and Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals. Throughout his managerial tenure, Robinson continued to make an impact, earning recognition as the American League Manager of the Year in 1989 with the Orioles.

On July 5, 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first black man to win Wimbledon, beating defending champion Jimmy Connors three sets to one.

Black Sea

The Black Sea is a body of water located between Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is bounded by six countries: Ukraine to the north, Russia to the northeast, Georgia to the east, Turkey to the south, and Bulgaria and Romania to the west. It is connected to the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosporus Strait and the Sea of Marmara.

Black Sea coast of Georgia

HISTORY SIGNIFICANCE

The Black Sea was a freshwater lake until about 7,500 years ago.

The Black Sea has played a crucial role in the history of the surrounding regions. It has been a major trade route connecting different civilizations, including the ancient Greeks, Persians, Romans, and Byzantines. 

It has witnessed significant historical events, such as the colonization of the northern shores by Greek city-states, the Byzantine Empire's control, and the Crimean War in the 19th century.

During Catherine The Great's reign. Russia added 200,000 square miles giving it access to the Black Sea and 7 million people to her empire.

SIZE AND GEOGRAPHY

The Black Sea is the world's largest inland sea, covering an area of about 436,400 square kilometers (168,500 square miles). 

It has an average depth of 1,225 meters (4,019 feet) and a maximum depth of 2,212 meters (7,257 feet) in the south-central part of the sea. 

The coastline is about 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) long and features a diverse landscape, including sandy beaches, rocky shores, and steep cliffs.

MARINE LIFE

The Black Sea is home to a variety of marine species, including dolphins, seals, various species of fish, and the famous and endangered sturgeon. 

It is also home to a number of unique species of marine life, including the Black Sea mussel, which can live for up to 100 years.

The sea has a unique ecosystem, and some of its marine environments, such as the methane-rich depths, support diverse and specialized organisms.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

The Black Sea has significant economic importance for the countries that surround it. It provides access to important trade routes and serves as a transportation hub for goods traveling between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. 

The sea also supports various economic activities, such as fishing and tourism,

The Black Sea is a major source of oil and gas, and is home to a number of oil and gas fields.

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES

The Black Sea faces several environmental challenges, including pollution, overfishing, and the introduction of invasive species. 

In the past, pollution from industrial and agricultural activities, as well as untreated sewage, has negatively impacted the sea's ecosystem. Efforts have been made to improve water quality and address these environmental issues.

TOURISM AND RECREATION

The Black Sea region attracts tourists with its beautiful beaches, resorts, and recreational activities. Popular tourist destinations include the coastal cities of Odessa (Ukraine), Sochi (Russia), Varna (Bulgaria), and Trabzon (Turkey). 

Visitors can enjoy swimming, sunbathing, sailing, and exploring the cultural and historical attractions of the region.

FUN BLACK SEA FACTS

The Black Sea is named for its dark waters, which are caused by the high concentration of sediment in the water.

The Black Sea is home to a number of shipwrecks, including the Byzantine warship Kyros, which sank in 717 AD.

There’s a “dead spot” in the Black Sea where scientists have found ships as old as 1200 years preserved well enough to see chisel marks from the original builders.

Black Hole

A black hole is an object in space whose gravity is so great that nothing can escape from it, not even light. Black holes can be detected because gas falling towards them becomes so hot that it emits X-rays.

On April 10, 2019, astronomers released the first direct image of a supermassive black hole (see below), located at the center of the supergiant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 (M87) in the constellation Virgo. The black hole was imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), a network of telescopes around the world that work together to create a virtual telescope the size of the Earth. The image showed a bright ring of light surrounding a dark central region, which corresponded to the event horizon of the black hole, the point of no return beyond which nothing can escape its gravitational pull. 

By Event Horizon Telescope - https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2041-8205,

V Telescopii is a triple star system in the southern constellation of Telescopium, near the southern constellation boundary with Pavo. It is located at a distance of approximately 1120 light years from the Sun. A May 2020 study reported it to contain a black hole, making it the closest known black hole, and the first one located in a star system visible to the naked eye.

In 2023, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope discovered a supermassive black hole that is creating stars instead of just sucking them up. This is the first time that a black hole has been observed to be actively involved in star formation

The idea of black holes was first proposed in 1783 by Yorkshireman John Michell, calling them "dark stars" and proposing a method to detect them by looking for star systems that showed the gravitational effects of two stars, but only one star was visible, which is indeed how scientists look for them today.

The term black hole for a collapsed star was opposed by the French, as its literal translation into French is a rude term.

At the centre of our Galaxy lies an object that has a mass four million times that of the Sun and is almost certainly a black hole.

Black holes "spaghettify" any objects entering the black hole, stretching them out in a process called spaghettification. This is because the tidal forces inside a black hole are so strong that they stretch the object into a long thin noodle of its composite atoms as it descends.

Black holes don't suck up everything nearby—they sit dormant and if a star approaches it and gets too close, the black hole becomes active.

No matter how long you watch an object slip into a black hole, you will never actually see the object enter it due to time dilation.

If you were near a black hole and facing away from it, you could actually see the back of your own head due to the light bending.

A black hole the size of a hydrogen atom would exert a pull from 2,000 feet away.

Wikipedia

A black hole emits a deep b flat sound.

Over billions of years, black holes become white holes and they spit out all of the things they sucked in. the atoms are completely jumbled, so no one knows what will ever come out. 

The black hole inside RX J1131 was the first black hole to have its spin directly measured.

Sagittarius A, the supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy has four million times the mass of the Sun, but a diameter only 31 times the Sun's. It is so dense that it could fit in the space between the Earth and the Sun, but can attract things 50,000 light years away.

The largest known black hole is in the Holmberg 15A supergiant elliptical galaxy It has a diameter of 1 trillion kilometers, more than 190 times the distance from the Sun to Pluto.

The supermassive black hole at the center of the quasar OJ287 has been measured as weighing 18 billion times the mass of the Sun, six times heavier than the previous record holder.

The merging of two black holes in 2015 emitted 3.6 septillion yottawatts of power, greater than the combined power of all light radiated by all the stars in the observable universe.

The research that went into creating the visual effects for the black hole in Christopher Nolan's 2014 movie Interstellar was very thorough and extensive. The visual effects team worked closely with theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, who served as a scientific consultant on the film. Thorne's work on the film's black hole effects led to the publication of three scientific papers that explore the physics of black holes and the appearance of a black hole as seen from a nearby observer.

Source Hutchinson Encyclopedia © RM 2012. Helicon Publishing is division of RM

Black Friday

Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving and the most profitable shopping day of the year in the US, got its name from the old accounting practice of using red ink for debt and black ink for profit.

DC USA Black Friday By Gridprop at English Wikipedia 

The original "Black Friday" was Friday, September 24, 1869 when two notoriously ruthless Wall Street financiers, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk, worked together to corner the market on gold, buying as much of it as they could and driving up the price. On that Friday in September, the conspiracy finally unraveled, sending the stock market into free-fall and bankrupting everyone from Wall Street barons to farmers.

Police officers in Philadelphia were first to link Black Friday to the post-Thanksgiving period in the 1950s. Large crowds of tourists and shoppers came to the city the day after Thanksgiving for the Army-Navy football game, creating chaos, traffic jams and shoplifting opportunities.  Not only would Philly cops not be able to take the day off, but they would have to work extra-long shifts dealing with the additional crowds and traffic.

Use of the "Black Friday" phrase spread slowly, first appearing in The New York Times on November 29, 1975, in which it still refers specifically to "the busiest shopping and traffic day of the year" in Philadelphia.  By the late 1980s, the term was commonly known across the nation and retailers soon linked it to their post-Thanksgiving sales.

Sources History Daily Telegraph

Black Death

The Black Death was a terrible epidemic of plague, mainly the bubonic variant, that ravaged Europe in the mid-14th century. The cause of the plague was the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted by fleas that infested migrating Asian black rats.

Originating in China, the disease followed the trade routes through India into Europe, travelling at a rate of ten miles a day.

Symptoms were violent headache; dark blotches caused by bleeding under the skin; and buboes, massively swollen lymph glands that could grow to the size of an orange in the groin or armpit. Buboes were variously described as black pustules, boils, and abscesses. Few victims lived longer than four to seven days, though there were rare cases of survival if the buboes burst.

The plague arrived in Sicily, Italy, in October 1347, reached southern France in January 1348, and was first recorded in England in August 1348, after two fishing boats from France docked at Weymouth, Dorset.

By Flappiefh - Own work from:Natural Earth ;The origin and early spread of the Black Death

The Black Death arrived in Norway on a ghost ship that just so happened become beached near a major port. Even though all the crew had died the surviving rats and flees managed to spread the disease throughout the country and later to Sweden and Russia.

Giovanni Villani, an Italian chronicler and banker from Florence, authored the Nuova Cronica, which is a comprehensive history of Florence and Italy from ancient times up to his contemporary 14th century. His chronicle ominously ends mid-sentence as he was describing the effects of the Black Death. Villani himself died of the plague in 1348. 

Contemporary estimates that it killed between one-third and half of the population (about 75 million people) are probably accurate. Britain’s population decreased from 3,700,000 in 1350 to 2,000,000 seven years later. Among those lost to the plague was the King Edward III’s daughter, Joan.

Jewish communities had lower death rates during the Black Death due to their hygienic practices. This in part inspired a wave of antisemitic violence in Christian Europe, where some communities attributed the pandemic to a Jewish conspiracy.

Strasbourg, part of the Holy Roman empire, was the scene of the first mass holocaust of Jews in Europe. Collectively accused of causing the Black Death by poisoning the local water supplies, 2,000 men, women and children were herded into a circle and burnt alive.

The Fifth Siege of Gibraltar came to a sudden end in March 1350 when King Alfonso XI of Castile became the only monarch to die in the Black Death.

Many people feared the Black Death was God’s judgement on a wicked world. Dice-makers turned their dice into beads for prayer and the Archbishop of York ordered solemn processions to ask for God’s mercy. One particular group who subscribe to this judgement theory were the Flagellants, groups of hooded men who marched with their white robes emblazoned on both sides with a red cross. They marched in parties of around 100 in a funeral procession from town to town with a combination of hymnal singing and sobbing. Throughout Europe they preached against church corruption and persecution of the Jews. Twice a day they performed a ceremony in public where they whipped themselves or beat themselves with iron spikes. The general public had tremendous regard for them as they see their acts as symbolizing man’s remorse for his wicked ways in a period when God’s judgement and wrath were manifestly evident.

During the Black Death, the physician to the Papacy recognized that bloodletting was ineffective, but he continued to prescribe bleeding for members of the Roman Curia, whom he disliked. 

The Black Death was personified by an old woman carrying a rake and a broom. If she used the rake, some would survive in between the teeth of the rake. If she used the broom the whole population of an area would die.

The Black Death may have reduced the world's population from an estimated 450 million in 1340 to between 350 and 375 million in 1400. 

The Black Death resulted in a stronger and longer-living human population. Scientists examined the bones of those who died before and after the plague and determined that its survivors and their descendants were healthier and longer-living.

The Black Death  produced a religious revival aimed at atoning for whatever sins may have caused the tragedy. This revival leads to an increase in charitable works and the founding of many new hospitals across Europe.

Also many people paid money to their priests to dedicate Masses to them and their families, believing that this will ensure divine protection on Earth. The result of this was a large income for the church that was spent on intricate decoration and liturgical music. Most churches had at least one resident musician whose task was to produce music on a weekly basis for both the Mass and the choir.

Feudalism died out largely thanks to the Black Death, which made labour scarce and gave workers power to demand more money and transfer their skills from one lord to another.

The name Black Death was first used in England in the early 19th century due to the dark discoloration of the skin.

Sources Hutchinson Encyclopedia © RM 2012. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.

Georges Bizet

Georges Bizet was born in Paris on October 25, 1838. His father was a singing teacher, and his mother, a gifted pianist. Young Georges was a child prodigy and when only nine, he entered the great Paris Conservatory of Music and rapidly developed into a brilliant pianist.

At the age of 19 Bizet won the Grand Prix de Rome, a government scholarship. He studied in Rome for three years where he completed a two-act opera buffa, Don Procopio (not heard until 1906), and a Te Deum.

After returning to Paris, Bizet refused offers of a teaching position at the conservatory and a career as a concert pianist. Instead he devoted his efforts to composition. Bizet's early compositions reflected his love for the romantic and dramatic styles of the time. He composed symphonies, piano works, and songs. However his efforts to achieve a reputation as a composer were largely unsuccessful, and he never remained free of financial worries.

Bizet's composition style was influenced by various musical traditions, including French Romanticism, Spanish folk music, and elements of Eastern European and Middle Eastern music.

Bizet was known for his meticulous attention to detail in his compositions. He would revise and refine his works extensively, sometimes even to the point of self-doubt and frustration.

Georges Bizet in 1875

Bizet eventually achieved success as an operatic composer. His first success came with the opera Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers) (1863), which was well-received both in Paris and in London. 

In 1860, Bizet married Geneviève Halévy, the daughter of the renowned librettist Eugène Scribe. They had one child together, a son named Jacques. 

Despite their marriage, Bizet maintained a somewhat unconventional personal life. He had a close friendship with the singer and pianist Léontine Gall-Marié, who later became the first Carmen in his famous opera. Their relationship was rumored to be romantic, but the exact nature of their connection remains a subject of speculation.

Bizet was known for his sociable and affable nature, and he formed friendships with several prominent artists and musicians of his time. He was a part of a circle of composers and writers that included fellow composers such as Camille Saint-Saëns and Édouard Lalo.

His last work was Carmen, an opéra comique about a passionate but self-destructive gypsy girl and her dramatic murder at the hands of her pathologically jealous soldier lover. Bizet based his work on Prosper Mérimée's short novel, Carmen, which had appeared in October 1845.

Despite its popularity today, Carmen bombed at its premiere at the Opéra Comique of Paris on March 3, 1875 as the audience found the risqué plot, with its robbers, gypsies and cigarette-girls, too hot to handle. By the end of its first run of 48 performances, the theatre was giving tickets away in order to stimulate attendance.

Bizet was devastated by the failure of Carmen and died of a massive heart attack three months later on June 3, 1875 aged just 37. Five months after the composer's death, it was produced in Vienna, to critical and popular success, which began its path to worldwide popularity. 

Since the 1880s Carmen has been one of the world's most performed operas and a staple of the operatic repertoire. Tragically, Bizet never knew of the opera's eventual success.

Source Songfacts

Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a digital currency that was created in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto.  It thumbs its nose at governments and banks since it isn't controlled by any central authority. Forget about physical assets; Bitcoin relies on clever encryption and a network of computers to make transactions watertight.

Bitcoin is a digital maverick that lets you buy stuff online and swap it for other currencies on exchanges. But it's not embraced everywhere as a payment method, and it's like a wild ride on a rollercoaster with its high volatility.

Bitcoin logo

Bitcoin's mastermind remains an enigma. Satoshi Nakamoto, the coding genius behind this digital revolution, hides behind a pseudonym. It could be a mysterious individual, a brilliant woman, or perhaps a secretive collective. Their identity remains a tantalizing puzzle.

On January 3, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto wielded his/her/their digital pickaxe and birthed the bitcoin cryptocurrency network by mining its inaugural block. Thus, the foundation for the revolutionary blockchain technology was laid.

The first real-world Bitcoin transaction was 10,000 BTC for two pizzas. It made history as the currency of choice when Florida-based programmer, Laszlo Hanyecz,  traded a jaw-dropping 10,000 Bitcoins for two Papa John's pizzas. That fateful transaction marked the cryptocurrency's maiden voyage. 

In a major blow to the dark web, the FBI slammed the door on Silk Road, an illicit online drug bazaar in late 2013. The mastermind behind the operation, Ross Ulbricht, alias Dread Pirate Roberts, saw his stash of Bitcoins seized. This high-profile move sparked intense debates about the cryptocurrency's fate, leaving the FBI holding over 144,000 BTC in their grasp.

Breaking new ground, El Salvador proudly claimed the title of being the world's first country to embrace Bitcoin as legal tender on September 7, 2021. The groundbreaking Bitcoin Law, endorsed by a solid majority of 62 out of 84 votes from the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador on June 9, 2021, enshrines Bitcoin's status as an accepted currency alongside the mighty United States dollar. This bold move mandates that all businesses in El Salvador must accept Bitcoin as a valid form of payment.

Today, bitcoin mining companies dedicate facilities to housing and operating large amounts of high-performance mining hardware (see picture below)

By Marco Krohn - Own work, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40495567

Bitcoin transactions are irreversible. Once bitcoins are sent, there’s no way to get them back, even if the transaction later proves to be fraudulent.

Bitcoin addresses, a mix of 34 alphanumeric characters, cloak the recipient's identity. This veil of secrecy partly explains why illicit activities often gravitate toward Bitcoin. 

Despite its drawbacks, Bitcoin has captivated investors, witnessing its value surge in recent years. In 2021, it smashed records, soaring to a dizzying peak of $68,990.

The elusive Satoshi Nakamoto is said to hold a vast fortune of 750,000 to 1,100,000 Bitcoin. Experts arrived at this estimate by scrutinizing Bitcoin's blockchain, uncovering a trail of early blocks attributed to a solitary figure. Within these blocks lie a staggering sum of 1.1 million Bitcoin, believed to be securely stowed away by Nakamoto.

Sources TheNextWeb, TimesNowNews

Otto Von Bismarck

EARLY LIFE

Otto Von Bismarck was born on his family estate at Schönhausen, a village on the Elbe, North West of Berlin, on April 1, 1815. His father, Ferdinand Von Bismarck, was a landowner and a former Prussian military officer; his mother, Wilhelmine Mencken, originally belonged to a prosperous bourgeois family. Otto had several siblings, but only an elder brother (Bernhard) and a younger sister (Malvina) survived into adulthood.

A very mischievous child, as a youth Otto was an indefatigable duellist. He was known as the mad Junker.

Bismarck once challenged a scientist to a duel, but backed out after learning that his opponent choose to fight with two pork sausages, one infected with roundworm.

Bismarck in 1873

Otto von Bismarck attended several universities during his academic years. He began his studies at the University of Göttingen in 1832, where he studied law. However, he didn't complete his degree at Göttingen and transferred to the University of Berlin in 1833. At the University of Berlin, Bismarck continued his studies in law and also developed an interest in history and politics. He eventually graduated from the University of Berlin in 1835.

After leaving university, Bismarck entered government service but could only obtain minor administrative positions in Aachen and Potsdam. As his work proved monotonous and uninteresting, he soon resigned as a civil servant.

PRIVATE LIFE

Bismarck was ungainly, physically dominating, stern in expression, prematurely bald. Small hands and feet, clear and ruddy complexion, sparkling eyes, bushy eyebrows. 

Bismarck was known for his distinctive and prominent mustache, which became a recognizable feature of his appearance. It was large, thick, and bushy, extending across his upper lip and often appearing well-groomed. The mustache had a slightly curved shape, framing his mouth and giving him a distinguished and commanding presence. 

Bismarck placed his civil service career in jeopardy after falling in love with an English heiress in Leicester and outstaying his leave trying to win her.

Bismarck married the noblewoman Johanna von Puttkamer (1824–1894) in 1847 on July 28, 1847 in Alt-Kolziglow, near Reinfeld. Their long and happy marriage produced three children, Herbert (b. 1849), Wilhelm (b. 1852) and Marie (b. 1847). Johanna was a shy, retiring and devout Lutheran. She helped iron out some of his madder tendencies.

Bismarck liked to wear informal, simple Prussian country gentleman attire, with a soft hat, neckerchief, coat, trousers and double soiled boots. His formal uniform was that of a Prussian military officer.

Bismarck had a wily and calm temperament. Once in the Prussian Diet he was howled down. He calmly leaned against the tribune, took out a newspaper from his pocket, and read it until everything was calm.  

EARLY CAREER

Bismarck nearly enrolled in the British army in India whilst in England but he decided against it as he couldn't work out what the Indians had done to warrant what they had coming.

In 1862 he was offered a place in the Russian diplomatic service after the Tsar misunderstood a comment about his likelihood of missing Saint Petersburg. Bismarck courteously declined the offer and instead was made sent to Paris to serve as ambassador to France.

During his time as ambassador to France, Bismarck spent as much time as possible in Biarritz as he greatly disliked Paris.

MINISTER PRESIDENT OF PRUSSIA

In 1862, King Wilhelm I appointed Bismarck as Minister President of Prussia.

Bismarck provoked three short, decisive wars against Denmark, Austria, and France, aligning the smaller German states behind Prussia in its defeat of France.

During the Battle of Sadowa in 1866, the King of Prussia exposed himself to danger from gunshot and refused to withdraw in spite of military advice. Bismarck remained silent during arguments, but he gave the king’s horse a sharp unnoticed kick in the flank that caused the animal to go back. With victory at the Battle of Sadowa he warded off Austria and allowed Prussia to take an important place in the confederation of North Germany.

The 1870-71 Franco- Prussian War was engineered by Bismarck by means of an alteration in the famous ems telegram. He tricked the French into this war by altering a telegram from the king of Prussia in which he struck out the king's conciliatory words so that the telegram sounded belligerent. As a result the French declared war.

CHANCELLOR OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE

In 1871, Otto von Bismarck was raised to the rank of Fürst (Prince). He played a crucial role in the unification of Germany and the establishment of the German Empire. After the formation of the German Empire in 1871, Bismarck was appointed as the first Imperial Chancellor (Reichskanzler). In this role, he served as the head of government and was responsible for overseeing the administration of the empire.

Despite his appointment as Imperial Chancellor, Bismarck retained his Prussian offices. He continued to serve as the Minister-President of Prussia, the most powerful state within the German Empire, and also held the position of Foreign Minister. Bismarck's retention of these positions allowed him to exert significant influence over both the Prussian government and the foreign policy of the newly formed German Empire.  

A chronic insomnia sufferer, the Iron Chancellor would nightly devour caviar to give him a thirst for strong beer to help him to sleep. His favorite tipple was Black Velvet, a mixture of champagne and Guinness. He was also partial to burgundy wine.

In 1878 Bismarck presided over the division of Africa by the colonial powers at the Conference of Berlin while eating pickled herrings with both hands. By 1883 he was very bloated, over 17 stone (108 kgs), which made him ill and very bad tempered so for months he lived on a diet of herrings. By 1885 he was down to 14 stone (89 kgs). So the lesson that can be learnt from this is, if at first you don't recede diet, diet again.

The idea that the age of 65 is officially "elderly" was originated by Bismarck when he wanted to get rid of some ageing army officers.

Bismarck in 1881. By Bundesarchiv, Wikipedia Commons

He was the first leader to introduce between insurance schemes for illness, work related accident and chronic invalidism. In 1889 he introduced pension schemes.

Otto von Bismarck's tenure as Imperial Chancellor of the German Empire came to an end on March 18, 1890. Bismarck had served as Chancellor for almost 19 years since the establishment of the empire in 1871. His dismissal was a result of conflicts with Emperor Wilhelm II, who sought to assert his own authority and pursue different policies.

The phrase ‘Dropping the Pilot’ meaning to dispense with a valued leader originated in Prussia in 1890 when a Punch cartoon showed Kaiser Wilhem II leaning over the side of the ship as Otto Bismarck dressed as a pilot walked down the steps to disembark.

DEATH AND LEGACY

After leaving the position of Chancellor, Bismarck retired from politics and focused on writing his memoirs until his death in 1898.

Otto Von Bismarck died on July 30, 1898 at the age of 83 in Friedrichsruh, north Germany, where he is entombed in the Bismarck Mausoleum.

Bismarck on his deathbed,

Bismarck changed Germany from an unruly collection of states dominated by Prussia to a rich powerful country by provoking wars with Denmark, Austria and France. The ensuing patriotic fever united all the states and in 1871 Bismarck founded the new German empire.

Biscuit

The word “biscuit” comes from "bis coctus," twice baked. Originally developed as ships’ rations for Roman sailors, these biscuits were called "panis nauticus" or nautical bread. The dough of seasoned wheat flour and water was baked in moulds twice or even more times for long voyages. They were very crunchy, indeed the sailors were recommended in order to avoid losing their teeth they should soak the biscuits in soup or water.

In most of the English-speaking world, the word "biscuit" refers to a small, hard, baked product that is typically sweet in taste and can be eaten as a snack or with tea or coffee. These biscuits are similar to what would be called a "cookie" in the United States and sometimes in Canada.

Christmas biscuits, cookies

In the United States, the word "biscuit" typically refers to a soft, flaky bread-like product that is often served with butter, jam, or gravy. This type of biscuit is not sweet and is more similar to what would be called a "scone" in the United Kingdom.

The first biscuits were made by the ancient Egyptians, who baked a kind of flatbread that was hard and dry so that it would last a long time.

A Bath Oliver is a large, hard, pale unsweetened biscuit, invented by Dr William Oliver (1695–1764), a leading physician in Bath who believed that his patients were overeating and needed something nutritious but not rich. On his deathbed he gave his coachman the recipe, £100 and ten sacks of the finest flour. The coachman made a fortune and the biscuit remains to this day the favourite of a few to accompany cheese.

A typical seaman’s evening meal at the turn of the 19^th century meant ships biscuits with butter or cheese. The biscuits were usually infested with weevils, but hungry sailors would bang them on a table to knock out any inside.

Thomas Huntley who run a confectionery business in Reading, England and George Palmer a mechanically minded Somerset miller joined forces in 1841 to manufacture biscuits as Huntley & Palmers. Cousins by marriage and committed Quakers within 30 years they were producing over 100 different types of biscuit.

George Palmer built the first continuously running machine for biscuit manufacture but unfortunately it exploded, nearly killing him and several other employees.

Digestive biscuits were invented in 1892 by Mcvitie’s employee Alexander Grant. Mcvitie’s Digestives got its name because the baking soda in them is thought to be good for indigestion.  When they were first manufactured in the late 19th century, they are mixed by hand, by hundreds of women using huge mixing bowls.

The chocolate flavored bourbon biscuits have no connection with the French royal house of Bourbon apart from bearing its name, which is first recorded for them in the 1930s.

A biscuit taken from the Titanic before her ill-fated maiden voyage (see below) fetched £3,525 at an auction in London on September 25, 2001. It was taken from a party held on the Titanic in Southampton by Captain Morris Harvey-Clarke, before it sailed in April 1912. The biscuit, which has a diameter of 6.2 centimetres, was described in the catalog as “in almost perfect condition with signs of moulding”.

The world's largest biscuit was baked by the Immaculate Baking Company in Flat Rock, North Carolina, USA on May 17, 2003. It was a chocolate chip cookie that weighed 18 tonnes (40,000 lb) and had a diameter of 30.7 m (101 ft). It was made with 40,000 pounds of flour, 20,000 pounds of sugar, 10,000 pounds of butter, 5,000 pounds of eggs, and 2,000 pounds of chocolate chips. It took 12 hours to bake and required the use of a special oven that was 100 feet long. The biscuit was cut into 10,000 pieces and given away to the public.

The most popular type of biscuit in the United States is the chocolate chip cookie.

The most expensive biscuit in the world is The Thousand Dollar Cookie. Created by Sofia Demetriou, the owner of Duchess Cookies in New York City, it costs $1,000. The biscuit is made with imported ruby chocolate, 23,000 gold leafs, and a chocolate shoe.

The chocolate on a Hobnob is on the bottom of the biscuit, not the top.

Sources History World, Food For Thought by Ed Pearce