Belgium
-
This Isn’t About a Western Film: It’s About a Remarkable WWII Story When I first picked up a guitar, it was because of two towering inspirations: Django Reinhardt and Jim Croce. Django, with his captivating melodies and revolutionary style, made the strings sing in ways I could only dream of. Born in 1910 in Belgium…
-
In 1972, Italian singer-songwriter Adriano Celentano released a song that defied linguistic norms, confused listeners, and yet became an international sensation. The song, “Prisencolinensinainciusol,” is an energetic, rhythm-driven track that sounds like English but is, in fact, complete gibberish. This bizarre yet brilliant creation was Celentano’s experiment to showcase the barriers of communication and highlight…
-
Léon Degrelle remains one of the most controversial figures in twentieth-century Belgian and European history. His life encapsulates the volatile convergence of populist politics, Catholic traditionalism, authoritarian ideology, and the radicalization produced by the crises of the interwar period and the Second World War. At once a gifted orator, an ambitious political entrepreneur, a collaborator…
-
The Congo Free State was a corporate state in Central Africa privately owned by King Leopold II of Belgium founded and recognized by the Berlin Conference of 1885. In the 23 years (1885-1908) Leopold II ruled the Congo he massacred 10 million Africans by cutting off their hands and genitals, flogging them to death, starving…
-
General Anthony Clement “Nuts” McAuliffe (July 2, 1898 – August 11, 1975) was a senior United States Army officer, who earned fame as the acting commander of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division troops defending Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge towards the end of World War II. On December 22, 1944, at about 11:30…
-
Although he was a highly controversial character there are two things that no one can deny.1. He was a hero,2. he was and is a legend. The commander of the U.S. Third Army, General George S. Patton, Jr., took no great pleasure in the end of the war in Europe; he already knew that despite…
-
The Malmédy Massacre: A Tragedy of War and the Story of Survival The Malmédy Massacre, which occurred during the Battle of the Bulge on December 17, 1944, stands as one of the most heinous war crimes committed by German forces during World War II. This event, marked by the ruthless execution of unarmed American prisoners…
-
It thought it was time for me to do a Saxy blog(pardon the pun). Om June 28 1846, Adolphe Sax patented the instrument named after him, the Saxophone. However this nearly didn’t happen, not because he forgot to submit it but because he must have been either the luckiest or unluckiest man,depending on how you…
-
Just before Christmas 2011, I lost sight in my right eye. The retina had become detached, but after two operations, the sight could not be saved, in fact, my eye shrunk dramatically, and I now have a glass shell with an eye painted on it in front of the remainder of my eye. In November…
-
Henri Kichka was 16 when he was deported to Auschwitz. He was born in Brussels, Belgium 14 April 1926, into a Jewish family that had emigrated from Poland. Below is a transcript of his interview with the BBC, where he describes that he no longer had a name but a number. “Henri Kichka: 1-7-7-7-8-9. My…
History of Sorts 
You must be logged in to post a comment.