World War 1
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It should come as little surprise that away from the carnage of the Western Front, soldiers sought solace in whatever pleasures they could find. Amid the chaos of the First World War, the harsh realities of trench warfare often fueled desires as primal as the will to survive. During the bloodiest phases of the war,…
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Despite her exotic name Mata Hari was a Dutch woman. Her real name was Margaretha (Gretha)Zelle and was born in Leeuwarden, in the province of Friesland in the North West of the Netherlands.. Today marks her 150th birthday. At 18, Zelle answered an advertisement in a Dutch newspaper placed by Dutch Colonial Army Captain Rudolf MacLeod (1 March 1856 – 9 January 1928),…
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The German assault on Liège, which commenced on August 5, 1914, and lasted until August 16, 1914, stands as the inaugural battle of World War I. This significant early confrontation set the stage for the brutal and protracted conflict that would engulf Europe for the next four years. The Battle of Liège exemplifies the strategic,…
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The Netherlands remained neutral during the First World War. However, that did not mean the country was unaffected by the conflict. In the course of 1916, for instance, food shortages began to emerge. In Amsterdam, this led to the so-called Potato Riot in the summer of 1917. Potatoes were the staple food of the common…
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Last weekend I spent in Liverpool. The weather was fantastic and there was a great atmosphere. While I was walking around the docks, I came across these memorials, of service men of several countries, merchants sailors, and civilians who died in World War 2 and 1. I would like to share those memorials with you.
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Les Morts Dansant is a 1984 song by Magnum. from their classic album “On a Storytellers night” The song was initially called “Cannon”, this Tony Clarkin composition is about one of the horrors of war. In World War I, a surprising – some would say disgraceful – number of British soldiers were executed by firing…
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Henry Tandey (1891–1977) was a British soldier best known for an incident during World War I that became a subject of enduring historical debate. He is often remembered not only for his service but also for his association with Adolf Hitler, a moment that was later mythologized into an iconic and controversial story. Tandey was…
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On may 15 1945 , Otto Frank wrote the following letter, while on board the Monowai steamship. This was exactly 5 years after the Dutch army had capitulated to the Germans. “The closer we get to home the greater our impatience to hear from our loved ones. Everything that’s happened the past few years! Until…
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Nowadays, it is easy to blame social media for the widespread distribution of fake news through memes and other formats. However, this phenomenon is far from new. About 100 years ago, propaganda postcards and cartoons served the same purpose (after all, a meme is essentially a digital version of a propaganda or satirical postcard or…
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The title may sound unusual, but it reflects the difficulty of capturing this idea succinctly. One of the most damning aspects surrounding the Holocaust—arguably even more troubling than the staggering number of victims—is how the international community repeatedly stood by as Germany violated the Treaty of Versailles. At multiple points, Germany’s military expansion could have…
History of Sorts 
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