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Forgotten History

Cochise said:
Origin of OMG:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...a-1917-letter-to-winston-churchill-145636383/

Sorry to all those in texting land who thought it was hip.
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The ghastly initialism OMG stands for “Oh my God!”, the words without which no modern teenaged girl can complete a sentence. Fisher is using a play on words, referencing (probably) The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, the lowest class of which - Companion - is abbreviated as CMG. (“On the tapis” means “under consideration”.)

Not quite the same?

maximus otter
 
ramonmercado said:
But who shot Michael Collins?

We enter the realm of conspiracy theories. Major General Emmett Dalton (who accompanied Collins) was an MI5 agent who assassinated Collins. DeValera was on the grassy knoll, he shot Collins.

The reality is likely to be more mundane: Collins was either killed by a sniper or a ricochet. Sonny O'Neill, a member of the ambush party, reported that he had shot a tall officer. He didn't know it was Collins.
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And we're back with Dalton being the villain.

However, art historian Paddy Cullivan has now obtained new evidence suggesting that O'Neill could not have been the shooter.

Cullivan told the Irish Times that there is no evidence that O'Neill served as a sniper with the British Army or the IRA despite a 1924 Free State intelligence report noting that he was an excellent marksman. Cullivan argues that if O'Neill was a sniper, he would have been deployed as a one during the War of Independence.

The art historian further argues that O'Neill was not physically capable of shooting Collings due to an injury he picked up during the First World War. Documents from the German archives state that O'Neill had a severe injury to his right arm when he was repatriated as a prisoner-of-war at the end of the conflict in 1918, resulting in his rejection by the Royal Irish Constabulary when he applied after the war.

He also received a disability pension from the British Army when the war ended, Cullivan said. Further documentation in the British archives states that O'Neill had a 40% disability in his right arm, making it almost impossible for him to shoot Collins in the head from around 450 ft (150 meters) at twilight. ...

He said that it was more likely that someone on Collins' side fired the fatal shot and said that Major General Emmet Dalton was probably the most likely suspect. Dalton, who traveled in the same touring car as Collins, gave inconsistent testimony in the aftermath of the shooting and questions remain over his involvement, Cullivan said. ...

https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/chief-suspect-michael-collins-murder
 
This was from a few days ago, the 100th anniversary is tomorrow.

_120026471_d.thegreatairshipdisaster-courtesydhowlett.jpg


"Vivid memories of an airship exploding over Hull and plummeting into the Humber estuary almost 100 years ago have been unearthed by a new project.

Thousands of people in Hull witnessed the R38 airship crash on 24 August 1921, killing 44 crew members.

The project by Historic England has unearthed a wealth of family stories.

It includes the plight of Richard Withington, who parachuted from the doomed airship only to drown in the Humber, according to his family"

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-58257875.amp
 
ramonmercado said:
And we're back with Dalton being the villain.

However, art historian Paddy Cullivan has now obtained new evidence suggesting that O'Neill could not have been the shooter.

Cullivan told the Irish Times that there is no evidence that O'Neill served as a sniper with the British Army or the IRA despite a 1924 Free State intelligence report noting that he was an excellent marksman. Cullivan argues that if O'Neill was a sniper, he would have been deployed as a one during the War of Independence.

The art historian further argues that O'Neill was not physically capable of shooting Collings due to an injury he picked up during the First World War. Documents from the German archives state that O'Neill had a severe injury to his right arm when he was repatriated as a prisoner-of-war at the end of the conflict in 1918, resulting in his rejection by the Royal Irish Constabulary when he applied after the war.

He also received a disability pension from the British Army when the war ended, Cullivan said. Further documentation in the British archives states that O'Neill had a 40% disability in his right arm, making it almost impossible for him to shoot Collins in the head from around 450 ft (150 meters) at twilight. ...

He said that it was more likely that someone on Collins' side fired the fatal shot and said that Major General Emmet Dalton was probably the most likely suspect. Dalton, who traveled in the same touring car as Collins, gave inconsistent testimony in the aftermath of the shooting and questions remain over his involvement, Cullivan said. ...

https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/chief-suspect-michael-collins-murder
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A podcast with Paddy Cullivan.

But who covered up what and why? Who did kill Michael Collins and did anyone stand to benefit most from his death?

In the latest episode of In The News, art historian and performer Paddy Cullivan tells Conor Pope that he has uncovered documentation in British and German archives which casts doubt on the guilt of the leading suspect Dennis ‘Sonny’ O’Neill.

In the News is presented by reporters Sorcha Pollak and Conor Pope.

You can listen to the podcast here:

APPLE

SPOTIFY

RSS

ACAST

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/in-the-news-who-killed-michael-collins-1.4657622
 
“When the Persians finally met the Egyptians in battle, it is said that they met them with cats pinned to the shields, reducing their opponents archers for whom cats were sacred, to a state of enraged paralysis.”
 
The mysterious disappearance of the world's longest shrubbery


The natural living barrier was described as "utterly impassable to man or beast", and snaked across India from the Indus River to the Mahanadi. But why doesn't anyone remember it?

In a second-hand bookstore in London, in late 1994, author Roy Moxham made a discovery that would consume the next three years of his life. Wedged in the footnotes of a colonial-era book published in 1893 that he had just purchased, was a fascinating, long-forgotten piece of Indian history.
In the book Rambles and Recollections of an Indian official by Major General WH Sleeman, in a chapter called Transit Duties in India – Mode of Collecting Them, was a startling reference to a "customs hedge" – a natural barrier that the book described as becoming "gradually a monstrous system to which it would be almost impossible to find a parallel in any tolerably civilised country".
The details about the hedge itself were sparse, but whatever was documented was enough to deeply puzzle Moxham, who had by then made five journeys to India without ever hearing about the hedge. The hedge was allegedly built over a customs line, which the book mentioned was established in 1869 and expanded to stretch across the length of India, covering an estimated 2,300 miles (3,701km) – the distance from London to Istanbul (then Constantinople). It was guarded by 12,000 British officers, at an annual cost of 1,620,000 rupees (£162,000 or $220,716, based on the exchange rate today).

The hedge was constructed entirely from an impenetrable thicket of thorny native shrubs, designed to prevent smugglers from sneaking in salt from coastal areas to British-controlled states, where it was taxed heavily. "People seldom realise how critical salt is to health," says Moxham. "And yet, it seems inconceivable to me how this incredibly painful part of history, the immense abuse people endured at this time, could be so utterly forgotten."

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210824-how-the-worlds-longest-shrubbery-vanished-without-trace
 
uair01 said:
The mysterious disappearance of the world's longest shrubbery


The natural living barrier was described as "utterly impassable to man or beast", and snaked across India from the Indus River to the Mahanadi. But why doesn't anyone remember it?

In a second-hand bookstore in London, in late 1994, author Roy Moxham made a discovery that would consume the next three years of his life. Wedged in the footnotes of a colonial-era book published in 1893 that he had just purchased, was a fascinating, long-forgotten piece of Indian history.
In the book Rambles and Recollections of an Indian official by Major General WH Sleeman, in a chapter called Transit Duties in India – Mode of Collecting Them, was a startling reference to a "customs hedge" – a natural barrier that the book described as becoming "gradually a monstrous system to which it would be almost impossible to find a parallel in any tolerably civilised country".
The details about the hedge itself were sparse, but whatever was documented was enough to deeply puzzle Moxham, who had by then made five journeys to India without ever hearing about the hedge. The hedge was allegedly built over a customs line, which the book mentioned was established in 1869 and expanded to stretch across the length of India, covering an estimated 2,300 miles (3,701km) – the distance from London to Istanbul (then Constantinople). It was guarded by 12,000 British officers, at an annual cost of 1,620,000 rupees (£162,000 or $220,716, based on the exchange rate today).

The hedge was constructed entirely from an impenetrable thicket of thorny native shrubs, designed to prevent smugglers from sneaking in salt from coastal areas to British-controlled states, where it was taxed heavily. "People seldom realise how critical salt is to health," says Moxham. "And yet, it seems inconceivable to me how this incredibly painful part of history, the immense abuse people endured at this time, could be so utterly forgotten."

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210824-how-the-worlds-longest-shrubbery-vanished-without-trace
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It was obviously 'The Knights That Say Ni'

 
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uair01 said:
The mysterious disappearance of the world's longest shrubbery


The natural living barrier was described as "utterly impassable to man or beast", and snaked across India from the Indus River to the Mahanadi. But why doesn't anyone remember it?

In a second-hand bookstore in London, in late 1994, author Roy Moxham made a discovery that would consume the next three years of his life. Wedged in the footnotes of a colonial-era book published in 1893 that he had just purchased, was a fascinating, long-forgotten piece of Indian history.
In the book Rambles and Recollections of an Indian official by Major General WH Sleeman, in a chapter called Transit Duties in India – Mode of Collecting Them, was a startling reference to a "customs hedge" – a natural barrier that the book described as becoming "gradually a monstrous system to which it would be almost impossible to find a parallel in any tolerably civilised country".
The details about the hedge itself were sparse, but whatever was documented was enough to deeply puzzle Moxham, who had by then made five journeys to India without ever hearing about the hedge. The hedge was allegedly built over a customs line, which the book mentioned was established in 1869 and expanded to stretch across the length of India, covering an estimated 2,300 miles (3,701km) – the distance from London to Istanbul (then Constantinople). It was guarded by 12,000 British officers, at an annual cost of 1,620,000 rupees (£162,000 or $220,716, based on the exchange rate today).

The hedge was constructed entirely from an impenetrable thicket of thorny native shrubs, designed to prevent smugglers from sneaking in salt from coastal areas to British-controlled states, where it was taxed heavily. "People seldom realise how critical salt is to health," says Moxham. "And yet, it seems inconceivable to me how this incredibly painful part of history, the immense abuse people endured at this time, could be so utterly forgotten."

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210824-how-the-worlds-longest-shrubbery-vanished-without-trace
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What'll really bake your noodle? trying to figure out if that was actually exceptional, or if it's just the weird side of normal....
 
staticgirl said:
If there is no trace and this is the only source of the story(?) I would take it with a pinch of that heavily taxed salt. Would be interesting if true though.
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If it is true there would be military records somewhere, if as was stated, the army patrolled it at a cost.
 
staticgirl said:
If there is no trace and this is the only source of the story(?) I would take it with a pinch of that heavily taxed salt. Would be interesting if true though.
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I've read about it before. Another "benefit" of the empire.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/colonial-india-british-hedge-salt-tax

https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...9c328c-2995-11e9-984d-9b8fba003e81_story.html

But the Inland Customs Line created more problems than it solved. The customs line made trade and communication difficult and inordinately delayed goods from reaching their destination. To top it off, it did not entirely serve its purpose of preventing smuggling. A little bit of baksheesh at the police posts did the trick, if pushing camels across the barrier or throwing parcels over it did not! Instead of investing in this physical barrier, under Lord Lytton, the British focused on equalising duties on salt throughout the country and finally on April 1, 1879, the Inland Customs Line was abolished. The salt tax was imposed at the point of manufacture and not on individual traders. Salt would remain a taxable commodity till independence and spur Gandhiji’s Dandi march. There was in fact a Department of Salt Revenue, which continued to police the Punjab parts of the Inland Customs Line right up to 1895. This was primarily to prevent smuggling of rock salt via Kohat, a town now in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan. To Hume also goes the credit of negotiating treaties with various princely states, thus forming a uniform regime, which led to the ultimate abolition of the Customs Line.

https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-why-british-built-the-great-hedge-of-india-2648602

Images

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...AhUJXMAKHS6sCXYQjJkEegQIIhAC&biw=1280&bih=577
 
Sounds like it wasn't something that lasted a long time and the British wanted to forget about it because it was a disaster.
 
Kondoru said:
Yes, we tend to forget that.
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yeah, we know what they looked like because we have paintings of them. the Greeks made some murals that survived, and yeah... they liked colorful art. Modern people like to think that the Greeks were thinkers like Plato... when Plato was one of a tiny handful of people who were primarily thinkers.
 
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