Table of contents for No. 33 in All About History

As the 20th century dawned on the New World, the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific was populated by white settlers. With the advent of the American railroads, firms rapidly sprang up, and the USA became the ideal environment for up and coming entrepreneurs. Constant streams of supply and demand were readily available, but to really corner the market, companies needed to create a product that hadn’t been seen before and would appeal to a mass audience. Getting these right meant global domination was there for the taking. WHAT YOU’LL NEED GETTING THE PRODUCT RIGHT Concept The winning concept must be affordable and meet all the strict regulations every new product has to adhere to. Taste The taste of an upcoming product is essential. A secret recipe is a…

1829 Gold is discovered in Cherokee land in Georgia, resulting in a gold rush. Pressure on the Georgia government to remove Indian rights to land begins to mount. MAY 1830 The Indian Removal Act is passed, which authorises the president to negotiate with Native American tribes for their relocation. SEPTEMBER 1830 The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek is signed. 11 million acres of the Choctaw Nation are ceded for 15 million acres in the Indian territory. DECEMBER 1835 The Treaty of New Echota is signed. Despite not being approved by the Cherokee National Council, it becomes the basis for their forcible removal. SPRING 1838 Military operations to round up the Cherokee begin. Thousands are held at Fort Cass, a concentration camp, over the summer. WINTER 1838 The Cherokee begin the…

SIEGE TOWER These towering structures were deadly in the Medieval era Three storeys high The largest of the towers would have three levels of attack. While the top section peered over the walls, the middle housed more troops who could fire out at will and also had a ladder to reinforce the top level. Ladder help Siege towers were very expensive and labour intensive to make, so their use on the battlefield could be limited. Ladders were used to supplement towers, but as they had no protection, only the bravest soldiers would dare climb up them. Dimensions At eight metres (26 feet) high, siege towers were tall enough to rise over most castle defences. In response, many fortifications dredged moats or were constructed on the top of a hill to…

When the walls were overrun and bodies lay strewn around the bailey, the keep, the centrepiece of the castle defences, was the only thing stood in the way of victory. Some keeps were merely the central building, but many had defences of their own. They could contain arrow loops and crenellations to help with the last-ditch defence of the castle. As the attacking soldiers gathered in the bailey, they would be vulnerable to arrow fire. Only plate armour stood any chance against the power of a crossbow bolt, so soldiers with chain mail would be in danger until the keep was breached. The keep would also contain the castle’s stores, so in the event of a siege, the population were best placed to try to hold out for as long…

THONG UNKNOWN Mentioning it may bring to mind modern women’s underwear, but the thong actually has a history steeped in masculinity. Like the loincloth, it was an early form of underwear, but it had a few perks that its hanging counterpart couldn’t provide. With a stretch of material to hold the genitals in place, it supported and protected active men. Sumo wrestlers wear a variant of the thong, known as the mawashi, and the thong’s supportive capabilities inspired the creation of the jockstrap. HOOP SKIRT 16TH CENTURY Much like corsets, the popularity of hoop skirts is one that somehow endured centuries despite their uncomfortable and restrictive nature. With different styles and sizes available, the desire for hoop skirts waned towards the end of the 18th century, yet they experienced something…

The British Empire began to assert itself upon the world in the late Tudor period during the reign of Elizabeth I. A queen who openly encouraged exploration and trade, Britons began to make trips to lands far beyond their own nation’s borders. After the spectacular defeat of the Spanish Armada, Britannia ruled the waves and was ready to start its empire building. The strength of the Royal Navy allowed Britain to expand significantly, and by the 18th century, colonies had been set up all over the world. The abundance of land put Britain top of the pile in the world of trade, and this monopoly helped expand the economy while the military became one of the strongest on Earth. The empire would expand and contract over time, but successfully maintained…

Capture a Medieval castle From choosing your weapons to taking prisoners, learn how to take a castle with our step-by-step guide to siege warfare. Winston Churchill: Hero or villain? He’s remembered today as the man who won World War II for Britain, but was there a darker side to Winston Churchill? A brief history of underwear Ten of the scantiest and scariest undergarments to have ever existed laid bare in this issue’s Through History. Be part of history  www.historyanswers.co.uk Share your views and opinions online Facebook /AllAboutHistory Twitter @AboutHistoryMag…

JOHN D ROCKEFELLER 1839-1937, USA The founder of Standard Oil, Rockefeller became one of the world’s richest men and revolutionised the petroleum industry in the USA. ASA GRIGGS CANDLER 1851-1929, USA Born on a farm, Candler turned his hand to business and purchased the Coca-Cola formula, building it into an empire. MADAM CJ WALKER 1867-1919, USA Walker was the first African-American woman to become a self-made millionaire due to her successful beauty industry. CATERINA FAKE 1969/70-PRESENT, USA The US businesswoman co-founded the photo hosting service Flickr and is now in various top 100 most influential people lists.…

November 1894 Nicholas II accedes to the throne after the death of his father, Alexander III, who was a far more open-minded and able monarch than his son will prove to be. February 1904 The Russo-Japanese War erupts. The results will be devastating for Russia, Nicholas’s signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth ceding power in East Asia. January 1905 Revolution breaks out across the Russian empire amid a wave of political and social unrest. Workers go on strike and military units mutiny. January 1905 Bloody Sunday unfolds as the Imperial Guard fires upon unarmed demonstrators, who are attempting to present a petition to the tsar at the Winter Palace. October 1905 The October Manifesto sees Nicholas guarantee civil liberties to all Russian citizens. By signing, he creates the duma, an…

NADEZHDA VASILYEVA Vasilyeva appeared in Siberia in 1920 while travelling to China and was arrested by the authorities. She sent letters to the British King George V asking him to help her. In 1971, she died in an insane asylum in the city of Kazan, the head of the hospital claiming that ”except for her claim that she was Anastasia, she was completely sane.” EUGENIA SMITH Though not as famous as Anderson, Smith wrote the Autobiography Of HIH Anastasia Nicholaevna Of Russia in 1963, in which she recounts in great detail her life in the Russian Imperial family up until their execution. She eventually distanced herself from the claim and is said to have refused a DNA test shortly before her death in 1997. ANNA ANDERSON During the 1920s, Anna…

Castles were the power bases of the Medieval world. Occupied by kings, nobles and knights, defeating one of these strongholds wasn’t easy. To successfully bring one down, a solid strategy was a must. First, the attacking force would need to occupy the surrounding lands to instil fear in the castle owners. If negotiation and diplomacy failed, an attacking force could resort to intimidation by seizing all supply lines and pillaging the locality. If a white flag was still not forthcoming, the siege would officially begin. Prior to an attack, a messenger would sometimes be sent to the besieged castle, informing defenders of the force’s intentions. After this notice was heeded, the castle would be restocked of weapons and provisions, ready to weather the coming storm. There were many ways to…

Take prisoners The defenders would eject women and children out of the keep. This cruel tactic gave the attackers prisoners to be used as a bargaining tool for surrender, but now only the best fighters remained with a much larger food supply. Total annihilation A popular method of ending a siege was killing all that stood in the way. Sometimes the nobility were held for ransom but, like at the siege of Bedford Castle in 1224, everyone could be killed as a warning to others. New tenants If the castle was in a strategic location or was an influential power base, the invading army would take it. It would act as an outpost on the frontier of a land and the former defenders would be exiled or enslaved. It’s a…

Cyrus the Great was the founder of one of the most impressive regimes of the ancient world, the Persian Empire, which lasted for two centuries (550 330 BCE) until it was destroyed by Alexander the Great. Despite its significance, undisputed facts about Cyrus’s conquests are thin on the ground. Scholars tease what they can from legend, from scattered cuneiform tablets, from brief, one-sided accounts in the Biblical Old Testament, and from Cyrus’s own statement justifying his conquests. Before Cyrus’s time, Turkey and the rest of the Middle East was divided between three empires: Lydia in western Turkey; Media, which spread across to today’s Central Asia; and Babylonia, spanning Iraq, Iran and the Mediterranean coast. The ancient Assyrian empire had recently been divided between the Medes and the Babylonians. Away to…

Mildred Harris DATES OF MARRIAGE: 1918-20 When actress Mildred thought she was pregnant, she and Charlie married. She wasn’t pregnant, but later they did have a baby, who died at three days of age. The pair divorced. Claire Sheridan DATES OF RELATIONSHIP: C.1920-21 British writer and aristocrat Sheridan went to Hollywood to interview Chaplin, after which they had a brief romance. Chaplin encouraged her to focus on art, not politics. Sigrid Holmquist DATES OF RELATIONSHIP 1922 Swedish Holmquist was a successful Hollywood actress. One story relates that she held a gun to Charlie’s head until he pledged his eternal faithfulness to her. Lita Gray DATES OF MARRIAGE: 1924-27 Gray appeared as the angel in The Kid and almost starred in The Gold Rush. By then, she was involved with Charlie…

INFANTRY 6,000 CAVALRY 5,500 KING CHARLES I LEADER Dismissive of parliament’s role in governing the country, Charles preferred absolute rule, which led to tension and eventually civil war. Strengths Unshakable belief in his God-given right to rule. Weakness Declining support base due to his actions while in power. CAVALIER KEY UNIT The iconic mounted units were key to Charles’s military strength. Strengths Experience of a long and hard civil war. Weakness Position was based on status, not fighting ability. MATCHLOCK KEY WEAPON A type of musket, it was wielded by both the cavalry and infantry. Strengths Power and range of shot. Weakness Slow reload time and poor aim.…

Born › 1857 Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell is born in London on 22 February. Childhood › 1860 Known as ‘BP’ or ‘Stephe’ he had nine siblings. Sadly, his father dies when he is just three years old. Charterhouse › 1870 Baden-Powell is educated at one of the most prestigious schools in the country. Army career › 1876 After failing to get in to college, he joins the army, becoming captain at 26. Siege survival › 1899-1900 Baden-Powell’s unit holds out for 217 days in the siege of Mafeking during the Second Boer War. Scouting › 1907-08 Leaving the army behind, he forms the Scouting Movement and publishes the bestselling book Scouting For Boys. Married › 1912 He meets Olave Soames, who has three children with Baden-Powell and helps set up…

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EDWARDVIII: KING OF SCANDAL? THESECRET LIFE OF NINJAS HOWWOMEN WON THE WAR Inside his abdication and his ambiguous ties with the Führer The training, tactics and tools that made the shadow warriors 21 things you probably didn’t know about women in WWI PLUS: Charles Darwin, Battle of Culloden, Thomas Jefferson, Mao’s China, History of protest, What if Trotsky had become leader of the USSR?…

WORSHIP YOUR CHOSEN GOD LOAD UP THE CAMELS SEE OFF BANDIT ATTACKS Stretching from the East’s opulent city of Chang’an, China, far beyond the horizon to Kashgar, then further west to India, Iran, Constantinople, Damascus and, ultimately, Rome, the Silk Road remains one of the greatest trade routes in history. Despite the name, silk made up only a small portion of the goods traded along the route, where magnificent caravans of merchants walked parched deserts and snow-capped mountains. Gemstones, precious metals, spices and incense were all staples of the trade route. Well-travelled sellers risked attack by bandits, the elements and even demons along their way. Valuable goods were not all that was traded on the Silk Road. Religions and belief systems also travelled, and Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity, as well…

ZHANG QIAN CHINESE 200 BCE › 114 BCE A diplomat and official during the time of China’s Han dynasty, Qian was largely responsible for mapping the routes of the Silk Road, a huge trade network that connected the country with India, Africa and parts of Europe. Having been sent out in 138 BCE by Emperor Wudi to map central Asia, he achieved his mission despite being imprisoned for ten years. In the years following this, he documented much information on India – as well as doing so second hand with places like Uzbekistan and Afghanistan – all of which greatly contributed to China’s future prosperity. JOHN MAYNARD KEYNES BRITISH 1883-1946 Widely recognised as one of the most influential economists of the 20th century, Keynes – alongside his American counterpart Harry…

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES INFLUENTIAL ALLIES FOR WHEN A SWORD ISN’T PROTECTION ENOUGH It was probably wise to stay clear of family politics but if dragged into it, it was best to befriend the powerful. Italy was a collection of independent city-states all vying for power, and securing a deal with a powerful family or political party could set a merchant up for life. SAVINGS PREPARING FOR THE WORST Bad harvests and the spread of disease could strike at any time, so a wise merchant would make sure his earnings were safe. Also, traders would be ready to up sticks at any time as centres of trade shifted between city-states and expeditions went further into Asia. SPICES IDEAL FOR TRADE WITH OTHER REALMS Venice had great links to the Islamic…

What was it? In the bitter cold winter of 1838, a Native American tribe called the Cherokee were forced off their homeland and made to walk 1,000 miles across the Deep South. Earlier that year, they had been rounded up and taken to concentration camps, while their homes were burned, their property plundered, and their farms put into a lottery to be won by white settlers. With the tribe now removed from their land, the US military was able to force them to march to a new location west of the Mississippi River. Many were scantily clothed and bare foot, and half of the party were children. An estimated 4,000 Cherokee out of 15,000 died on the march that was to become known as the Trail of Tears as a…

Jerusalem 1099 Jerusalem is one of the most sieged cities in history, and in 1099 it experienced one of the bloodiest. Part of the First Crusade, the Muslim and Jewish population was massacred as the Crusaders burst through the gates, suffering heavy losses themselves. Acre 1189-91 After negotiations failed, Saladin besieged the Crusader stronghold of Acre during the Third Crusade. The siege lasted a total of 23 months and resulted in many Crusader deaths, but Saladin was defeated and dealt a serious blow in his attempt to retake the Crusader kingdom. Chateau Gaillard 1204 The impressive defences of this French castle were eventually brought down by King Phillip after eight months of battle. The siege included almost every type of siege engine and was fought on both land and sea…

Look for spies Prior to a siege, spies were often sent out to report on a castle’s frailties. To prevent a Trojan horse-like attack, castle rulers would keep close tabs on who and what was entering and leaving their gates. Ripples in the water Underground, some of the most vicious fighting of the entire siege was fought in tunnels. If defenders lost here, their perimeter would be compromised, so guards would place a pot of water near the walls that rippled when miners were below. Specialised battlements Castle walls, built with attack in mind, were littered with anti-siege measures. Arrow loops gave archers a good shot at attackers while towers and gatehouses were constructed as troop garrisons. A barbican passage at the entrance would act as a death trap to…

The boy spent his childhood with Astyages, being trained and educated. According to the Greek historian and diarist Xenophon, he was a boy of rare intelligence and charm: “[He] was something too much of a talker, in part, may be, because of his bringing-up. He had been trained by his master, whenever he sat in judgment, to give a reason for what he did, and to look for the like reason from others. And moreover, his curiosity and thirst for knowledge were such that he must needs inquire from every one he met the explanation of this, that, and the other… talkativeness had become, as it were, his second nature. But… the impression left on the listener was not of arrogance, but of simplicity and warmheartedness… However, as he grew…

WHO TO BEFRIEND Senior officer Although you are unlikely to see them due to the sheer size of the army you are now part of, a senior officer is the person to impress if you happen to come across one. Although many of the war’s most senior figures, such as General Sir Douglas Haig and Major General Richard Hutton Davies, will be seen as incompetent in the years after the war, they are some of the very few men with military experience. Most in the trenches are inexperienced volunteers, so the advice and good favour of senior officers will help you navigate the threats you face here. Extra tip: As well as commanding troops, senior officers are required to be seen mixing with the men, which could make them feel…

Paternity suit Joan Barry, after separating from Charlie in 1943, came back on to the scene claiming she was pregnant by him. Chaplin denied this. The incident was exploited by the press. GUILTY Anti-capitalist The story of Monsieur Verdouxoffers a critique of capitalism and the military-industrial complex, and it received a controversial reception. The film was a flop in America. GUILTY Sympathiser Chaplin was friends with suspected communists and attended events hosted by Soviet diplomats. In 1947 the FBI investigated him, and continued to for the next five years. GUILTY Eloquent protester Chaplin made a public declaration of protest about the House Un-American Activities Committee, which had been established to identify communists in America. GUILTY Un-American Chaplin’s choice to never naturalise as an American citizen despite spending much of his…

INFANTRY 7,000 CAVALRY 8,000 SIR THOMAS FAIRFAX LEADER Appointed captain general of the New Model Army in 1645, Fairfax ranked above Cromwell due to the rule of Self-denying Ordinance. Strengths Long career in the Parliamentarian Northern Army. Weakness Naseby would be his first major engagement as captain general. ROUNDHEAD DRAGOON KEY UNIT Led by Colonel John Okey, the dragoon units numbered at more than 1,000 strong. Strengths Armour could deflect pistol fire and sword strokes. Weakness Vulnerable to mounted cavalier attacks. SABRE KEY WEAPON Firearms were often slow and inaccurate so cold steel still had a big part to play in the battles of the civil war. Strengths Unmatched weapon at close quarters. Weakness No defence against ranged attacks.…

REPORTING THE SECOND WORLD WAR The pen vs the sword Author Brian Best Publisher Pen & Sword Price £19.99 Released Out now When we see some of the firsthand reports of what went on during World War II, it’s easy to get so caught up in the vivid descriptions of events that we forget that there was someone holding the pen, operating the camera or manning the typewriter. Brian Best’s Reporting The Second World War does a good job of filling in the blanks, chronicling the exploits of the likes of Ernest Hemingway, David Dimblebey, Robert Capa and more as they put themselves directly in harm’s way in order to capture the biggest scoops of their time. Whether it was the evacuation at Dunkirk or the D-Day landings, what would…

1510 Portuguese conquest of Goa Portugal expands its overseas empire as it conquers Goa, a prosperous trading port on India’s west coast. The Portuguese, led by Admiral Afonso de Albuquerque, capture Goa within a day and slaughter the local Muhammadan population. 1817 Mississippi becomes a state Just like Indiana a year earlier, Mississippi becomes the 20th state of the United States of America. It would go on to gain a reputation as a reactionary state and was the last to repeal prohibition in 1966. 1868 First›traffic lights Installed outside the›Palace of Westminster›in London, the signals are gas lit rather than electric powered. Leaks made the invention dangerous but it put the wheels in motion for electric versions in the future. 1884 Huckleberry Finn published Written by Mark Twain, the book…