News, Entertainment, Enlightenment
Hawaiian flag vs British East India Co Flag — What’s the difference between the Hawaiian state flag and the flag of the famed British East India Co.? The British flag is more American in that it’s stripes are red and white. The Hawaiian flag uses red, white and blue stripes.
Vicksburg, Miss stopped celebrating the 4th of July in 1863. In was only in 1945 when the holiday returned.
Majors rank above lieutenants but major generals rank below lieutenant generals. What’s up with that?
In medieval times, the commander of the army was the vassal lord and his basic unit was the company.
The company was comannded by the captain which comse from the Latin capitaneous meaning chief.
Eventually one captain was placed in general command during operations and he became known as “captain general” and eventually just general.
The captain’s assistant was his lieutenant which come from the French words lieu which means “place” and “tenant” which means holding. The lieutenant held the place for the captain in his absence.
As the lords and kings found palace life more to their liking than the battlefield, the big boss became known as lieutenant du roi (holding the place of the king). The evolved into lieutenant general as the big bosses appear to have been mistaken once too often for the captain’s assistant.
Sergeant comes from the French “sergant” which means servent. Military sergeants were those assigned to protect superior officers and be their valets. Some rose to command positions and were called sergeant majors. These were officers above captains but below colonels. This title was eventally shortend to major.
The sergeant major for the lieutenant general i.e. became known as sergeant major general. This was eventually shortened to major general.
So lieutenant general evolved from the title for the one who acted in place of the king while the major general evolved from the title for the general’s servent.
Now you know.
What is the middle day of the year in a non-leap year? July 2, so come tomorrow we are halfway through 2017.
William Durant, founder of General Motors, had a $8 million deal to buy Ford in 1909, but the bankers turned him down and GM’s board of directors dismissed him.
The purest gold ever produced was by the Perth Mint in 1957. It was 999.999 percent gold.
Brit-hating Irish revolutionaries can be credited with causing the invention of the modern submarine. They financed John Phillip Holland in his quest to build an undersea warship and he made them the Fenian Ram.
However, a dispute about money occurred which led to the revolutionaries stealing the ship. Fortunately or not depending on one’s politics, the Fenians didn’t know how to work the ship and Holland wouldn’t tell them.
Holland would eventually build the U.S. Navy’s first modern sub, the USS Holland, and ironically, the Royal Navy’s first sub.
Legionary vs Legionnaire — So what’s the difference between “legionary” and “legionnaire”? Nothing significant. Legionary is an English word of Latin origin that means serving in a legion. Legionnaire is a French of Latin origin that means serving in a legion that English speakers often apply to members of the French Foreign Legion and the American Legion.
California condors were kept as pets by miners during the California Gold Rush.
Most gold coins are 91.6 — or 22 karat — percent gold.
