PYF Historical Fun Fact: (USER LOSETH POSTYNG PRIVILYGES FOR FOUR AND TWENTY HOURS)

The Something Awful Forums > Main > Post Your Favorite: Carefully Curated > PYF Historical Fun Fact: (USER LOSETH POSTYNG PRIVILYGES FOR FOUR AND TWENTY HOURS)

Nebakenezzer: Sep 13, 2005; The Mote in God's Eye

CroatianAlzheimers posted:

It was also the basis for the fictional fight between HM Brig Sophie and the xebec Cacafuego from Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander. In fact, Lord Cochrane was the model for O'Brian's Captain Jack Aubrey, the only fictional character I wish was my dad.

Cacafuego AKA Shitfire, was what Sir Francis Drake's expedition called the Spanish Treasure galleon they captured off the coast of Peru. So there's another little historical wink there.

# ¿ Nov 8, 2015 01:43

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# ¿ May 6, 2024 03:18

Nebakenezzer: Sep 13, 2005; The Mote in God's Eye

cash crab posted:

~~Happy~~ Armistice Day, everyone!

During the Imperial War Conference in the First World War, Canada briefly tried to gain control of Maine and Alaska because we didn't understand the idea that we were trying to seize enemy territory.

Can...you provide a bit more detail :stare:

# ¿ Nov 11, 2015 19:54

Nebakenezzer: Sep 13, 2005; The Mote in God's Eye

House Louse posted:

That does actually seem pretty weird because why would an archbishop and an abbot conspire to murder a peasant?

I think until a couple of years ago there were still a few Confederate widows about - women who had, while very young, married old men for their pensions. Assuming the soldiers were born in 1845, living until 1930-ish doesn't impossible (age 85), and if the wives were born about 1910 they'd be 105 now. I'm being pretty generous with those figures but iirc that's roughly how the sums worked out.

1949 Life magazine has an article on the 68 Civil War veterans still alive.

By 1953 they were down to five.

# ¿ Nov 13, 2015 03:01

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