Blog archives: April 2017
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Was Napoleon good at billiards?
April 28, 2017
Napoleon was not known for his sportsmanship (see my post on interesting Napoleon facts). Billiards was one of the most popular games in late 18th-early 19th century France. How was Napoleon at billiards?
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The Wreck of the Packet Ship Albion
April 21, 2017
The packet ship Albion, sailing from New York to Liverpool, was wrecked on the coast of Ireland on April 22, 1822. Of the 54 people on board, only 9 survived. Napoleonic General Charles Lefebvre-Desnouettes, who appears in Napoleon in America, was among the dead. As this was the first loss suffered by a North Atlantic packet line, the disaster horrified people on both sides of the ocean. Survivors left harrowing accounts of the Albion’s final hours.
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5 Easter Traditions No Longer Practiced
April 14, 2017
Will you be going to church for Easter? Decorating Easter eggs? Eating hot cross buns? These are old Easter traditions that are still common today. But how about watching the sun dance? Heaving someone into the air? Rolling down a hill? Here are five Easter traditions that have generally been abandoned.
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When the King & Queen of the Sandwich Islands Visited England
April 7, 2017
In 1824, King Kamehameha II & Queen Kamamalu of the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) visited England hoping to meet King George IV. The trip cost them their lives.
We must confess that fate, which sports with man, makes merry work with the affairs of this world.
Napoleon Bonaparte