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They don’t look like much, but this “fourth party” caused a bit of a stir. ( Source ) You still there? Well, if you are, you might not be after this. It’s time for politics — bear in mind that the man voted as “Greatest Briton”, Winston Churchill, was heavily influenced by his father’s politics and beliefs. If you stick around, we’ll get to more scandals with Jack the Ripper. I’m dragging this out a bit, aren’t I? After his graduation in 1870, Randolph first entered the House of Commons in 1874 when he became a Conservative Member of Parliament for Woodstock. His first speech in the House of Commons was said to have grabbed the attention of Benjamin Disraeli, the then Prime Minister. He even wrote to Queen Victoria about Randolph’s “energy and natural flow”. However, contrary to Wikipedia, it is suggested that his maiden speech made no impression on the Commons. Either way, Queen Victoria seemed unconvinced , as she opposed Randolph’s appointment of Chancellor of th...

Just imagine Winston Churchill with a tache like that. He could have rivalled Stalin. ( Source ) It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for, my one on one blog with Lord Randolph Churchill! My, what a lot of information you have, Randolph. Enough for two parts, so here’s the first part to wet your whistle. Since this is the largest Wikipedia article that I have researched so far, we will give this some structure — this will be longer than my usual blogs, so if you don’t like reading, why the hell aren’t you on YouTube? Let’s start at the beginning, before the birth of his son and Jack the Ripper, let’s begin our story at 3 Wilton Terrace, Belgravia, London, or maybe he was born at Blenheim Palace — who should we trust, Wikipedia or NNDB.com ?  Born on the 13th of February, 1849, to the 7th Duke of Marlborough and Lady Frances Vane, Randolph was their third son. Shockingly, Randolph was privately educated at home as well as attending Tabor’s Prep School...

In Russia, we wash paintbrushes with vodka, not water like puny Americans. Wouldn’t be Russian without a strong tache. With a name like Pyotr Pertsov , it’s not surprising that this guy is Russian. Pertsov was a poet, a publisher , a literary and art critic . A person of the arts. So if you’re not into poetry, you’ve come to the wrong place. Well, actually, don’t worry too much, I couldn’t find any of his poems. I did look for them, promise. I might have found them if there was a standard way of writing his name! Petr? Pyotr? Piotr? Pete? What is it?!? Pertsov’s probably rolling in his grave as I write this post. Pertsov began his literary career by publishing his poems for Nedelya (“Week”) and Novosti (“News”). Then he contributed to magazines linked with political, social, and artistic movements including Russian Symbolism , which were influenced by irrationalism and mysticism — think God and ghouls. Spooky. It was spurred by a movement away from the aristocracy...

Not quite the burning wagon I was thinking of. Chanaranges , of course not to be mistaken with the Persian word for “general”, was Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire military officer notably serving under Emperor Justinian the First whose reign lasted from 527AD to 565AD. This is quite appropriate, as I briefly wrote about Ostrogoth king and rival to the Eastern Roman Empire, Totila, who reigned at a similar time. Chanaranges’ actions were mostly documented by Greek poet and historian Agathias . Chanaranges’, an Armenian native, was first mentioned in late 554, serving general Narses . Chanaranges took part in a campaign against the Franks (another set of Germanic people, although I like to imagine an evil and calculating army of Frank Underwoods from House of Cards) near Casilinus . Their intention was to prevent casual pillaging by the Franks and enabling movement by removing the Franks from a nearby bridge. The campaign was a resounding success — I’m sure an...

Clickbait Barbarian. Another short Wikipedia article today, though surprisingly not a “stub”. Castel Rigone is a picturesque Italian village with a medieval past. A territorial subdivision (Frazione) of a township (Comune) in the province of Perugia, Castel Rigone is home to approximately 406 citizens. The village is believed to have been founded by Rigo or Riggo, lieutenant of Ostrogoth king Totila, in 543 AD with the purpose of establishing a base during the Gothic War (535 AD — 554 AD) fought between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy.  The Ostrogoths were a subdivision of the Goths, a Germanic people and a pain in the backside for the Roman Empire believed to have originated in Southern Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, or Sweden). Following this, Castel Rigone was fortified in 1297 when the village was constructed — if only they could finish constructing their website .  Since 1984, Castel Rigone recognises its history with The...