On this day in 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from the island of Elba where he had been exiled for less than a year. While on Elba, Napoleon was given sovereignty over the 12,ooo inhabitants, and he was able to retain his title of Emperor. In the few months he spent on Elba he created a small army and navy, upgraded some agricultural methods, and developed some iron mines. I guess he really believed that "idle hands are the devil's tools." That or he was just an egotistical work-aholic.
Turns out Napoleon was a fascinating person, and not as short as many people believe. If you want to find out more, click here.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Super Sappy Valentine's Day
Another Valentine's Day has come and gone. It's a day that has never really bothered me. Sure, I've bought into the whole "it's cool to hate Valentine's Day because I'm single" thing every once in awhile. But really, to me Valentine's Day is just a commercialized holiday that makes people compelled to give each other chalky little heart candies. I feel just as love-sick (or just as happy) on Valentine's Day as any other day of the year.
One thing I can appreciate though, is the history behind Valentine's. The day is named after St. Valentine who, legend has it, continue to perform marriages even after Roman Emperor Claudius II banned marriage in the third century AD, and was martyred for doing so. That's how the holiday got it's Christian name, but the celebration goes farther into pagan Roman history. It has it's roots in the festival called Lupercalia-- a celebration in which naked men would whip young ladies in hopes of increasing their fertility. Those crazy Romans! What didn't they do?
If you want to check out more fun facts and history about Valentine's Day, go here. Ok, love you! Mean it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)