Did you know?
Hello everyone !
Death Valley: the hottest place in the world!
On July 10, 1913, a temperature of 56.7 degrees Celsius was recorded in Death Valley National Park.
For 90 years, the record belonged to El Azizia, in Libya.
In 2012, the World Meteorological Organization challenged this fact and won after an investigation.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The Okanagans.
The Okanagan (in Canada) or Okanogan (in the United States), are a population of Native Americans whose territory of origin extends on both sides of the border between the State of Washington in the United States and the province of British Columbia in Canada.
In their own language the Okanagan call themselves “Syilx”, they are part of the ethnological and linguistic groups called “Interior Salish”.
The traditional territory of the Okanagan people covers an area of approximately 69,000 km2.
Its northern boundary is near Mica Creek, just north of the city of Revelstoke, while it is bounded on the east by Kootenay Lake.
The southern boundary is near Wilbur, Washington, and the western boundary is the Nicola region.
In the United States, the Okanagan population is organized in an official structure called the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation whose constitutional texts were approved by the American federal government on February 26, 1938.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The cemetery town of Colma has more dead than alive.
Located in the suburbs of San Francisco, the city of Colma is nicknamed "City of the Dead", "City of Souls" or "City of the Silent".
With chilling names like these, some explanation is in order, isn't it?
At the end of the 19th century, the gold rush rapidly increased the number of inhabitants of San Francisco and the population greatly feared the spread of contagious diseases, such as cholera.
The city's board of supervisors, concerned about lack of space and public health, voted to ban burials within city limits in the early 1900s.
Ten years later, the decision to exhume the corpses and transport them elsewhere was taken.
Therefore, the small municipality of Colma was officially created in 1924 to serve as a necropolis.
Today, there are 17 cemeteries in the small town where the number of buried bodies is a thousand times higher than the number of inhabitants.
No wonder the city's slogan is "It's great to be alive in Colma"!
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The United States: the 3rd most visited country in the world.
First, congratulations to the French, who (once again) hold the record for the most visited country in the world with 86.9 million international tourist arrivals in 2017.
The United States has long occupied the second position in this prestigious list, until it was dethroned by Spain last year.
Indeed, 73 million travelers have decided to visit the Americans, while 82 million vacationers have rather been seduced by Spain.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The one that many also call the "California Dream Highway" runs very close to the Pacific Ocean, which gives way to absolutely magnificent panoramas.
The most impressive section is the one that crosses the Big Sur region from Monterey to Lucia.
Less than 30 kilometers from Monterey is the Bixby Creek Bridge.
Rightly so, it is the icon of this scenic drive and one of California's iconic places.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Indian Summer
When it appeared in the United States, probably at the end of the 18th century, it referred to a peculiarity of the continental climate of North America.
This peculiarity occurs in Canada and the United States, between the beginning of October and mid-November.
The Indian summer corresponds to a period of surprisingly mild weather for the season and which arrives after an initial period of frost.
If the nights remain cool and the mornings misty, the daytime weather is then mild, sunny and dry.
Temperatures are at least 5°C higher than normal for the season and can exceed, sometimes briskly, 25°C.
The Indian summer can last between 3 and 8 days.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Island of Niue: an original currency
An island state in the South Pacific, Niue's currency is the New Zealand dollar.
However, Niue has repeatedly released coins featuring Walt Disney, Pokemon, and Star Wars characters.
These gold and silver coins circulate legally on the island.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Falkland Islands: natural
Known as the Falkland Islands, these islands have more marine mammals and sheep than people.
There are thousands of sheep and no less than eight species of penguins against only 3,400 inhabitants.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: film set
Palm trees, turquoise water, fine sandy beaches...
The archipelago of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean reveals dream landscapes.
The place was also chosen to serve as a filming location for the five opuses of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Peru: 3000 festivals per year
In Peru, no less than 3000 traditional festivals are celebrated per year.
Carnival and mermaid festivals in February, harvest festival and holy week in March, national holiday in July, Arequipa festivals in August...
You may be lucky enough to attend one of these festivities.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Eritrea: no official language
A country in North-East Africa, Eritrea has the particularity of not having an official language.
It includes nine different ethnic groups, each with its own language and customs.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Isle of Man: The Northern Lights
Nestled between England and Ireland, the Isle of Man is not an essential destination in Europe.
However, it is possible to observe sublime aurora borealis in winter on a clear day.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Swaziland: high-flying law for witches
In Swaziland, Africa, the civil aviation authorities have passed a law that prohibits witches from flying above 150 meters under pain of a fine.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Canada: thousands of lakes
Appreciated for its wide open spaces and breathtaking landscapes, Canada attracts thousands of tourists every year.
However, did you know that it has more lakes than all the other countries in the world combined?
There are nearly 32,000 lakes over 3 km2 and nearly 600 lakes over 100 km2.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
United States: the disappearance of a lake
Have you ever heard of Lost Lake?
A lake in the Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon, it completely empties each spring and fills up again in the winter.
A park spokesperson explained that the water is sucked up through a lava tunnel.
It is then necessary to wait for the winter season so that the river fills up again.
Intrigued by this phenomenon, several people would have tried to illegally plug the hole in Lost Lake.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Lestotho: snow from May to August
A high altitude country, Lesotho is one of the few countries in Africa to see snowfall in winter.
When temperatures approach 0°C, the mountains are then covered with an immense white mantle.
An amazing sight to observe from May to August (the seasons are reversed).
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Iceland: no trains
Are you going to Iceland soon and want to travel from city to city?
Remember to book a car on site because it is the only country in Europe that does not have a railway!
The island's seismic activity does not provide passengers with optimal safety conditions for traveling by train.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
India: areas without selfies.
After dozens of selfie-related deaths, India has introduced "no selfie zones" in which it is forbidden to take a picture.
These risky places are often close to cliffs or railway tracks.
Failure to comply with this rule will result in a fine of 1200 rupees.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Armenia, the importance of chess games
Country of chess par excellence, Armenia has made this discipline a subject in its own right at school.
Since 2011, primary school students have 4 hours of compulsory chess lessons per week.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
To finish our little selection of the dumbest DC Comics superheroes, let's talk about Zeep, The Living Sponge.
Something to end on a high note!
Indeed, when we translate its name it gives this: Zeep, the Living Sponge.
No, we are not talking about a cousin of SpongeBob but rather a superhero.
This character is part of the Hero Hotline, a group of heroes with diverse powers and ready to spring into action when icons like Superman or Batman are unavailable.
Thus, as its name suggests, Zeep, The Living Sponge has all the capabilities of a sponge but on a human scale.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Color Kid is a superhero from DC Comics who has the power to change the color of any object to infinity.
Even if it may seem cool and funny, we must still admit that the usefulness of such powers is very limited and ridiculous during major battles essential for the survival of Man...
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Hailing from the 31st century, Bouncing Boy accidentally drank an experimental plastic-based soda-pop.
If his name means nothing to you, it's probably because his superpowers aren't extravagant.
He actually only has the ability to turn into a ball.
A power that is obviously useful for crushing your enemies, but it still has to be able to land on them before they have time to flee...
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
A DC Universe superhero, Matter-Eater Lad, real name Tenzil Kem, is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
He has the power to eat matter in all its forms, as do all the natives of Bismoll, his home planet.
For example, when he was imprisoned, he just had to eat the grids and the various obstacles that presented themselves in front of him.
Nothing extraordinary, is it?
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Onomatopoeia is a character who demonstrates a lot of tactics.
This is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics comics.
He is usually depicted as an enemy of Green Arrow and Batman.
Indeed, he notably organized the escape of the Joker.
He is also an athlete and a martial artist.
However, he has the annoying habit of only expressing himself in onomatopoeia, which is not easy to understand...
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Thor once hit an enemy so hard with his hammer that a black hole was created and sucked in his opponent.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Aquaman's trident is indestructible.
He can manipulate water and pierce Superman's invulnerable skin.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Deadpool survived a zombie apocalypse at a Mexican restaurant because he fell into a coma after eating too many chimichangas.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Harley Quinn once had her own gang: the Quinntets!
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Magneto once dropped a 170 ton tower on Iron Man.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Flash has already turned on all the radios on Earth in a zeptosecond.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
In the Marvel universe, Santa Claus is the most powerful mutant that exists.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Superman can hear every heartbeat on the planet.
He even distinguishes when they belong to someone in particular.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The sirens were half-female, half-bird beings.
Contrary to what one might think, mermaids are not half-female, half-fish beings in Greek mythology, unlike those mentioned in Norse mythology.
In fact, the Greeks considered them to be half women, half birds.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The term "arachnid" would take its root in a Greek myth.
In Greek mythology, Arachne was a young woman who excelled in weaving.
The goddess Athena visited her in the form of an old woman.
Jealous of Arachne's fame, she faced her in a weaving contest.
Exasperated by the thoroughness of her rival's canvas, Athena tore it to pieces, which despaired Arachne, who committed suicide.
However, the goddess decided to give her a second life by transforming her into a spider hanging from her web, so that she could weave.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The term "arachnid" would take its root in a Greek myth.
In Greek mythology, Arachne was a young woman who excelled in weaving.
The goddess Athena visited her in the form of an old woman.
Jealous of Arachne's fame, she faced her in a weaving contest.
Exasperated by the thoroughness of her rival's canvas, Athena tore it to pieces, which despaired Arachne, who committed suicide.
However, the goddess decided to give her a second life by transforming her into a spider hanging from her web, so that she could weave.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The Pactolus is the river in which King Midas washed his hands to end his curse.
The god Dionysus granted a wish to King Midas, who wished that everything he touches would turn to gold.
A poisoned gift since the latter found himself unable to eat and drink. In order to put an end to this curse, he washed his hands in the waters of the Pactole.
That’s why someone who makes a lot of money is said to have made the jackpot.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone!
Pandora's box is a jar!
Pandora's box today designates the cause of all misfortune, this expression was born from a legend in Greek mythology, in which this box is in fact a jar.
In addition, Pandora was considered the first woman of mankind.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The Champs Elysée is not just a beautiful avenue!
In Greek mythology, the Underworld is Hades, of all the dead.
The blessed go to the Champs Élysées, the guilty go to Tartarus, while souls deemed neither good nor bad go to Erebus.
It is the god Hermes who guides the soul of the deceased towards the Underworld, the underground kingdom of the god Hades and his wife Persephone.
The Champs Élysées form the happy abode of virtuous souls.
They are presented as a paradisiacal garden where there is an eternal spring.
The lucky ones savor an eternal youth there in the shade of flower beds sprinkled by the waters of Léthé.
Stretched out on beds of asphodels, the heroes are content with each other's exploits and listen to the poets celebrate their merit.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The flood
The myth of Noah's Ark was actually inspired by a Mesopotamian saga dating back to the 7th century BC: the Epic of Gilgamesh.
In it, many gods plan to destroy the world.
Ea is one of them, and asks a man named Utu-napishtim to build a boat and take his family and a host of animals there in order to survive the cataclysm.
A legend that is once again inspired by very real events.
According to many geologists, the Black Sea gradually dried up and turned into a freshwater lake below sea level as a result of an ice age that began 11,500 years ago.
When sea level rose as a result of the melting ice, the Mediterranean passed the threshold of the Bosporus and flowed into the Black Sea, causing its level to rise 150 meters in two years: a deluge that inundated more of 100,000 km² of land and pushed the local populations into exile.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The thunderbird and the whale
Another Native American legend tells of a thunderbird, a supernatural and benevolent being, diving into the ocean to seize a terrible whale that deprived the Quileute tribe of precious resources.
During this merciless struggle, powerful waves are generated, and many people are killed.
The thunderbird eventually manages to grab the whale and throws it onto the mainland, causing a powerful earthquake.
During the 1980s, geologists discovered that a powerful earthquake struck the Pacific Northwest in the 17th century, causing a terrible tsunami that reached Japan and the American coasts where the tribe lived.
The thunderbird is said to have been inspired by the Aiornis, a giant raptor (5 meters wingspan) that lived in North America in the Pliocene.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The myth of Atlantis
The myth of Atlantis is probably one of the most famous in the history of mankind.
Described for the first time by the Greek philosopher Plato, it tells the story of a prosperous and conquering civilization living on the island of Atlantis, which ends up engulfed by the waves in a cataclysm brought on by Zeus.
According to many archaeologists, this legend actually describes the fall of the Minoan Empire.
Around 3,650 years ago, a powerful volcanic eruption rocked the island of Santorini, then called Thera.
The magma chamber emptied so quickly that the center of the island literally collapsed, triggering a tsunami that struck the ridge and engulfed much of Thera underwater.
This incident obviously marked the abrupt end of the Minoan Empire.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The guest star
Around the year 1006, astronomers around the world spotted a "guest star" in the sky.
In the Kitab al-Shifa (Book of Healing), the Persian scholar Ibn Sina specifies that the star was visible for months and constantly changed color, before disappearing in a shower of sparks.
If scientists have long thought that the star in question was a comet, it was actually a supernova.
The latter occurred 7,200 years ago, but its radiation did not reach Earth until the beginning of the first millennium.
The color changes precisely described by Sina are due to the merger of two white dwarfs.
This is obviously the first historical testimony of such a phenomenon.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Sri Lanka's Ape-Men Army
In Ramayana, a Sanskrit Indian epic, Sita, the wife of the god Rama, is kidnapped and held on the island of Lanka, which represents the kingdom of demons.
Accompanied by an army of ape-men, his brother Lakshmana built a floating bridge (the famous Rama Bridge) between India and the island of Lanka, and succeeded in defeating Ravana, the demon king.
If this legend is filled with fanciful details, the famous bridge it mentions did indeed exist.
Satellite surveys show a stretch of 48 kilometers long, made up of limestone and sand banks, and located a few meters below the water's surface.
This bridge connecting India to the island of Lanka was probably swallowed up after a terrible cyclone ravaged the region in the 15th century.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Crater Lake and the Battle of the Gods
The Native American Klamath tribe believed that Crater Lake in Oregon was once a towering mountain called Mazama, on which Llao, the deity ruling the underworld, lived.
Engaged in an epic battle with Skell, the sky god who reigned over nearby Mount Shasta, Llao rained fire on the lands of the region, but lost the fight.
Skell then caused Mount Mazama to collapse in order to imprison him forever, and sealed his prison by covering it with a lake of bluish reflections.
This myth actually describes a volcanic eruption that occurred 7,700 years ago, almost forty times more powerful than the terrible cataclysm of Mount Saint Helens in May 1980 according to geologists.
A huge pocket of magma broke the earth's crust, leaving behind a huge crater that gradually filled with rainwater: the famous lake that legend spoke of.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
What is “The Thousand and One Nights”?
Today we know The Thousand and One Nights as a set that contains 262 tales.
In fact, this collection, assembled by an unknown Egyptian sheikh around 1760, contains both old tales that circulated in his time and tales from the Thousand and One Nights themselves.
We know the principle of the chain of the latter:
Sultan Schahryar, betrayed by his wife, decides never to marry again.Quite quickly his vizier no longer finds a woman living during one night of the favors of the Sultan and who accepts to be executed in the morning.
A daughter of the vizier, Scheherazade, the eldest, decides to devote herself to helping her father out of trouble and also to save all the women.
She is going to tell the Sultan a tale that will not be finished at dawn, and the Sultan, curious to know the rest, will spare her for 1,000 nights.
In the meantime, three children were born, and the Sultan, who appreciated the knowledge and the nobility of Scheherazade, the wife after coming back from his prejudices against women.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone!
Study traces the origins of fairy tales back to prehistoric times.
While most researchers argued that fairy tales dated only to the 16th century, the Grimm brothers were already tales had much older origins.
But because they were transmitted orally for a long time before being written down, the origin of fairy tales was not obvious to trace.
Researchers have just published a study which locates their origins in the Neolithic period.
Have a good day and have a good game;)
Hello everyone !
The medieval beginnings of the Mafia can be traced back to an event in 1343.
The conditions of the bloodthirsty looting, in January 1343, of a Genoese ship loaded with food in the Bay of Naples at the time of a terrible famine was revealing of the beginnings of this Neapolitan mafia.
The roots of this violence go back to Naples in the Late Middle Ages, followed by changes from the 12th to the 14th century.
The noble families of the Neapolitan city were granted large parts of the social, political and religious control of the city during its annexation to the Norman kingdom of Sicily.
These clans formed the seggi, groups organized by neighborhood which consolidated themselves despite dynastic changes by imposing a system of values based on an explosive mixture of honor, violence and clienteles.
The Neapolitan chieftains also got richer on good terms with the merchant-bankers of Florence.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Masks of Shame in the Middle Ages: You Know What They Are?
At that time, wearing this mask of shame was a punitive measure for minor offenses.
This punishment imposed on the guilty was intended to offend, humiliate and dishonor them in full view.
Also called masks of infamy, these are different and are real caricatures of crimes.
Note, for example, a hanging tongue for someone who has spread false rumors, oversized ears for an indiscreet or overly curious individual.
Convicts must show up in markets and crowded places to endure the shame.
Fortunately, they had the advantage of protecting them to a certain extent from rubbish and other things that one took pleasure in throwing in their faces ...
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Not everyone would die young.
Life in the Middle Ages is often seen as short because, for example, of the conditions in which people lived.
However, if we tend to say that people at that time would die at 35, we must remember that this is a simple average.
Infant mortality was quite high, yes, but if a man was still alive at age 21, he had a good chance of living to be over 50.
We often perceive the life of peasants as trying because we imagine them working a lot.
Still, they had plenty of rest. Sunday was a day without work; it was even systematic.
All this is without counting Christmas, Easter and all those religious festivals which made them rest during the Holy Days.
In fact, for about a third of the year they were at rest.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Women were not submissive in a home.
We often have this image of the passive medieval woman who was content only to take care of the children and cook.
However, this was not the case during the Middle Ages. During this time, you should know that Europe was essentially agricultural.
In the end, that's what put family members on an equal footing. Everyone was in charge of working in the fields because famine was constantly threatening.
Therefore, since women had the same responsibilities as men, they were equal.
They were therefore real workers! In town, it was the same in the shops and taverns. If a man ran a tavern or whatever, his daughters would help him run the property.
They were even likely to take over the business from their fathers. It was not uncommon to see a female patron of a tavern.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Knights were not honorable fighters rescuing damsels in distress.
Certainly, the knights went to war to fight and defend their kings.
But when it wasn't war, what were these "valiant horsemen" doing?
Being young and having nothing else to let off steam, they were busy in a somewhat ... violent way.
Indeed, around the 11th century, the local lords quarreled among themselves.
Result: there were landings in neighboring villages where the knights came to massacre poor innocent people.
In reality, knights were expected to defend the weak.
But this was interpreted to protect women and children, not the peasants.
This is why the knights at that time allowed themselves such violence against the villagers despite their status as defenders. Not very classy.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
When we think of the Middle Ages, we often imagine a foul smell and dirty people. Well no !
In fact, baths were even taken! It was even a tradition.
At the time, villages did not have washing facilities in every household.
It was in fact a common bath that was organized in the cities. Everyone bathed together after a hard day's work.
And for the lucky ones who had enough to bathe at home, imagine that they even offered a bath to their guests!
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Universities were created in the Middle Ages!
The term "universitas" appears in the West to designate the group formed by teachers and their students.
The oldest universities were created more or less simultaneously, around 1200, in sites already active at the end of the 12th century: Bologna, Paris, Oxford, Montpellier.
These four institutions remained until the end of the Middle Ages and well after, the most prestigious Western universities.
Medieval universities, organized into faculties from their foundation, generally have five faculties.
The Faculty of Arts has the largest number of students: it teaches the seven liberal arts (grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, music) which constitute the common basis of any university course.
When students have obtained the Master of Arts, they have the option of moving on to the Faculties of Medicine, Canon Law, Civil Law or Theology.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Our classic pastries are much older than you think!
A custard, do you like it? or an apple pie?
These are modern pastries, aren't they? Well no !
First, in the Middle Ages the separation between sweet and savory in the order of dishes did not exist!
This practice is more recent and dates from the 17th century!
In medieval times, a "dessert" corresponded to the third or fourth course, but could be sweet or savory.
But the sweet taste developed in the Middle Ages from the 15th century thanks to the cultivation of sugar cane.
This is how our current desserts find their origins.
Yes, the flan, the pie, the waffles that we called "the forgotten ones" and many other desserts were already delighting the taste buds of good ladies and beautiful young ladies!
And, the use of spices in baking as in medieval cooking was very common.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
"It's a dark age for the arts and sciences"
The caliper, the spinning wheel, the compass, the powder, the paper and even the glasses ...
The list of technical innovations that the Middle Ages brought us is long.
The watermill, already known in Antiquity, generalized and improved during this period, to such an extent that it became a characteristic element of the territories, and the miller, an emblematic character.
Exchanges between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean arc never stop and intensify, both on land and at sea, which facilitates the dissemination of knowledge and techniques.
Symbols of the intensity of exchanges, the Champagne fairs are places where the whole world comes together.
Globalization before the era of the "great discoveries".
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
"The nobles lived in seclusion in their fortified castle"
Can you imagine a nobleman without his castle? Well yes.
The generalization of stone castles is also dated to the 12th century, more than 700 years after the beginning of the Middle Ages.
The nobles lived in "houses", built flat and not in height. Dungeons, for example, don't appear until the 12th century.
The concept of "nobility" is moreover questioned by historians who prefer the term "aristocracy" to designate the social group of the dominant.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
"The barbarians invaded Europe"
"Barbarian" peoples, in the sense that they were not Roman, did invest Western Europe in the 5th century.
Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, and other Alans gradually settled in, but not in the brutal ways often described.
We should rather speak of "great migrations" than of "invasions".
These took place gradually from the second and third centuries:
"These are not sudden, massive landings, but long migratory movements of diverse groups."
With episodes of violence and looting, of course, but often with the agreement of the Romans, who found it increasingly difficult to hold their borders.
"So it's almost a chosen immigration!"
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
You may have already had heard that the Middle Ages was an age without cities.
Recent archaeological findings show the opposite.
Even if the majority of the inhabitants live in rural areas, the urban poles are maintained between the 4th and the 11th centuries.
There are many agglomerations during the first Middle Ages.
These are characterized "by a denser population and with more varied functions than in agricultural land.
Notably, there were no streets yet.
The habitat, often built of wood and mud, was regularly rearranged as needed.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The tradition of toasting dates back to the Middle Ages.
Indeed, in times of feudal wars, we toasted to make sure we poured liquid from our drink into another's glass.
We were therefore sure that if the person tried to poison us, he would be too.
All the more so if the person in front of you didn't drink after drinking a toast, neither did you.
The same goes for the handshake ...
Back then we grabbed the other person's forearm to make sure they weren't hiding a dagger with which they could kill us.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Indians weren't always beaten by cavalry
It is a classic of westerns: the attack of hundreds of Indians against United States soldiers.
A somewhat epic take on history, as the Amerindians, less armed and often fewer in number, preferred guerrilla warfare to pitched battles.
Thus, the Sioux lakotas multiplied the skirmishes against the Whites when the cohabitation treaties were not respected.
Overwhelmed by the scale of the attacks, Northerner General Sheridan had to leave their territory in 1868.
But intrusions into the sacred Lakota Mountains resumed in 1874 following the discovery of gold.
The authorities attempted to buy these lands from the Indians, who refused.
On June 25, 1876, Custer's 7th Cavalry Regiment faced the Lakota, allied with the Cheyennes, at the Battle of Little Bighorn; Custer and 263 soldiers perished there.
This Indian victory remains a pride for the community and has inspired many books and films, including The Fantastic Charge (1941).
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Indians Weren't So "Wild"
Between 500,000 and 600,000 Indians lived beyond the Mississippi when white settlers arrived in the early 19th century.
About 100 tribes could be counted, speaking 375 different languages and practicing agriculture, hunting and fishing.
In the valleys of Missouri and Arkansas, they occupied mud houses in villages. The Pawnees cultivated corn. The Sioux, the Cheyennes and the Comanches hunted bison.
The whites made them sign treaties to settle in their homes, but did not respect their terms, which sparked Indian revolts.
Merciless warriors - they scalped their victims - Indians often displayed courage and self-sacrifice. Between 1866 and 1891, they lost nearly 4,000 combatants, while 932 American soldiers were killed and over a thousand wounded.
Unlike bandits and marshalls at times, Indians rarely attacked stagecoaches or convoys.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Not all Indians wore feathers
Only the Sioux - who included the Lakotas, Nakotas and Dakotas - did wear large feathered headdresses.
But they reserved these adornments for their great feasts and their ceremonies.
The rest of the time, these skilled horsemen were much less prepared.
They wore hunter's outfits, much more convenient for staying in the saddle for a long time and shooting.
Bison were the main source of livelihood for these nomadic Indians, so much so that the US military carried out mass killings of entire herds in order to starve them.
Another cliché: most of the Indians were sedentary, the Sioux being the exception; they slept in the summer in tents, the famous tipis, and spent the winter in huts and cabins.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Who were the pioneers in the USA?
The first Americans to come there were members of John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company, part of the Astor Expedition which established Fort Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River in 1811.
In 1777, they received aid. from France.
In 1779, they received help from Spain.
In 1781, at the Battle of Yorktown, the Americans definitely won the war.
In 1783, at the Treaty of Paris, England definitively recognized the United States as an independent country.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
What was the cause of the rush to the west?
The war between the United States and Mexico in 1847 finally settled the dispute.
At the end of this conflict, the United States acquired, among other things, California, which in 1849 became the scene of a gold rush on an unprecedented scale, attracting populations from all over the world.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Rush for Oklahoma: Control of Indian Territories
In 1889, hundreds of thousands of European settlers divided Indian lands among themselves by taking part in the Land Run, a furious cavalcade across the plains of Oklahoma.
Their goal ?
Get hold of land offered for settlement. 8,000 square kilometers of land to be colonized
The principle is as simple as it is astounding: the plots of land will be allocated free of charge to the settlers on a “first come, first served” basis.
This Land Run of April 22, 1889 remains one of the most mind-boggling - and brutal - episodes of the conquest of the West.
In the year 1889, the great explorations of the American West were drawing to a close. The gold rush and the construction of the transcontinental railroad were a thing of the past.
The central Great Plains region (Montana to Texas) had been colonized, notably under the Homestead Act of 1862, a law giving European farmers ownership of the land they occupied after driving out the Indians.
Today's Oklahoma was a special case. Called then Indian Territory, it was the last refuge of the Amerindians after decades of violence and displacement of populations.
To be an owner, it was enough to arrive first on a piece of land, to take possession of it by planting a pole on the ground on which was written "This land is mine".
Cities raised from the ground in one day. The next day, the first solid buildings were erected: banks, saloons, gambling houses…
Have a good day and have a good game;)
Hello everyone ! Who was Buffalo Bill really?
In the West, when legend outweighs reality, the legend is printed. "
This provocative line comes from a journalist in John Ford's western The Man Who Killed Liberty Valence (1962).
It applies perfectly to Buffalo Bill, the most famous character of the Old West.
The most famous, but also the most controversial ...
Icon of the cowboy with his long hair, his beautiful mustaches, his Stetson and his fringed tunics, William Cody owes much his popularity to accommodations with reality, even to pure and simple inventions, which transformed a bison killer. as an epic hero.
Because this guide appreciated by the colonists and the army proved to be a sacred storyteller and an extraordinary director of the stories that the cowboys told each other at the vigil, whether they were fighting against the Indians or cavalry charges.
William Cody challenges another US Army scout named Billy Comstock. It's about slaughtering as many bison as possible in a day, without ever dismounting.
This competition, organized by newspapers, takes place in front of a hundred spectators who came by special train. Cody manages to kill 38 beasts in the first round, then 18 and 13 more.
Final score: 69 for Cody, against 46 for Comstock.
From then on, we only call him Buffalo Bill.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
African-Americans, Jews, Irish…
Minorities in the days of the Far West :
The Mexicans
The Mexicans may have traced their genealogy since the founding of New Spain, they were collectively recruited as seasonal workers, notably in the corn and cotton fields of the New Mexico.
The French:
based in San Francisco Unlike the Italian or Irish migrants, these newcomers did not flee poverty.
For most traders, investors or bankers, it was the opportunities to make a fortune that attracted them there.
To mock the lack of enthusiasm of our fellow citizens to adopt the English language, they nicknamed them the "kezkidis".
The British: The Mormon Wave Among the workers in the coalfields, one particular case has deeply marked the history of the West: that of the British Mormons who came to build "the new Jerusalem" in the great American spaces.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
African-Americans, Jews, Irish…
Minorities in the days of the Wild West.
The Irish: A Key Role in the Railroad Epic Found in large numbers in the mines of California, Nevada and Colorado, they also played a key role in the railroad epic.
From 1860 to 1869, the faithful of Saint Patrick built from Omaha, Nebraska, the "east-west" section of the first transcontinental railway line, while their Chinese counterparts carried out from Sacramento, Calif., The “west-east” section.
So it was thanks to the Sino-Irish force that New York was only a week's journey from San Francisco - instead of six months before.
The Chinese: They called themselves "Gamsaanhaak", "the guests of the Golden Mountain".
An evocative paraphrase to designate California plunged into gold fever since 1848.
Agricultural workers (coolies), cooks, launderers around the deposits, or workers, they were distinguished by their endurance.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
African Americans, Jews, Irish ...
Minorities in the Old West African Americans: The West was a refuge.
Land, easy money, a new life and most of all ... freedom.
The Jews: Two men with similar surnames perfectly illustrate these American-style success stories.
One became a great politician and the second, Levi Strauss, founded commercial establishments in San Francisco in the 1850s.
He then created the essential piece of the loggers 'and miners' panoply: blue jeans.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The Transcontinental, the railroad that made America.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln decided to build a transcontinental railway line, connecting the Pacific coast with that of the Atlantic.
Six years of titanic work to overcome this challenge.
Omaha, the largest city in Nebraska, has been dubbed "the Gateway to the West."
On May 15, a train from the East Coast arrived in Sacramento.
It took a week to cover a distance that the wagons took six months to cover.
The dream has come true.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Many vigilantes who inspired the legends of the Wild West have existed.
Between settling of scores, robberies, arrests and manhunts, the acts of arms of these impulsive and violent individuals have also forged the legend of the American West.
Whether it's Billy the Kid, Calamity Jane, Jesse James or the Daltons, their stories are still being told today.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone ! Discover the true story of the Dalton brothers!
The Dalton brothers really existed and became famous for their multiple attacks on banks and trains.
But before they became highwaymen, Emmett, Bill, Grat, and Bob were role models.
Three brothers, three lawyers who abuse their authority as Marshalls, extort traders, steal horses.
They are all the less embarrassed because Washington regularly delays sending their paychecks.
Emmett, the only Dalton who survived a massacre, will also contribute to the notoriety of the Dalton.
Sentenced to life imprisonment on March 8, 1893, he was sent to a Texas state prison. His good behavior earned Emmett his release after fourteen years.
So at 36, he married his faithful Julia, became a real estate agent in California and wrote his memoirs, before working in the cinema.
In 1916, he played his own role in The Man of the Desert: actor on the Frontier and then in Hollywood, he embodied his own legend during his lifetime, before dying in Los Angeles in 1937.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
About half of the cowboys were people of color.
It is a little-known reality of the conquest of the West: at the end of the 19th century, 45% of cowboys were black, Mexican, mestizo or Indians.
In the 1930s, one of them, Bill Pickett, even became a star.
He invented bulldogging, a technique that involves jumping off your horse to control a cow - or even a bull - by grabbing it by the horns!
The rodeos of the time made it an official event. And Bill Pickett, who attended, was dubbed the "black demon."
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The largest star in the Universe is currently being absorbed by a black hole.
For the first time, a black hole has been caught ripping and swallowing a star that's too close.
Scientists, who until now had only witnessed the aftermath of such events, claim that the observation highlights "relativistic jets", shards of matter that spring up at almost the speed of light.
At the center of virtually all large galaxies are super massive black holes.
These monsters, which are millions to billions of times the mass of the sun, can tear through passing objects, gravitational pulling at the stars in gigantic versions of how our moon pulls over Earth's oceans to generate tides.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
There is a planet that could be made entirely of diamonds.
New research by scientists at Yale University suggests that a rocky planet twice the size of Earth orbiting a nearby star is a diamond planet.
“This is our first glimpse of a rocky world with fundamentally different chemistry from Earth,” said lead researcher Nikku Madhusudhan, Yale postdoctoral researcher in physics and astronomy.
"The surface of this planet is probably covered with graphite and diamond rather than water and granite."
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The center of our galaxy could smell of raspberries and rum!
Ethyl formate is responsible for the raspberry flavor and is present in large quantities in the center of the Galaxy.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
Clouds of gas flee our galaxy!
Observed recently from the Green Bank Observatory, more than a hundred hydrogen clouds are making their way through the galaxy at a speed of 1.2 million kilometers per hour.
Scientists studying the desert cloud explain that clouds can act as tracers for the process that results in Fermi bubbles.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone!
The galactic center rejects hot air.
The Milky Way releases massive bubbles of extremely hot gas.
Fermi bubbles are radiating “8” shaped structures located on either side of the galactic center of the Milky Way and oriented perpendicular to the galactic disk.
Unknown until 2010, it is not clear exactly why these bubbles form and exist, but scientists believe they could be linked to the death of a star in the Sagittarius A * region.
Good day and good game ;)
Hello everyone !
The galaxy is an island in a stream of stars.
The Milky Way absorbs galaxies that come a little too close.
Over time, scientists who have studied our galaxy have detected two dozen clusters of stars, afterglow of galaxies.
These rivers of ghostly stars were formed when the very powerful gravity of the Milky Way dismantled the smallest galaxies.
During the last Congress of the American Astronomical Union, a team from the Dark Energy Survey, an international program seeking to map hundreds of millions of galaxies in order to better understand the nature of dark energy, announced the detection 11 additional star currents, some of which bear Aboriginal names.
Good day and good game ;)