The presense of Africans in Anicent China was very strong.
In northern China the blacks founded many civilizations. The three major empires of China were Xia Dynasty (c.2205-1766 B.C), Shang/ Yin Dynasty (c.1700-1050 B.C) and the Zhou Dynasty. The Zhou dynasty was the first dynasty founded by the Mongoloid people in China called Hua (Who-aa). the other twos were Black.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Sorghaghtani Beki ~ Christian mother of Kubilai Khan
One of the most influenial persons in the Mongolian history was a Christian woman. Sorghaghtani Beki was the wife of Tolui, Genghis Khan's youngest son and she was
a Nestorian Christian. Her four sons Möngke Khan, Kublai Khan, Hulagu Khan and Ariq Boke would all play mjaor roles in Mongolian history.
Tolui himself was capble general in his own right and Genghis Khan nearly chose him as his successor. When Genghis Khan died, the nobles gathered together and elected Tolui as the new Khan. Toliu himself decided to gave the Khanate to his brother, Ögodei, fulfilling his father's wishes. When Toliu died, Sorghaghtani Beki's stand within the Mongolian empire did not weaken. In fact, she became stronger and more well-respected within the elite.
After the death of the Great Khan, Güyük (Ögodei Khan's son), she outmaneuvered her rivals and made her son, Möngke, the new Great Khan. Thus, the Toliu branch became the Mongolian ruling family line.
As the Great Khan, Möngke Khan was noted for his expansion into China and the Middle East. His friendly relationship with Batu, the head of Mongol's European empire, ensured a unified empire. He sent his younger brother Hulagu Khan to expand into the Middle East.
Hulagu Khan was an interesting charactor. His mother was a passionate Nestorian Christian, as was his wife, Dotuz Khatun, and his closest friend and general, Kitbuqa. Their influence was said to have instilled in him a deep animosity against Muslims — unusual for the generally tolerant Mongol Empire — along with a contrasting desire to assist Christians. In 1258, his army sacked Baghdad which was then an important Islamic city. The destruction on the city was one of the worst in the history of mankind and considered to be brutal even under Mongol's standard. He also killed the caliph which sent a big alarm to the Islamic world. He was becoming a destroyer of the Islamic faith. Only the death of Mongke stopped him. Hulagu and most of his army went home to resolve the sucession crisis. The Mamluks of Egypt defeated his remaining army at the Battle of Ain Jalut.
Hulagu returned to his lands by 1262, after the succession was finally settled with Kublai as the last Great Khan, but instead of being able to avenge his defeats, was drawn into civil war with his cousin Berke. Berte Khan, the Khan of the Golden Horde was a Muslim convert and was enraged by Hulagu's sack of Baghdadd. Finally, in 1262 the conflict turned into open war. Hulagu Khan was killed in 1265. He was credited as the founder of Il-Khanate of Persia.
Meanwhile, Kublai Khan had succeeded Mongke Khan as the new Great Khan after fighting a brief civil war with his younger brother Ariq Boke . It was during his reign that Mongol reached its height in terms of land mass.
a Nestorian Christian. Her four sons Möngke Khan, Kublai Khan, Hulagu Khan and Ariq Boke would all play mjaor roles in Mongolian history.
Tolui himself was capble general in his own right and Genghis Khan nearly chose him as his successor. When Genghis Khan died, the nobles gathered together and elected Tolui as the new Khan. Toliu himself decided to gave the Khanate to his brother, Ögodei, fulfilling his father's wishes. When Toliu died, Sorghaghtani Beki's stand within the Mongolian empire did not weaken. In fact, she became stronger and more well-respected within the elite.
After the death of the Great Khan, Güyük (Ögodei Khan's son), she outmaneuvered her rivals and made her son, Möngke, the new Great Khan. Thus, the Toliu branch became the Mongolian ruling family line.
As the Great Khan, Möngke Khan was noted for his expansion into China and the Middle East. His friendly relationship with Batu, the head of Mongol's European empire, ensured a unified empire. He sent his younger brother Hulagu Khan to expand into the Middle East.
Hulagu Khan was an interesting charactor. His mother was a passionate Nestorian Christian, as was his wife, Dotuz Khatun, and his closest friend and general, Kitbuqa. Their influence was said to have instilled in him a deep animosity against Muslims — unusual for the generally tolerant Mongol Empire — along with a contrasting desire to assist Christians. In 1258, his army sacked Baghdad which was then an important Islamic city. The destruction on the city was one of the worst in the history of mankind and considered to be brutal even under Mongol's standard. He also killed the caliph which sent a big alarm to the Islamic world. He was becoming a destroyer of the Islamic faith. Only the death of Mongke stopped him. Hulagu and most of his army went home to resolve the sucession crisis. The Mamluks of Egypt defeated his remaining army at the Battle of Ain Jalut.
Hulagu returned to his lands by 1262, after the succession was finally settled with Kublai as the last Great Khan, but instead of being able to avenge his defeats, was drawn into civil war with his cousin Berke. Berte Khan, the Khan of the Golden Horde was a Muslim convert and was enraged by Hulagu's sack of Baghdadd. Finally, in 1262 the conflict turned into open war. Hulagu Khan was killed in 1265. He was credited as the founder of Il-Khanate of Persia.
Meanwhile, Kublai Khan had succeeded Mongke Khan as the new Great Khan after fighting a brief civil war with his younger brother Ariq Boke . It was during his reign that Mongol reached its height in terms of land mass.
Friday, April 20, 2007
National icons wth foreign background
Richard the Lionheart is perhaps one of the most famous English kings. Often, he was portrayed by the most English actors in movies. In reality, he was actually French. He grew up in France. He spent more time in France than in England. Some historians even claimed that he could not speak English.
Across the English Channel, Napoleon Bonaparte was actually an Italian. He grew up sepaking Italian. His birthname was actually Napoleone di Buonaparte. He was born on the island of Corsica one year after it became French property. His father, Carlo, was an Italian noblemen with rank of the "noble Patrician of Tuscany" an outspoken critics of the French "annexation" of the island. He once worked for Corsican nationalist Pasquale Paoli. However, once the island to become French, Carlos worked well with the French.
Napoleon himself moved to France at a young age. Later in life, he changed his name from Napoleone di Buonaparte to Napoleon Bonaparte to prive his loyalty to France.
The Chinese often called themselves the people of "Tang" because of the Tang dynasty (618 to 907 AD). While the dynasty itself was not a result of a foreign invasion, the ruling family-- the Li family - was actually Turkish in origin. The ancestors of the Li family was actuallty Turkish tribal chiefs who served for the Chinese military and later assimilated into Chinese nobility. By the time of the foundation of the Tang dynasty, the Li familty had adopted a Chinese surname. They had intermarried with Chinese women.
Li Yuan, the founder of the Tang dynasty, was actually a famous general who was known to have pacify the Turkish tribesmen.
Across the English Channel, Napoleon Bonaparte was actually an Italian. He grew up sepaking Italian. His birthname was actually Napoleone di Buonaparte. He was born on the island of Corsica one year after it became French property. His father, Carlo, was an Italian noblemen with rank of the "noble Patrician of Tuscany" an outspoken critics of the French "annexation" of the island. He once worked for Corsican nationalist Pasquale Paoli. However, once the island to become French, Carlos worked well with the French.
Napoleon himself moved to France at a young age. Later in life, he changed his name from Napoleone di Buonaparte to Napoleon Bonaparte to prive his loyalty to France.
The Chinese often called themselves the people of "Tang" because of the Tang dynasty (618 to 907 AD). While the dynasty itself was not a result of a foreign invasion, the ruling family-- the Li family - was actually Turkish in origin. The ancestors of the Li family was actuallty Turkish tribal chiefs who served for the Chinese military and later assimilated into Chinese nobility. By the time of the foundation of the Tang dynasty, the Li familty had adopted a Chinese surname. They had intermarried with Chinese women.
Li Yuan, the founder of the Tang dynasty, was actually a famous general who was known to have pacify the Turkish tribesmen.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Pornstar Ron Jeremy and CIA director George Tenet
Pornstar Ron Jeremy and former CIA director George Tenet were High school classmates. They went to Cardozo High School in New York.
George Tenet served as the CIA Director from July 1997 to July 2004. He was the second-longest serving director in the CIA's history behind Allen Dulles. He resigned in 2004 for personal reasons, but many believed the controversy over alleged Iraqi WMDs and the decision to go to war was the reason why he resigned.
Known as "Hedgehog", Ron Jeremy was one the best-known male pornstar. In fact, he was ranked by AVN Magazine at #1 in their "100 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list. He was known as for his ability to perform autofellatio. He appeared as a guest speaker at Oxford Union.... I don't think George Tenet was ever invited to speak at Oxford Union.
George Tenet served as the CIA Director from July 1997 to July 2004. He was the second-longest serving director in the CIA's history behind Allen Dulles. He resigned in 2004 for personal reasons, but many believed the controversy over alleged Iraqi WMDs and the decision to go to war was the reason why he resigned.
Known as "Hedgehog", Ron Jeremy was one the best-known male pornstar. In fact, he was ranked by AVN Magazine at #1 in their "100 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list. He was known as for his ability to perform autofellatio. He appeared as a guest speaker at Oxford Union.... I don't think George Tenet was ever invited to speak at Oxford Union.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Hitler's nephew who served in the US Navy against him
Adolf Hitler's nephew served in the US Navy during the War. William Patrick Hitler was the son of Alois Hitler, Jr., Adolf Hitler's half-brother. Alois Hitler lived briefly in Ireland where he met Bridget Dowling. The couple married and moved to Liverpool where their son William Patrick Hitler was born in 1911. Alois Hitler, later, moved back to Germany for work and forced to abandon his family when the First World War broke out. He remarried.
However, in 1933, William Patrick Hitler went to live with his father in Germany in an attempt to benefit from his uncle's rise to power. His uncle found him a job in a bank. However, there were rumors that he tried to blackmail his uncle with embarrassing stories about the family. In 1938, he escaped back to England after his relationship with his uncle turned very sour and he feared for his life.
In 1939, William and his mother went to the United States on a lecture tour on the invitation of William Randolph Hearst, and were stranded there when World War II broke out. William joined the United States Navy in 1944; when he went to the draft office and introduced himself, the recruiting officer replied, "Glad to see you Hitler, my name's Hess."
He left the Navy in 1947 and changed his surname to Stuart-Houston. Of course, William Patrick Hitler was never known to be a Nazi nor did he endorse his uncle. However, he did name his first son
However, in 1933, William Patrick Hitler went to live with his father in Germany in an attempt to benefit from his uncle's rise to power. His uncle found him a job in a bank. However, there were rumors that he tried to blackmail his uncle with embarrassing stories about the family. In 1938, he escaped back to England after his relationship with his uncle turned very sour and he feared for his life.
In 1939, William and his mother went to the United States on a lecture tour on the invitation of William Randolph Hearst, and were stranded there when World War II broke out. William joined the United States Navy in 1944; when he went to the draft office and introduced himself, the recruiting officer replied, "Glad to see you Hitler, my name's Hess."
He left the Navy in 1947 and changed his surname to Stuart-Houston. Of course, William Patrick Hitler was never known to be a Nazi nor did he endorse his uncle. However, he did name his first son
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Chinese soldiers fought in the American Civil War
It was estimated that 200 Asian Americans fought in the American Civil War. About 60 of them were Chinese. At least three of them fought at the battle of Gettysburg campaign. Two of them were from Connecticut.
The subject is difficult to research since some Chinese soldiers had adopted non-Chinese names while some Western names sounded Chinese.... for example, Robert E. Lee!! One Chinese soldier named Corporal Joseph Pierce(above) was one of the most researched Asian soldier.
Joseph Pierce was mustered into the Fourteenth Regiment, Company F of the Connecticut Volunteer Infantry that became part of the Second Brigade of the Third Division, Second Army Corps of the Army of the Potomac. He fought on the Union side that repelled the Pickett's Charge during the battle of Gettysburg. At the end of the war, he was a coporal.
Useless Civil war facts
The great great great grandfather of Cherie Blair, the wife of the current British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was Algernon Sydney Booth. Alegernon Booth's nephew was John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's assassin.
John Wilkes Booth's father was named after Marcus Junius Brutus, one of Julius Caesar's assassins.
One of the first three bystander physicians to reach Lincoln after the shooting was named Albert Freeman Africanus King.
The birth name of Robert E. Lee's famous gray horse "Traveller" was actually "Jeff Davis". One of U.S.Grant's horses during the war was also named "Jeff Davis". The horse was captured from Joseph Davis, Jefferson Davis's brother.
Robert Lincoln and three Presidential assassinations
Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln, was present at the assassinations of three US presidents: Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. He was invited to join his parents at Ford's theater, but he declined. Robert went to his dying father’s bedside. He was still there when his father died early the next morning.Abraham Lincoln was known to experience dreams about his own death. In 1881, President Garfield began experiencing similar dreams, and wanted to speak with Robert Lincoln about his father’s dreams. He invited Robert to join him on a trip to Elberon, N.J. Robert Lincoln arrived just as the President was shot.
Almost twenty years later, President McKinley began to experiense the same dreams so again he invited Robert Lincoln to discuss about Abraham Lincoln's dream. Again, McKinley was sot shortly after Robert's arrival.
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Thursday, April 12, 2007
Random facts
Alexander Hamilton and his son, Philip, both died on the same spot, and both during duels. Philip went first, 3 years before his father would be killed in that same field by Aaron Burr.
Bounty Mutineer Fletcher Christian went to the same school as Mr Bean.
The first German soldier killed in WW II was killed by Japanese in China. The first American soldier killed in WW II was killed by the Russians in Finland.
Ibrahim I, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 until 1648, was known to have had an obsession with obese women, urging his agents to find the fattest woman possible.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Boris Yeltsin holds the world record for being the most hospitalized political figure.
Florence Nightingale served only two years of her life as a nurse. She contracted fever during her service in the Crimean War, and spent the last 50 years of her life as an invalid.
Both Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the Spanish author who wrote Don Quixote and William Shakespeare died on the "same day" April 23rd, 1616.However, it is the same date, but not on the same day. Britain was still using the Julian calendar, whereas Spain had already adopted the Gregorian calendar. They actually died on different days.
Napoleon was short, he was actually five feet six inches tall (1.676 meters), an average height for a Frenchman in those days.
King Charles VII, who was assassinated in 1167, was the first Swedish king with the name of Charles. Charles I, II, III, IV, V, never existed. No one knows why. To add to the mystery, almost 300 years went by before there was a Charles VIII (1448-57).
Lafayette was a major general in the United States at the age of 19. Lafayette's whole name takes up an entire line on a page: Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette.
For the first 14 years of Islam, the early Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem. Only after the move to Medina and strife with Jewish tribes near there did Mohammed have the faithful turn around towards Mecca.
Winston County, Alabama declared itself an independent Republic during the Civil War, and was sympathetic to the Union side. Similar stories are told about Jones County, Mississippi although the degree to which Jones Country broke with the Confederacy is debated. In general many areas of the South outside the plantation zones were far less supportive of breaking the Union.Austria-Hungary created an 80 key word Slavic language during WWI to attempt to overcome the fact that half the army, many Slavic, didn't speak German.
Khubilai Khan's mother was a Christian woman. Of course, she was also the mother of Möngke Khan(the Great Khan before Khubilai) and Hulagu Khan(the founder of the Ilkhanate in Persia).
Warren Harding was the first US president who could drive a car.
Winston Churchill, prime minister of England during World War II, superstitiously feared January 24 because he was certain it was destined to be the day of his death. Churchill's father had died on that date. Churchill did indeed die on January 24, 1965.
Five members of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's family were killed at the Battle of little Big Horn. They were Tom and Boston, two half-brothers, Harry Armstrong Reed, a nephew and a brother-in-law, James Calhoun.
Bounty Mutineer Fletcher Christian went to the same school as Mr Bean.
The first German soldier killed in WW II was killed by Japanese in China. The first American soldier killed in WW II was killed by the Russians in Finland.
Ibrahim I, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1640 until 1648, was known to have had an obsession with obese women, urging his agents to find the fattest woman possible.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Boris Yeltsin holds the world record for being the most hospitalized political figure.
Florence Nightingale served only two years of her life as a nurse. She contracted fever during her service in the Crimean War, and spent the last 50 years of her life as an invalid.
Both Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the Spanish author who wrote Don Quixote and William Shakespeare died on the "same day" April 23rd, 1616.However, it is the same date, but not on the same day. Britain was still using the Julian calendar, whereas Spain had already adopted the Gregorian calendar. They actually died on different days.
Napoleon was short, he was actually five feet six inches tall (1.676 meters), an average height for a Frenchman in those days.
King Charles VII, who was assassinated in 1167, was the first Swedish king with the name of Charles. Charles I, II, III, IV, V, never existed. No one knows why. To add to the mystery, almost 300 years went by before there was a Charles VIII (1448-57).
Lafayette was a major general in the United States at the age of 19. Lafayette's whole name takes up an entire line on a page: Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette.
For the first 14 years of Islam, the early Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem. Only after the move to Medina and strife with Jewish tribes near there did Mohammed have the faithful turn around towards Mecca.
Winston County, Alabama declared itself an independent Republic during the Civil War, and was sympathetic to the Union side. Similar stories are told about Jones County, Mississippi although the degree to which Jones Country broke with the Confederacy is debated. In general many areas of the South outside the plantation zones were far less supportive of breaking the Union.Austria-Hungary created an 80 key word Slavic language during WWI to attempt to overcome the fact that half the army, many Slavic, didn't speak German.
Khubilai Khan's mother was a Christian woman. Of course, she was also the mother of Möngke Khan(the Great Khan before Khubilai) and Hulagu Khan(the founder of the Ilkhanate in Persia).
Warren Harding was the first US president who could drive a car.
Winston Churchill, prime minister of England during World War II, superstitiously feared January 24 because he was certain it was destined to be the day of his death. Churchill's father had died on that date. Churchill did indeed die on January 24, 1965.
Five members of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's family were killed at the Battle of little Big Horn. They were Tom and Boston, two half-brothers, Harry Armstrong Reed, a nephew and a brother-in-law, James Calhoun.
Ferrari & Porsche
Enzo Ferrari got the Ferrari logo from Francesco Baracca, Italy's leading fighter pilot during the WW I. The Prancing Horse was actually Baracca's emblem on his fighter. No one knew how the Prancing Horse became his emblem. Some said that he shot a German pilot from Stuttgart and took the prancing horse which apperaed on the coat of arms for the city of Stuttgart.Porsche, Ferrari's main competitor in the sportcar market came from Stuttgart. Their logo also featured the black horse from Stuttgart's coat of arms. Thus, two of the greatest sportcar manufracturers had similiar logos.
The Muhammad the Prophet's relative who killed the mad monk!!!
The plot to kill Grigori Rasputin the mad monk is very well-known in history. Hollywood movies were made with the topic. Not many people know that Prince Felix Yussupov was related to Muhammad the Prophet. The Yussupovs were of ancient Tatar origin. They were descendants of the Prophet Ali, a nephew of Muhammad. During the times of Ivan the terrible, a branch of the family joined Russia and converted to Orthodoxy.
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