Many rulers of Rome have names so obscure the average student is ignorant of them. On the other hand names like Julius Caesar, Hadrian, Tiberius, Caligula and especially…
What is the Opus Dei?
In a conversation with a European or American Catholic, if the words Opus Dei, or the Masons are mentioned, reactions can be mixed: outright dislike, grudging admiration, or…
The Olympic Games
The London 2012 Olympics draw nearer. Several private persons and many corporations will become infinitely richer by the no doubt spectacular ending. Others may well be filing for…
The Ivy League
In the United States there are hundreds of universities. Only eight of them belong to an exclusive club or association called the Ivy League. Each is a private…
The Hundred Years War
First, a note of English grammar: the phrase is correct; the word ‘years’ does not need a possessive apostrophe, as the term clearly means “The war of a…
22 Bonds divided by Six
The twentieth century would not be the same without the massive importance of the cinema. And cinema would not be the same without the enlivening and mostly entertaining…
The British Labour Party
In 1884, following the Third Reform Act, a movement started in earnest in Great Britain, seeking direct representation of working class interests in Parliament. The movement was naturally…
Spain, November 20: the Bad-hatter’s Tea party
The Spanish people will go to the polls on this date, and it is to be fervently hoped, for the sake of fairness, that this year young people…
Chiang Kai-shek a.k.a. Jiang Jiehi
This Chinese general and statesman was born in 1887. He assumed control of the Chinese government (Kuomintang) in 1926, and led a far from pacific Northern Expedition from…
Charlemagne and his Grandfather
Charlemagne, a.k.a. Carlomagno, was the son of Pepin II, known as The Short, and grandson of Charles Martel. As King of the Franks he reigned at first jointly…