An Update...

Due to the recent inactivity,
I thought it apropos to assure my readers that I will be posting more soon, thing's have just got busy in my life and I haven't had much time asides from working, packing, and moving, to get on the computer much asides from checking emails...
I do appreciate those of you who have stayed and checked back often, just keep checking I will be adding more posts and more in depth topics,
I am thinking of doing a small shift in the Blog it's self.

Thanks again everyone

Josh

81 Facts about Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

1. Queen Elizabeth II is the fortieth monarch since William the Conqueror

2. She was born at 2.40am on April 21, 1926 at 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair

3. During her reign she has undertaken more than 256 official overseas visits to 129 different countries

4. She has visited Australia 15 times, Canada 23 times, Jamaica six times and New Zealand ten times

5. The Queen has received many unusual gifts including jaguars, sloths, beaver, an elephant, pineapples, eggs, snail shells, maple trees and 7kg of prawns

6. She has sent around 100,000 telegrams to centenarians in the UK and the Commonwealth

7. The Queen has launched 23 ships

8. She has given out about 78,000 Christmas puddings to staff, continuing the custom of King George V and King George VI

9. The Queen sat for the first and only hologram portrait in 2003

10. She has met five astronauts at Buckingham Palace

11. There have been six Archbishops of Canterbury during the Queen's reign

12. She first visited a mosque in the UK in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire in July 2002

13. The Queen takes a keen interest in horse breeding. Horses bred at the Royal studs have won virtually every major race in Britain

14. She is a Patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association. One of the Queen's birds is called Sandringham Lightning

15. The Queen's wedding ring was made from a nugget of Welsh gold which came from the Clogau St David's mine near Dolgellau

16. The Queen's real birthday is on April 21, but it celebrated officially in June

17. She has attended 34 Royal Variety performances

18. Since 1952, the Queen has conferred more than 387,700 honours and awards

19. She does not have, or need, a passport or a driving licence

20. At her birth the Queen was only third in line to the throne

21. Her early years were spent at 145 Piccadilly (now the Intercontinental Hotel at Hyde Park Corner)

22. She was instructed in religion by the Archbishop of Canterbury

23. She became a Girl Guide and was a strong swimmer

24. The Queen made her first public speech when she was 14

25. Aged 13, she was entertained to tennis and tea by an 18-year-old naval cadet, Prince Philip of Greece

26. Before she was 18, she was President of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children in Hackney and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

27. She first flew in an aeroplane in July 1945

28. She is the only British monarch in history properly trained to change a spark plug

29. On VE Day she and her sister slipped into the crowd to celebrate

30. Her first official overseas visit was to South Africa in 1947

31. She collected clothing coupons for her wedding dress

32. The Queen spent her honeymoon at Broadlands, Hampshire, and at Birkhall, Balmoral

33. She has four children and eight grandchildren

34. Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were the first children to be born to a reigning monarch since Queen Victoria had her family

35. Her grandchildren are Peter and Zara Phillips (b. 1977 and 1981); Prince William of Wales and Prince Henry of Wales (b. 1982 and 1984); Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York (b. 1988 and 1990); Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Wessex (b. 2003) and Viscount Severn (b.2007)

36. The Queen usually spends Christmas at Sandringham in Norfolk

37. She was in a remote part of Kenya when she received the news of her father's death and her own accession to the throne on Wednesday, February 6, 1952

38. The Coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953, and was broadcast on television for the first time - at the Queen's request

39. The first prime minister of her reign was Winston Churchill

40. In 1962 she paid an informal visit to the East End of London, visiting housing redevelopments in Bethnal Green and Stepney

41. The first film about the Royal Family was shown in 1969. It was watched by 23 million

42. In 1970, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh initiated a new practice - the “walkabout” - to allow them to meet as many people as possible

43. The Queen exercised her Royal prerogative in 1963 when she appointed Lord Home Prime Minister

44. In 1965, she made the first visit by a monarch to Germany for 52 years

45. She formally acknowledged Prince Charles as heir in 1969

46. She travelled 56,000 miles to celebrate her Silver Jubilee in 1977

47. The Queen has a bank account at Coutts & Co. There is a Coutts cash-dispensing machine in Buckingham Palace

48. She received the first female prime minister at Buckingham Palace in 1979, when Margaret Thatcher replaced James Callaghan as leader

49. The Queen was the first British Sovereign to travel to the Middle East in 1979

50. In February 1983, she opened the Jamaican Parliament in its 21st anniversary year of independence

51. When she opened the Scottish Parliament she called it "the threshold of a new constitutional age"

52. An era in Royal travel came to end on December 11, 1997, when the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned

53. On November 20 1992, fire broke out at Windsor Castle in the Queen's Private Chapel

54. She gave special permission for the American National Anthem to be played during the Changing of the Guard on September 14 2001

55. The Queen celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 2002, including visiting 70 cities and towns around the UK

56. Every year she attends the Derby at Epsom and the Summer Race Meeting at Ascot

57. She has made private visits to America to see stallion stations and stud farms in Kentucky

58. The Queen loves Scottish country dancing

59. Tony Blair was the first prime minister to be born during her reign, which has already seen nine prime ministers

60. The 1953 FA Cup Final was the first football game she attended

61. Peggy was the first horse that the young Elizabeth owned, a gift from her grandfather, George V, when she was four

62. The Queen has sat through 91 state banquets and posed for 139 official portraits

63. She has given the nation a Christmas message every year except 1969

64. She has been sent more than three million letters

65. 1.1 million people have attended her garden parties

66. She has performed the State Opening of Parliament every year except 1959 and 1963, when she was expecting Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively

67. She was the first British monarch to visit China, in 1986, and the first for 450 years to receive the Pope at Buckingham Palace

68. The Queen sent her first e-mail from an army base in 1976

69. The official Buckingham Palace website was set up in 1997

70. She first used the Underground in May 1939, when she travelled with her governess, Marion Crawford, and Princess Margaret

71. She has visited the sets of EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale

72. She is the first monarch to be awarded a gold disc from the recording industry

73. Her reign has been shared with more than 30 corgis, starting with one called Susan, a present for her 18th birthday in 1944

74. The Queen introduced a new breed of dog known as the "dorgi", when one of the corgis mated with a dachshund named Pipkin

75. She owns all the sturgeon, whales and dolphins in British waters, as well as 88 cygnets on the Thames

76. The Queen is the first British monarch to see three of her children divorce

77. She is the first sovereign to be forced to open Buckingham Palace to the public (in order to pay for the restoration of Windsor Castle after the fire of 1992)

78. She is the first monarch to cause an Old Bailey trial to be halted, despite being Paul Burrell's ultimate prosecutor as Head of State

79. She keeps her cornflakes in Tupperware boxes

80. She demoted a footman for feeding her corgis whisky

81. She owns the largest and finest private art collection in the world

April 15th 69AD

Battle at Bedriacum, Northern Italy

The Battle of Bedriacum refers to two battles fought during the year of the Four Emperors near the village of Bedraicum, Now Calvatone, about 35 kilometers (20 miles) from the town of Cremona in northern Italy. The fighing in fact took place between Bedricum and Cremona, and the battles are sometimes called "First Cremona" and "Second Cremona" 

First Cremona

Marcus Salvius Otho, with the support and aid of the Praetorian Guard, had his predecessor Galbamurdered in January and claimed the throne for himself. However, legate Aulus Vitellius, governor of the province of Germania Inferior, had also claimed the throne earlier in the month and marched on Rome with his troops. Vitellius' forces were divided into two armies, one commanded by Aulus Caecina Alienus and the other by Fabius Valens. The Vitellian forces included legions XXI Rapax, VAlaudae and powerful vexillationes from all the other legions stationed on the Rhine, together with a strong force of Batavian auxiliaries, a force of around 70,000 in total. The forces commanded by Caecina crossed the Alps by the Great St. Bernard Pass to reach northern Italy. They attackedPlacentia but were repulsed by the Othonian garrison and fell back on Cremona to await the arrival of Valens' army.

Otho left Rome on the March 14, and marched north to meet the challenge, leaving his brother Titianus in charge of Rome. He made his base at Brixellum. His forces included legions I Adiutrix,XIII Gemina, a forward detachment of XIIII Gemina, the Praetorian Guard and a force of gladiators. His general staff included generals such as Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, who, as governor of Britain, had defeated Boudica eight years before, but Otho decided to call his brother Titianus from Rome to act as his commander in chief.
Before Titianus arrived, one engagement had already been fought. Caecina tried to set up an ambush at a village called Locus Castrorum, about half way between Bedriacum and Cremona on the Via Postumia. However the Othonians were informed of this, and their army marched for Locus Castrorum, led by Suetonius Paulinus. The Othonians had the better of the fighting which followed, and Caecina's troops retreated to Cremona. Here they were joined by Valens' army, which had followed a longer route through Gaul.

Titanius had now joined the Othonian armies and took command. It was decided to march on Cremona to give battle, against the advice of Paulinus and other generals, who wished to wait until other legions, known to be on the way, had arrived. Otho himself remained at Brixellum to await the outcome. On 14 April the two armies met on the Via Postumia, nearer Cremona than Bedriacum, with the Othonian troops already tired after a long march. Some of the heaviest fighting was where Otho's 1st Adiutrix legion, recently raised from the marines at Ravenna, clashed with Vitellius' veteran Rapax. The Adiutrix acquitted itself well, capturing the eagle of the 21st, though its commanding officer was killed as the 21st strove to recover it. Elsewhere on the battlefield, however, Otho's 13th legion was defeated by Vitellius'Alaudae, and the Adiutrix eventually gave way when a force of Batavian auxiliaries took them in the flank. According to Dio Cassius about 40,000 men were killed in the fighting. The Othonian troops fled back to their camp in Bedriacum, and the next day surrendered to the Vitellian forces and took the oath of allegiance to Vitellius.

When news of the defeat was brought to Brixellum, many of Otho's troops urged him to fight on, pointing out that more troops were on the way. Otho however decided to commit suicide rather than cause more deaths. He had been emperor for less than three months. Vitellius continued his march on Rome, where he made a triumphal entry and was recognized as emperor by the Senate.

Second Cremona 

Meanwhile, the legions stationed in the Middle East provinces of Judaea and Syria had acclaimed Vespasian as emperor. Vespasian had been given a special command in Iudaea by Nero in 67 with the task of putting down the Great Jewish Revolt. He gained the support of the governor of Syria, Gaius Licinius Mucianus and a strong force drawn from the Judaean and Syrian legions marched on Rome under the command of Mucianus.

Before the eastern legions could reach Rome, the Danubian legions of the provinces of Raetia and Moesia also acclaimed Vespasian as Emperor in August. Three of these legions, III Gallica, VIII Augusta and VII Claudia had been on their way to support Otho when they heard of his defeat at the first battle of Bedriacum. They had been made to swear allegiance to Vitellius, but when they heard of Vespasian's bid for power they switched their support to him.[clarification needed] They persuaded the other two legions, VII Galbiana and XIII Gemina to join them, which the thirteenth Gemina did all the more readily as they were one of the legions which had been defeated at First Bedriacum, and had been made to build amphitheatres for Valens and Caecina as punishment. Led by the commanding officer of the seventhGalbiana, Marcus Antonius Primus, they marched on Rome, and having a shorter distance to march reached Italy before Mucianus' troops.
When Vitellius heard of Antonius' approach, he dispatched Caecina with a powerful army composed of XXI Rapax, V Alaudae, I Italica and XXII Primigenia together with detachments from seven other legions and a force of auxiliaries. The first of Antonius' legions had arrived at Verona, but though urged to attack them before the remainder of the army arrived, Caecina declined to do so. Caecina had been plotting with Lucilius Bassus, commander of the fleet at Ravenna, to switch their support to Vespasian. His troops refused to follow his lead however, and put him in chains. Valens, who had been delayed by illness, had by now set out from Rome.
Caecina's army, now without their general, advanced on Cremona. Antonius was now based at Bedriacum, and advanced towards Cremona with a force of cavalry. They encountered the vanguard of the Vitellian army between Bedriacum and Cremona on the 24 October and a battle followed, with Antonius sending back to Bedriacum for the legions. Antonius' troops had the better of the fighting, and the Vitellian troops retreated to their camp outside Cremona.
Antonius' forces advanced along the Via Postuma towards Cremona. They were opposed by a powerful Vitellian army, who had been reinforced by other legions including legion IIII Macedonica, but were still without a commander as Valens had not yet arrived. By now night had fallen and the battle continued through the hours of darkness. The seventh Galbiana, Antonius' own legion, suffered heavy casualties and lost its eagle for a while, though one of its centurions later sacrificed his own life to win it back. Eventually Antonius' forces began to gain the upper hand, and the turning point came when dawn broke. Antonius' third Gallica had served in Syria for many years and while there had adopted a local custom. As the sun rose they turned to the east to salute it, and this was misinterpreted by the Vitellian forces who thought that they were greeting reinforcements from the east and lost heart. The Vitellian forces were driven back into their camp, which was taken by Antonius' forces. Antonius then attacked Cremona itself, which surrendered. Cremona was burned by the victorious troops.
Antonius continued to Rome, where Vitellius was taken prisoner and shortly afterwards killed. The way was thus cleared for Vespasian to ascend the throne near the end of this bloody year of crisis.

March 11 1781

Anthony Philip Heinrich Born

Anthony Philip Heinrich (1781 - 1861) was the First "Full-time" American composer, and the most prominent  before the American Civil War. He did not start composing until he was 36, after losing his business fortune in the napoleonic wars. For most of his career he was known as "Father Heinrich", an emeritus figure of America's small classical music community. He chaired the founding meeting of the New York Philharmonic Society in 1842.

March 6 1079

Omar Ibn Ibrahim Al-Chajjam completed Jalali Calendar

Omar has an observatory where he made astronomical tablets, and reformed the calendar, as a result his of his observations he determined the set length of the year to be 365.24219858158 days long. these results are in line to the fifth decimal place with the latest findings of modern astronomy. 

March 1 1692

Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba arrested for Witchcraft

On March 1, 1692, Goode was tired for witchcraft. when she was brought in, the accusers immediately began to rock back and forth and moan, seemingly in response to Goode's presence. Later on in the trial, one of the accusers fell into a fit. When it had stopped, she claimed Goode had attacked her with a knife; she even produced a portion of it, stating the weapon had been broken durning the alleged assault. However, upon hearing this statement, a young townsman stood and told the court the piece had been broken off his own knife the day before, and that the girl had witnessed it. he then revealed the other half, proving his story. After hearing this, the judge simply scolded the girl for exaggerating what he believed to be truth.

February 28 1940

Alfonso XIII De Borbon Dies

Alsonso XIII King of Spain, posthumous son of Alfonso XII of Spain, was Proclaimed King at his birth. He reigned from 1886 - 1931. His mother, Queen Maria Christina, was appointed regent during his minority. In 1902, on attaining his 16th year, the king assumed control of the state.