The 10,000-man Greek army, led by its general, Xenophon, was heading home from a battle with Persia in 401 BC when the weary men pitched camp in a lovely area called Trabzon, near the Black Sea. There they feasted on… Read More
Ancient Romans sealed treaties with a mutual kiss on the cheek, called an osculum pacis. Persians sealed their deals with a direct kiss on the lips.
Adrienne Mayor, The Poison King, page 226… Read More
Trousers were standard wear during the Byzantine Empire, even for women. When a European woman was presented to the Persian court wearing a skirt, they at first thought she had lost a leg.
Source: Batterberry, M and A, Mirror,… Read More
Francis Scott Key wrote the words of the poem Star Spangled Banner during the War of 1812. He then set it to the tune of a popular drinking song. It was made into the U.S. national anthem in 1931 by President Herbert Hoover.