Welcome to HistoryWow
Why ‘Wow’? Because history has a ‘Wow’ factor. History is rich in fascinating and inspirational incidents and events. Stories of heroism, self-sacrifice, humor, arrogance, foolishness, victory against the odds, the cruel hand of fate, irony and nobility.
History’s got the lot. Since 2012, HistoryWow’s aim, using only the finest historical reference material, has been to bring you some of these fascinating and inspirational incidents and events, in a short, sharp format. A little bit of history every day. But not enough to overload your busy lifestyles. We hope you enjoy HistoryWow!
History Question of the Day
The famous French writer Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) was a big eater. How many oysters did he famously eat in one sitting?
The answer tomorrow.
Yesterday's question and answer:
What was unusual about the capital of Ethiopia up until 1886?
Answer: It moved. For centuries, Ethiopia had mobile capitals, where a huge herd of livestock and up to 6,000 slaves followed the emperor and aristocracy around. This only ended with the founding of Addis Ababa in 1886.
Source: The Transformation of the World – A Global History of the Nineteenth Century by Jurgen Osterhammel
More at: History
Ask HistoryWow
The History Wow Search Engine. "Ask HistoryWow"
History Question of the Week
Which British naval commander conducted exploration and survey work in New Guinea and had his name enshrined in the capital of modern-day Papua New Guinea?
The answer on Thursday.Submit Answer
The first correct answer to each week's question will receive a US$30 voucher to buy a history book of their choice.
Last week's question and answer:
What was the name of the musical piece published in 1741 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), which explored thirty different variations on the one line for harpsichord?
Answer: The Goldberg Variations.Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Music by Michael Kennedy et. al.
More at: History
HistoryWow’s Golden List of Great History Books
There are many great history books, on a range of interesting topics. These are some of the ones we at HistoryWow think are especially good.
These excellent books are available at: History
The HistoryWow Forum
CALLING ALL HISTORY BUFFS!
The fascinating thing about history is that there are a variety of different opinions and views on historical questions. Here is your chance to tell us what you think about a particular history question.THIS WEEK'S HISTORYWOW FORUM TOPIC IS:
The plays of William Shakespeare (1564-1616) have been absconded throughout history to individual causes including Marxism, Liberalism, Republicanism and Protestantism. The reality however, in the words of one critic, is that “no culture politics can long hold Shakespeare down.” Do you agree?
More at: History
HistoryWow’s Featured Historical Figure of Note
J.C. van Leur (1908-1942)Dutch historian. Despite never holding a university post, van Leur made a significant contribution to histography by criticising the writing of history purely through European eyes. He was killed aged 34 at the battle of Java Sea.
More at: History
