13:00 English medal commemorating the "taking" of Cartagena de Indias by admiral Edward Vernon during the War of Jenkins' Ear. The medal depicts the Spanish admiral Blas de Lezo (Don Blass) with his two legs, on his knees giving his sword to admiral Vernon. After the crushing defeat suffered by the English fleet in the battle of Cartagena, the medals were retired, but some were saved. The medal says "The pride of Spain humbled by Ad. Vernon". (wikipedia) Blas de Lezo or the most handicapped badass ever.
Here in northeastern Florida, the War of Jenkin's Ear is mostly remembered because of the unsuccessful attempt by James Oglethorpe (English Royal Governor of Georgia) to take the City of St Augustine, then the main Spanish settlement in Florida. An interesting footnote to the siege of St Augustine by Oglethorpe's troops is that black militiamen, mostly escaped slaves from Georgia who were admitted to Spanish Florida and became Spanish subjects there, participated in the defense of St Augustine, fighting their erstwhile masters, so to speak. They manned an outpost, Fort Mosé, a few miles north of the City; though this fortlet was taken by British troops, its black defenders fell back on the City's fortifications, picked up Spanish reinforcements, and retook Fort Mosé in a short, sharp action. (It helped that the British troops that had initially taken the Fort were mostly Scots, who quickly found and drank its store of wine and spirits, and so were by and large in no fit condition to offer organized resistance to the counterattack.)
This is easily one of the best channels on RU-vid. I’ve learned so much about history from THG that I never would have known I was missing. And he proves that anybody who believes that history is boring has just never heard it told properly :)
True. It has been my experience that the reason people around my neck of the woods find history boring is because it was taught by bored (American) football coaches. No offense to them.
In one of my college history classes my professor was about to give lecture on Jenkins' ear, and for what ever reason I raised my hand and asked 'Is it called The war for Jenkins' ear, because some guy named Jenkins got it cut off', to which he simply replied 'yes'.
Toast it with a tot of watered-down rum; the admiral for whom it was named is the self-same man who took to diluting his crew's rum ration to reduce drunkenness. He was known as Old Grog due to the material of his cloak, and thus grog came to a derogatory term for the weaker cocktail.
Arlington National Cemetery is on the site of Arlington House, Robert E Lee's home before the Civil War. The plantation belonged to his wife who was a niece of Martha Washington. At the beginning of the war, Major Lee was offered command of the Union army but he turned it down because he didn't want to fight his fellow Virginians.
This was a wonderful story. It reminds be of an old BBC show called "Conections" by James Burke. Mr Burke believed that history flowed like a river, with a small current here causing a big event numerous miles (years) down stream.
@@nilo70 Yep. But those Polyester bell-bottomed pant-suits! Can't be excised from memory ... I've you've the chance, Burke's "The Day the Universe Changed" is also brilliantly done.
Like the Boer War and the taking of the gold fields in the Transvaal, followed by the establishment of the Federal Reserve Bank? Cecil John Rhodes, financed by NM Rothschild, leading to his own country, Rhodesia.
Anything with Pirates is great, one of the most popular rides at Disneyland is "Pirates Of The Caribbean" Thanks History Guy for all your time and hard work. All your viewers appreciate it.....
A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel sticking out of his zipper. The bartender asks: "What's with the steering wheel?" And the pirate says: "AAAARRRRRRGH, It's driving me Nuts."
Same pirate walks into the bar the next night, this time with a paper towel on his head. Bartender asks. What’s with the paper towel. Pirate says : arrrrgh. They put a bounty on me head.
Excellently told, thank you. A loaf is after all just a Conglomeration of many parts and only you can find all the bread crumbs. That sounded better in my head...
I love the smirk on your face right at the end, as you tie up those last few strings and slap a proud bow on top! Marvelous. Well thought out, and brilliantly executed. That’s why your channel is the best at historical tales, and biographies. You put in the work, you do your research and go far and beyond the topic in order to tie it in to the rest of our history and then present it in a way that is thoughtful and entertaining to the point that you forget that it’s educational, but you remember a great story. Thank you so much for the work that you and your wife put into these videos.
While I'm glad Blinkist is your sponsor, and I'm also happy you find it useful. However, when a friend showed it to me I found the few books I've saw on it as being little more than a copy of the contents page and carried less content than the 'Notes' books of similar books.
...and of course Admiral Sir Edward Vernon - known by the nickname "Old Grog" because of his grogram cloak - ordered that his crews be issued a ration of diluted rum to make the foetid water on board ships more drinkable and so gave the world grog.
the alliteration was flying furiously in explaining eradication of an ear..... well done H.G. I thought the "pickled" ear had been presented in Parliment though the arguments for war from the curled cartilege fell on deaf................ well, you know.
History Guy: not only the master of history but the master of alliteration. :) I'm a big fan of them, as it makes the words more memorable. And it often adds a chuckle. You had many memorable ones in this episode! :-)
I was familiar with the martial amputation of Jenkin's Ear, and the war that ensued, but have never heard it told in such an informative nor entertaining fashion
This is an excellent example of what I didn't learn in public school. Eagerly awaiting your next video. One of my favorite books was about a man named leTourneau, who invented large construction equipment. There were a few twists in his life too.
What's interesting is that the Spanish Hapsburgs were so interbred and fugly that they all looked alike. When Charles II picture came up my first thought was, "Not sure which one but definitely a Hapsburg!"
This was perhaps the closest HG narrative yet to the old PBS series "Connections" from James Burke. The program would run through various disparate narratives of inventions, scientific advances and even cultural developments, and by the end of an episode demonstrate how they were all intertwined. Tying together a severed ear, mercantilism, pirates and George Washington was masterful indeed. Always a pleasure to watch these!
Whenever the history of Europe is mentioned, it is always a great, colossal mess, but somehow, it seems to come back to something familiar. Thanks, HG.
You have been amazing, fascinating and engaging me since your earliest episodes. There' is not one that has disappointed me. Obviously, I am not alone. Thanks, and keep at it--please.
The air quotes at 11:50 were particularly poignant. I'm imagining now a swarthy pirate captain using just such hand signs while regaling his admirers over a stiff grog or bumbo...with a captured ear as the centerpiece for effect.😲
'If you enjoyed this episode please click the thumbs up', I don't think there has ever been an episode that I didn't think deserved a thumbs up. Love your work.
Laurence Washington's CO, Adm. Edw. Vernon, was known as "Old Grog" because of the wool-and-silk cloak he wore; the fabric was known as "grogram." He is infamous in the Royal Navy for cutting the men's daily rum ration with water, to make "grog," supposedly to cut down on drunken brawls. The noonday tradition of serving grog only ended in 1970.
I once read in the Time-Life Seafarers volume entitled "The Ocean Liners" the the Queen Mary while crossing the Atlantis as a Troop Ship was hit broadside by a rogue wave. She nearly capsized with 3,000 troops on board. She tipped over, beyond the point of no return, where her funnels were just feet away from the water. This would make a great topic for one of your episodes.
Operation Musketeer, Suez 1956. The last casualty taken by British forces was a tank commander called Sgt. Jacknik, who was struck by a bullet in his ear. For there on, the conflict became known as The War of Jackniks Ear. Because history deserves a good pun.
Fascinating as usual. Most entertaining, however, were the plethora of creative appellations you were able to conjure for that important sensory member and it's unfortunate avulsion!
Please consider developing an episode about the White Rajahs of Sarawak. Pirates, headhunters and possibly, dare I say, cannibals, are part of the story. The Brooke dynasty in Sarawak is an interesting tale. Thanks you for your efforts.
Yes! I'm fairly sure this is a coincidence, but you covered a topic I suggested in an email! Now my husband believes me that I didn't make this up. Lol I have a million and one other suggestions you may or may not have covered or be interested in covering. My favorite historical figure Sir Richard Burton (not the actor), another great explorer Pedro Teixeira, a few French royals Catherine de Medici and Henry of Navarre, and because I love my home and it's quirky past... Cyrus Teed, and the Koreshan Unity "New Jerusalem"
WOW..what a convoluted tale..empires,nation states,politicts,trade and corrupt politicians...Pirates,Privateers an Buccaneers..Oh my !!! And 12° of separation.
Pirates! I just found out that an 8th great grandfather had been captaining a ship from Barbados to Boston in 1717 when his ship was captured by pirates.
As always, a wonderful piece of history and detail. A bit of history I personally find worth remembering, as it does seem to in danger of being forgotten, is the story of the West Africa Squadron and the complicated crusade against slavery.
My husband, who enjoyed going to Mt. Vernon, and who died back in Feb., would have enjoyed knowing how Mt. Vernon came to be named so. He would have laughed at these last few minutes of history that deserved to be remembered.
Excellent! Love the threads of circumstances that weave through the years: this producing that, that producing something else. My favorite history teacher of all time often used such tapestries to grip the attention of his occasionally restive, often stoned students in the early 70s. I never had any interest in history at all until I took classes from Dr Lydon. Splendid.
