While ancient Egyptian civilization receives immense historical acclaim, the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) remains comparatively overlooked despite being larger in geographic scope and older in establishment. Spanning over a million square kilometers across modern-day India and Pakistan, the IVC boasted advanced urban planning, sanitation systems, and standardized weights that rivaled its Nile counterpart. However, because its enigmatic script remains undeciphered and its society left behind fewer grandiose monuments like royal tombs, it lacks the dramatic narrative hooks that captivate popular imagination. Consequently, Western-centric historiography has historically marginalized the IVC, casting a shadow over one of humanity's most sophisticated and sprawling ancient cultures.

It’s quite curious: if you look at modern definitions of genocide (which include the destruction or prohibition of a people’s language as part of an effort to eradicate their identity) and then examine the laws and government decrees of many centralized 19th-century European states, you arrive at the conclusion that, by today’s definition, almost all of those European states committed cultural genocide against their own populations.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 Arkhipov was serving as Chief of Staff on the Russian submarine B-59. It was a Foxtrot Class diesel electric submarine. The sub had been sent by Russia, to the Caribbean, and along with 3 others, all armed with one nuclear torpedo.

US Navy ships operating nearby, knew the sub was there, but wanted to force it to surface. Their intention was to identify the sub, not sink it. Signalling depth charges were dropped, with the intention of forcing the sub to the surface.

The crew of B-59 had no way of communicating with Moscow and had lost contact with other Russian ships and subs. To them, it looked very much like the stand off in Cuba had gone hot and the Americans were trying to sink them.

Captain Valentin Grigoryevich Savitsky ordered the crew to launch the nuclear torpedo at the Americans. Normally launch authority required only the Captain and the political officer. However, Arkhipov was also the Chief of Staff for the Brigade and was also required to authorise the launch in that circumstance. Arkhipov’s reputation from the K-19 incident also carried some weight in the discussion.

In the end Arkhipov refused to authorise the launch. Then calmed the Captain down and persuaded him to surface and await further orders from Moscow.

When most people think of Pythagoras they think of a Greek mathematician who composed both the Pythagorean theorem and ancient tuning. The irony is that many of these details arrive much later. Pythagoras was originally talked about as a mystic and basically a cult leader. He believed in reincarnation and vegetarianism, but was against the eating of fava beans. According to legend when Pythagoras and his cult were kicked out, the only place he could run was through a field of fava beans. He chose not to and died. Check out these videos for more info on Pythagoras

Let’s Talk Religion Pythagoras

Sisyphus 55 Pythagoras

In November 1688, the Dutch Republic launched a massive invasion fleet and landed an elite force of 16,000 troops on English shores. The invasion, led by William III of Orange, would ultimately overthrow King James II and place William and his wife Mary on the English throne. This event became known as the Glorious Revolution.

The Glorious Revolution is often presented as a largely internal English affair, in which William intervened at the invitation of a group of English nobles. While it is true that William enjoyed considerable support in England, the event should first and foremost be seen in its European context. It should also be accepted that William largely set these events in motion himself. Few of his English supporters had known that William would demand the crown for himself.

The Dutch had good reasons to intervene. In 1672, France and England had jointly attacked the Republic, nearly bringing about its total destruction. By 1688, Louis XIV of France was once again threatening the Dutch Republic, while James II's increasingly close relationship with France raised fears that England might once again join a French attack.

For William III and the Dutch government, preventing such an alliance was a matter of national security. Their objective was not simply to defend English Protestantism, but to ensure that England would no longer pose a threat to the Republic and, ideally, become an ally against France.

Preparations for the invasion were already underway long before William received the famous invitation from seven English notables in June 1688. William had actively encouraged his English contacts to provide such an invitation, which would give his intervention a veneer of legitimacy. But an invasion on this scale would have been impossible without the political approval, financial support and military resources of the Dutch Republic.

The States General financed the expedition, while the Dutch assembled an enormous invasion fleet to transport William's army across the North Sea. It was the largest successful amphibious operation of the early modern age.

Interestingly, the fact that the invasion would take place exactly a century after the Spanish Armada sailed against England was not lost on contemporary observers. The Polish ambassador in The Hague reported:

The Dutch are convinced that they will be as fortunate in their plan to attack England as Philip II was unfortunate when he sent his formidable fleet against Elizabeth in August 1588. There are few among them who are unaware of this period of history...

The English Royal Navy attempted to intercept the Dutch fleet, but suffered from poor leadership, was outgunned and was frustrated by unfavourable winds. As a result, the Dutch crossed the Channel without having to fight a major naval battle.

William landed at Torbay on 15 November 1688. Contrary to the popular impression that James II's army immediately deserted him, the great majority of his soldiers and officers initially remained loyal. Although a few officers defected, these desertions were relatively limited before James decided to retreat without engaging William's army. It was only after this withdrawal in the face of William's army that his military position began to collapse and defections accelerated.

On 27 December, William's army reached London. Before entering the capital, William demanded that the remaining English troops withdraw from the city and its surroundings. The English Guards, who had traditionally been responsible for protecting the king and the royal palaces, were forced to abandon their posts and were replaced by Dutch soldiers. The following day, Dutch troops entered London, beginning a military occupation of the English capital.

At the end of January, Sir John Reresby, who had been away from the city for some time, wrote in astonishment:

When I arrived, I found London much changed. The streets were filled with ill-looking and ill-habited Dutch and other strangers of the Prince's army.

This occupation gave William considerable influence over the political settlement that followed. Although English politicians debated how to resolve the political crisis, they did so with a foreign army occupying their capital. William made it clear that he would not accept a settlement that merely made him regent or restored James to the throne. He wanted the crown itself. In February 1689, the English Convention Parliament offered the crown jointly to William and his wife Mary.

For the Dutch Republic, the invasion achieved its principal strategic objective. England was transformed from a potential enemy into an ally against Louis XIV. The two countries would subsequently fight alongside one another in the Nine Years' War, ensuring that the Dutch would no longer have to face the combined military and naval power of France and England as they had in 1672.

Ironically, William was determined not to be seen as a conqueror, but as a liberator who had come to restore English liberties. His successful propaganda campaign helped shape the way the Glorious Revolution would be remembered, contributing to the fact that it is rarely regarded as a foreign invasion today.

For more information see the corrersponding wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1688_invasion_of_England

and the new book of Arthur der Weduwen about the invasion