I had a feeling you went to Bath. One of the more popular Roman sites.

Okay, no one has yet properly explained what is going on with "a historian" versus "an historian."  Here it is properly explained:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/...oric-event

Basically, "an" is used when a word starts with a vowel sound, "a" is used when it does not start with a vowel sound.  Notice, it is the sound, not the spelling, that dictates this.

At the link above, it explains why there is confusion about words like "historic."   It is because the common pronunciation has changed, and so when you look at old books, you will see it one way, when now we should change to conform to the newer pronunciation.

Um, I pointed out the convention involving stressed syllables a little while ago. While you quite correctly expanded the reasons, it's not quite correct to say nobody explained it.

(May 18, 2015 at 6:09 am)Saxmoof Wrote: Was WW1 really completely pointless/avoidable?

Pointless? Probably.  Avoidable?  Probably not.

Quote:“One day the great European War will come out of some damned foolish thing in the Balkans (1888).”

― Otto von Bismarck

Unlike jesus.....Bismarck knew how to make a prediction.

(May 18, 2015 at 10:50 am)Minimalist Wrote:

Quote:What I don't understand about mythicists is what reasons are there for believing that a bunch of Jews and Greeks got fixated on this idea of a Jewish man from Nazareth named Jesus, who has parents, brothers, and sisters, and is crucified by the Romans?

You're assuming that it happened in one fell swoop.  Like everything else, it evolved.  I suggest Richard Carrier's On The Historicity of Jesus.  I have an electronic version if you PM an email address I'll send it to you.  After that, compare the reasons for believing the Historical Jesus routine with it. 

That looks like a good read. I just may have to invest in a copy.

We need to all get together and go on a trip to Europe with Min. I would find that fascinating but I really love learning about history.

Min, is there any historical event that are of the strange but true variety that had a major impact on history? Do you know any good, salacious gossip about historical figures that most people don't know?

(May 18, 2015 at 11:18 am)Stimbo Wrote: Um, I pointed out the convention involving stressed syllables a little while ago. While you quite correctly expanded the reasons, it's not quite correct to say nobody explained it.

It has nothing to do with stressed syllables.  It has to do with whether the word begins with a vowel sound or not.  Again, see:

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/...oric-event

It has a certain amount to do with when you apply the extra -n. As I said, you supplied the reason, I explained the convention. And so between the two of us, we licked the platter clean.

Quote:Min, is there any historical event that are of the strange but true variety that had a major impact on history?

Nothing comes to mind.  I guess the problem is the term 'major impact.' There are lots of implausibles in history; like why didn't the Confederates march on Washington after First Bull Run.  But when you look a little more closely you find that they were almost as fucked up by winning as the union was by losing.  They weren't marching anywhere.

Quote:Do you know any good, salacious gossip about historical figures that most people don't know?

You mean like George Washington having mistresses?  I suspect that all powerful men had the vices which powerful men repeatedly show throughout history.  What makes it gossip?

(May 18, 2015 at 12:08 pm)Minimalist Wrote:

Quote:Min, is there any historical event that are of the strange but true variety that had a major impact on history?

Nothing comes to mind.  I guess the problem is the term 'major impact.'

There's one I came across which would qualify. After Hiroshima, the original list of Japanese targets for the second atomic bomb included Kyoto (seat of Emperor Hirohito), Kokura and Niiagata. Nagasaki was only added to the list after Kyoto was removed for "religious associations" (though allegedly a certain General had spent his honeymoon there and thought it was a shame to blow up such a lovely city).

On August 9th, the bomber "bockscar" found its primary target, Kokura, obscured by cloud. Three runs over the city couldn't find a break; and radar guidance had been disallowed, so the crew were dependant on visual sighting.

Now low on fuel and fearing they wouldn't make it back to Tinian, the crew decided to go on to the next available target - Nagasaki, and the rest is history. The ultimate cruel irony is that Nagasaki had been bombed before and they had good bomb shelters, but the populace had become so blasé about another air raid that when the sirens went off nobody thought much of it.