Quite bonkers, and news to me. This must have been one of the more grandiose campaigns of the Victorians.
The Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan was quite grandiose too.
British Expedition to Abyssinia
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Re: British Expedition to Abyssinia
#12romantic glasses on. in today’s honorless world, these historical acts are incredible. reminds me of the terrible fights against Burma, as well as the more recent shackleton expedition during ww1, and defence of hong kong during ww2. romantic glasses off. these kind of acts can only happen when life is cheap. ask 10,000 people today to go to mars knowing that at least a few, at most all, will die. i guarantee almost…
As far as I can tell dangerous sports seem more popular than ever so I'm not sure that is true (I've known a few people who had died in motorbike accidents and in the mountains so I may be biased). Also, I'd go to Mars!
Yeah, I think we're probably if anything more enthusiastic about elective risking of life than ever before. Risking one's life is a leisure activity! (Both in extreme sports, and in activities that we now know to be dangerous in a way that we didn't really understand before; drinking, smoking, excessive eating, etc)
However, risking _other peoples'_ lives (or at least conscious risking of other peoples' lives; the afore-mentioned extreme sports do sometimes incidentally risk other peoples' lives but the perpetrator isn't normally conscious of this) is certainly frowned upon more now than at any previous time in history, especially to no particularly good purpose (as in the link).
Re: British Expedition to Abyssinia
#13Apropos of nothing: the only other time I recall seeing the word "Abyssinia" is in the song "Re:Definition" by Mos Def & Talib Kweli:
Sinking they ship, like Moby Dick to Ahab
Son I'm way past the minimum, entering millennium
My raps will hold a gat to your back like Palestinians
Ancient Abyssinia, sure to hold the Gideon
Official b-boy gentlemen, long term, never the interim
Born inside the winter, when?
Day after December 10
* https://genius.com/Black-star-re-definition-lyrics
When Mos Def gives off the rhymes (about 1m28 in) the flow is just crazy smooth:
Re: British Expedition to Abyssinia
#14Apropos of nothing: the only other time I recall seeing the word "Abyssinia" is in the song "Re:Definition" by Mos Def & Talib Kweli: Sinking they ship, like Moby Dick to Ahab Son I'm way past the minimum, entering millennium My raps will hold a gat to your back like Palestinians Ancient Abyssinia, sure to hold the Gideon Official b-boy gentlemen, long term, never the interim Born inside the winter, when? Day after D…
Odd how this 3D relates to music - see my other comment...
Re: British Expedition to Abyssinia
#15700 dead 1,400 wounded on Ethiopian side, 2 dead for the British. And all because: Theodore, imprisoned several missionaries and two representatives of the British government in an attempt to get the attention of the British government, which had decided against his requests for military assistance
The good old days.
Re: British Expedition to Abyssinia
#16Quite bonkers, and news to me. This must have been one of the more grandiose campaigns of the Victorians.
The Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan was quite grandiose too.
Winston Churchill (a lieutenant at the time) participated in the last calvary charge by the British Army at Battle of Omdurman.
https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1957-04-4-1
It's amazing to realize that Churchill's army commission was granted by Queen Victoria and the last government he was in was under Queen Elizabeth II.
Re: British Expedition to Abyssinia
#17romantic glasses on. in today’s honorless world, these historical acts are incredible. reminds me of the terrible fights against Burma, as well as the more recent shackleton expedition during ww1, and defence of hong kong during ww2. romantic glasses off. these kind of acts can only happen when life is cheap. ask 10,000 people today to go to mars knowing that at least a few, at most all, will die. i guarantee almost…
536 people have gone to space and 18 have died during space flight and others during training.
Re: British Expedition to Abyssinia
#18700 dead 1,400 wounded on Ethiopian side, 2 dead for the British. And all because: Theodore, imprisoned several missionaries and two representatives of the British government in an attempt to get the attention of the British government, which had decided against his requests for military assistance The good old days.
It certainly wasn't WW2 tactics, but it looks like a fitting strategy at the height of the British Emprire, maintaining image is important when you are the dominant superpower:
> Harold G. Marcus described the action as "one of the most expensive affairs of honour in history.
Allowing an unpopular and weakly defended emperor hold hostages to ransom could set a dangerous precedent no?
Re: British Expedition to Abyssinia
#19romantic glasses on. in today’s honorless world, these historical acts are incredible. reminds me of the terrible fights against Burma, as well as the more recent shackleton expedition during ww1, and defence of hong kong during ww2. romantic glasses off. these kind of acts can only happen when life is cheap. ask 10,000 people today to go to mars knowing that at least a few, at most all, will die. i guarantee almost…
TIL: Queen Victoria truly was a Lady (not unlike the obviously idealized character of the BBC movie - IIRC it's called hagiography), and what could've otherwise been a massacre actually turned into a remarkable war expedition against the Emperor of Ethiopia Tewodros, who apparently was a dick. As a side note, the last of his successors (though fortunately not his descendant) claiming to be nothing less than King Solo…
> TIL: Queen Victoria truly was a Lady
Victors get to write history and portray themselves as they desired. Everybody else gets to be the bad guy.
Re: British Expedition to Abyssinia
#20Apropos of nothing: the only other time I recall seeing the word "Abyssinia" is in the song "Re:Definition" by Mos Def & Talib Kweli: Sinking they ship, like Moby Dick to Ahab Son I'm way past the minimum, entering millennium My raps will hold a gat to your back like Palestinians Ancient Abyssinia, sure to hold the Gideon Official b-boy gentlemen, long term, never the interim Born inside the winter, when? Day after D…
Even more apropos of nothing: it’s also used in a famous episode of MAS*H, “Abyssinia, Henry”.