On Christmas day 1837, Africans and Native Americans who formed Florida’s Seminole Nation defeated a vastly superior U.S. invading army.
This alliance of Seminole warriors resisted a forced relocation to a reservation out west as well as a forced return of Africans back to slavery.
The battle was one of many in the Seminole Wars, which were the longest and most expensive (both in human and monetary terms) Indian Wars in United States history.
The victory of the Christmas Day freedom fighters was an early example of successful multiracial resistance against colonialism and racism.
Well, as always, there are different theories. One theory says that men who sailed around the Cape Horn wore an earring in their left ear. The ear that is closest to the cape, on an eastbound voyage.
Slate wears an earring here, first row right, next to the man with the braid, Master and Commander
Should a man go overboard or his corpse not reach the bottom of the sea, the earring should be used to pay for a Christian burial. Other sources say that wearing an earring prevents drowning and brings luck. It is also supposed to promote foresight. Which if you hit an acupuncture point, besides a persistent headache perhaps also made this possible. ;)
Another possibility was to wear an earring instead of a wedding ring. But what is possible by out, and perhaps also the simplest of all theories, that the sailor wore the ring or rings only to look good. Men at sea also had a certain amount of fashion awareness.
As so often it can also be a mixture of everything that made a sailor wear one or more earrings. Exactly that can never be said, unless there is clear evidence or written documentation.
As we know, Sailors are very superstitious and this did not stop at the earrings. One legend claimed that they could prevent seasickness, while another said that the precious metals could cure poor eyesight and protect against deafness caused by the guns.
Many also believed that a golden earring could save a man from drowning, but this myth has been disproved many times.
The Sherry-Netherland Hotel—"a perfect Tuscan Castle fantasy,“ according to the New York Times—was just months from opening in April, 1927, when fire broke out on the wood plank scaffolding surrounding the uppermost floors. “Awed Thousands Watch Blazing Timbers Drop to Roofs and Streets,” read the headline the next day in the Times, which said that “probably hundreds of thousands” saw the fire from all around the city. The windows of the Plaza across the street were “black with people;” and every front room was engaged, either by news organizations or for spontaneous fire-watching parties.
The newspaper ran this photo, retouching it for contrast. The hotel’s developers vowed that it would open as scheduled in the fall, and it did. Most of the 126 apartments rented for $20,000 to $30,000 per year. In 1956 the hotel was converted into a co-op.
On this day, 19 November 1915, Joe Hill, Swedish-American Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union member and songwriter was executed by firing squad for a murder most historians believe he did not commit. During his life, Hill wrote many songs such as ‘There is Power in a Union’, 'Casey Jones - the Union Scab’ and 'The Preacher and the Slave’.
The latter song is the origin of the phrase “pie in the sky”, which is promised by preachers to starving working people: “You will eat, bye and bye,/In that glorious land above the sky;/Work and pray, live on hay,/You’ll get pie in the sky when you die.”
In Hill’s final letter to IWW leader Bill Haywood he wrote: “Goodbye Bill. I die like a true blue rebel. Don’t waste any time in mourning. Organize.”
He also told Haywood: “I don’t want to be caught dead in Utah”, and requested that he be cremated, and his ashes used to replenish the earth.
Large crowds attended his funeral in Salt Lake City, who were described as a “murderous mob” of “low-grade foreigners” by the Ogden Standard-Examiner newspaper, and as “anarchists, nihilists, socialists, bombs, and hobos” by the New York Times.
In 1936, a song was written about Hill by Alfred Hayes and Earl Robinson, describing his spirit which lived on: “I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,/alive as you and me./Says I “But Joe, you’re ten years dead”/“I never died” says he,/“I never died” says he…
"From San Diego up to Maine,/in every mine and mill,/Where workers strike and organize/it’s there you’ll find Joe Hill,/it’s there you’ll find Joe Hill!”
Learn more about Hill’s life and cultural importance in this extensive work on his life and work: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/books/products/joe-hill-the-iww-the-making-of-a-revolutionary-workingclass-counterculturehttps://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1857880944397047/?type=3
Bro, your Generic Fantasy Media™
is showing us a 20th Century English speaking hero decked out in 16th Century German armour using 12th Century Italian weapons to stab 9th Century Vikings in what appears to be a pastiche of 14th Century Romania, and the fact that this character is Black is the part that offends your commitment to historical accuracy?
These illustrations are from a Fechtbuch (fight manual) by Paulus Hector Mair, published in Augsburg, Germany ca. 1540s.
The text accompanying each drawing is about the move being performed. None of them make any comment about who’s performing the moves, only about how to perform them correctly and the consequences of error.
This statue of St Maurice in Magdeburg Cathedral Germany dates to about 1250, and was clearly carved by someone who knew what Black Africans looked like or had one modelling for him.
This reconstruction shows what the statue probably looked like when new; the spear was a separate accessory, the sword and even shield (as can be seen from its broken remnant in the photos of the original statue) was part of the carving.
Regarding that shield and the details it would have concealed, there’s a story from the construction of the National Cathedral in Washington DC about an artisan carving similar never-to-be-seen detail; he was asked: “Why bother, who’ll know whether you did it or not?” and replied: “God will, and so will I.”
These are later paintings of St Maurice, the first in the Metropolitan Museum New York USA by Lucas Cranach the Elder (~1520-25):
…and by
Matthias Grünewald (~1520-24)
in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany, both wearing Maximilian-style armour:
This armorial panel from 1521 shows
Eva von Schönau, first wife of Jacob von Reinach-Steinbrunn (a wealthy landowner who later became Governor of
Montbéliard
in France), and is in the Historisches Museum, Basel, Switzerland.
They were both armigerous (arms-bearing) families: his is the lion, hers are the rings.
These drawings by Albrecht Durer were done in 1508 and 1521.
It’s probably fair to say that away from trading ports and major centres of commerce, people of colour whether African, Middle Eastern or Asian were an unfamiliar sight in most of Medieval and Renaissance Europe.
However “unfamiliar” isn’t the same as “unknown”, and in addition, the high-status clothing of the Fechtbuch models, and
Eva von Schönau’s family coat of arms,
shows they weren’t always just servants or slaves.
For context, the British government introduced conscription in January 1916 which required all single men aged between 18 and 41 to enlist (except those who were medically exempt or were clergymen, teachers and workers in certain industries). By May 1916, married men were also conscripted. This applied to English, Welsh and Scottish men but was not applied to Ireland (although many Irish men volunteered anyway).
Herbert Green was a 25 year old shop assistant from Derbyshire. His father, Joseph, was a coal miner. Herbert argued that human life was sacred and that he could not further the war in any way. He was tried along with Ernest Brewin, William Ames, Frederick Page, William Holland, William Angrave and Herbert Hewitt. In May 1916, they were all sentenced to 56 days detention for refusing to attend medical examinations.
“The only War which is worth fighting is the Class War. The Working Class of this country have no quarrel with the Working Class of Germany or any other country. Socialism stands for Internationalism. If the workers of all countries united & refused to fight, there would be no war.”
“Was not allowed to exercise for seven days, because I refused to wear coat and hat.”
“Six months imprisonment with hard labour. Cheers lads the cause is worthy of it.”
“We will not MURDER nor help to murder any man, woman, or child, no matter what nationality, colour, or creed. Three cheers for the “International*”
I really appreciate the choice of language used in this display of Roman-era remains at the Yorkshire Museum. The simple truth of the matter is that while we can say that an individual’s sex attributes may be “male” or “female”, and may have an idea of how they presented, we have no idea of how they identified in life. But — and this is crucial — we can give the dead the dignity of acknowledging this ambiguity. We can’t know how this person thought of themselves, but we know how they may have presented, and through that we can gain an understanding of who they might have been.
[ID: a museum display with a plaque above a set of rectangular jet pieces arranged in a series of semi-circles. They look like dominoes with two holes pierced through each tile. There is a thin, twisted wire anklet next to them. It has a greenish patina, and the ends of the wire are twisted and crimped around each other.
The plaque reads: A Visiting Priest
This person was around twenty-five when they died. They were buried in the nearby town of Cataractonium (modern Catterick) in the fourth century. Through analysis of their bones, archaeologists have identified that this person had male sex attributes. The grave goods discovered alongside them are unusual as these items are typically found with female remains. They include a jet necklace, bracelets and a copper anklet.
During their life this person may have chosen to be a priest, or gallus, in the cult of the goddess Cybele.Leaders of this ancient cult castrated themselves and wore traditionally female clothing and jewellery in honour of the goddess. We do not know where this person was born, but they may have travelled to Britannia to spread the word of this eastern religion.
There’s a masochistic streak to the British psyche that enjoys a defeat if it can be dressed up in a good story. See Dunkirk. Goes hand-in-hand with a liking for the underdog tale (real or imagined), hence the love of battles like Agincourt and Rourk’s Drift (both of which were strategically fairly insignificant).
The light brigade I find extra strange because it totally eclipses the whole battle it was a part of. Most armchair MilHist Britons could tell you next to nothing about Balaclava beyond that charge. They’d literally rather remember that embarrassing failure than the victories because it’s got that whole heroic tragedy vibe. The heavy brigade and the highlanders would definitely like a word.
I just read about the WWI German plot to invade Canada (pre-USA involvement in the war) which at one point involved dressing up German expats and Irish-Americans in cowboy costumes to avoid notice and sending them northwards across the border
My latest comic for The Nib was written by my friend Mike Thompson- it’s his first published comics work!
The Nib has been a steady source of income and a huge support to me and many other indie cartoonists for years. They publish amazing work, but will be cut loose by their financial backer in July. You can read the official post about it from editor Matt Bors here.
They are still running their kickstarter-funded print magazine, but have to put digital publishing on hiatus until they figure out their next steps.
If you’ve been thinking about supporting their membership program, now would be a good time. They have levels from $2 to $40 per month. I really don’t want this to be my last Nib piece!
you know what, THIS is how you address historical queer folks of all stripes in a respectful way. you refer to them the way they chose to be referred to, and you say “it’s impossible to know how they would’ve identified in today’s society, but they’re part of our history regardless”.
Last year I did a few write-ups and drawings about some lady fighters from history who fought openly as their gender (there are plenty of disguised-as-a-man soldiers and plenty of trans soldiers, but those are outside the scope of this series). This is by no means an exhaustive list; there were plenty of great figures that my schedule didn’t permit me to tackle (at least not yet). But as Women’s History Month gets started tomorrow, I thought y’all might enjoy reading about some of history’s toughest broads.
When people assume Celtic = Irish I get a strong urge to stab myself in the eye.
No no no no no no.
Sit down we must have a conversation.
There were 6 Celtic nations.
Éire, Cymru, Alba, Kernow, Breizh, and Ellan Vannin.
Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Brittany, and the Isle of Mann respectively.
They’re all related, but not the same. They all have different languages descended from a similar group, Irish (Gaeilge), Scottish (Gàidhlig), Manx (Gaelg), Welsh (Cymraeg), Cornish (Kernowek), and Breton (Brezhoneg). Some are more widely spoken than others, for example Welsh is still commonly spoken in Wales, whereas hearing Cornish in Cornwall instead of English is rare.
All Celtic nations have varied mythology and culture.
Irish Mythology is different from Breton Mythology, and even Welsh and Cornish mythology (arguably the most related Celtic Nations) have subtle differences to each other. I wish I could add more about the cultures at this time but my knowledge of Celtic nations is primarily made up of the history and languages of those regions, particularly Cornwall.
You might have notice that England and English are missing from this, because the English descended from Anglo-Saxons, who were German invaders that came to the isles right around the Fall of the Roman empire in the 5th Century, erasing the Celtic influence in what is now England.
So what this all really means is that Celtic is an umbrella term, and just because it’s Celtic doesn’t mean it has anything to do with Ireland at all. So don’t assume that just because someone’s talking about something Celtic that they’re talking about something Irish.
There is even a 7th,
not officially recognized Celtic Nation
in Spain (and a bit of Portugal),
Gallaecia! It’s not an official Celtic Nation because its native language,
Gallaic, has unfortunately been extinct for more than 1000 years. But there’s still some remnants of the culture, and musicians from Galicia and Asturias participate in Celtic music festivals!
@visibilityofcolor i see you’re looking into strong muslim women in history, here is a post on an african muslim warrior queen.
Queen Amina of zazzau
she was born in 1533 in precolonial Nigeria.
She expanded the territory of the Hausa people to its largest borders in history. Muhammad bello (the earliest historical source) claimed she was the first to establish government among the hausa lands in northern Nigeria.
Her mother’s reign was known for peace and prosperity, Amina chose to hone her military skills from the warriors of the Zazzau military. As a result, she emerged as leader of the Zazzau cavalry and became a great military strategist.
She led her first military charge a few months after assuming power. For the rest of her 34 year reign which was a period of uninterrupted war, she continued to fight and expand her kingdom to its greatest in history. She personally led an army of 20,000 men to numerous battles. The objective of her conquest was not on annexation of neighboring lands but forcing local rulers to accept vassal status and allow Hausa traders safe passage.
Amina brought unheard wealth to the land, gold, new crops eg she introduced kola nuts into the region, and because her people were talented metal workers, Amina introduced metal armor, including iron helmets and chain mail, to her army.
Amina is also credited as the architect of the strong earthen walls around the city, which became the prototype for the fortifications used in all Hausa states. She built many of these fortifications, later known as ganuwar Amina or ‘Amina’s walls’, around various conquered cities. she fortified each of her military camps with the walls and later towns and villages sprung up within these protective barriers, Many of these walls remain in existence to this day. The walls provided security, definition to settlement and protected hausa markets from threat. Also, politically, walls were considered prestigious, their size a measure of a ruler’s ability to command the labour of his or her subjects.
She was loved by her people, is subject to a lot of legends and her exploits earned her the moniker Amina, daughter of Nikatau, a woman as capable as a man.
Christmas Eve in Jewish Eastern Europe had its own traditions.
Historically, this was not the safest time for European Jews, and we were often subject to pogroms (the Christians having been whipped up into a fervour by passion plays and often alcohol). This danger led to the saying nitl iz a beyzer layd - Christmas is a heavy burden. In some places, Christian laws forbade Jews from entering public places or even leaving their homes at all on Christmas Eve or day, so Jewish institutions (stores, yeshivas, kheydorim) all had to stay closed.
Above: a woodcut of Jews being burned to death, Germany, 1493
As such, traditions for Nitl Nakht had to be more or less irreligious- no Torah learning in the study house or primary school. There was even a tradition of not studying Torah on the day at all lest it be perceived to be “likhvod yeshu” (in the honour of Jesus), who had been a Torah scholar himself.
Instead, there was the tradition in some communities of playing card games or chess- usually frowned upon by community leaders, on Nitl Nakht they were encouraged.
In some communities in the Middle Ages, the controversial practice of reading a text called Ma’asei Talui (Tales of the Crucifix), which were insulting versions of the birth story of Jesus, was a tradition.
Nitl Nakht (ניטל נאַכט, also translated “nittel nacht” or “nittle nahcht”) has an unclear etymology. Nakht means night in Yiddish, but nitl could derive from the Latin natalis (birth, as in birth of Christ), or the Hebrew nitleh (נתלה) meaning “hanged” (as in the death of Christ). The Latin origin is considered more plausible by etymologists.
Some other names for Nitl Nakht are:
Moyredike Nakht (fearful night) in Galicia
Vaynakht (woe night) in Alsace and Western Poland
Goyimnakht (gentiles’ night)
Yoyzlsnakht (Jesus’ night, but using a colloquial corruption of the name)
In some places, Christmas Eve was derived from the non-Jewish word for the holiday:
Kaleyd (Lithuania, from kaledos)
Vigilye (Poland, from wigilye)
Rozhestvo (Bulgaria, from rozhdestvo khristovo)
Korachon (Hungary, from karácsony)
Today Christmas Eve doesn’t pose any more of a risk to Jews than any other day, at least in most places. (Though given recent increases in antisemitic rhetoric and violence, who even knows.) Still, since the majority of Jews today still live in Christian countries, many of us often feel, at the least, othered on Christmas- Christmas is omnipresent, inescapable. In North America, at least, you can’t walk two feet without being assaulted by some horrible Christmas muzak, or being exhorted by some ad campaign to BUY BUY BUY, or the assumption by every single person you encounter that you’re celebrating Christmas. (How many of us grin and bear being asked, a hundred times before breakfast between Halloween and Christmas, how we’re celebrating?)
Above: a viral image from the Chinese Restaurant Association thanking Jews for eating Chinese food on Christmas
In North America (and possibly the UK?) one tradition is to spend Christmas Day at the movies and eating Chinese food. This tradition started in New York City in the late 1800s, when Jewish and Chinese immigrants lived in close proximity. The tradition of seeing movies started around the same time- only the cheap movie houses and the Yiddish theatre would be open, so Jews took the opportunity of having the day off work to eat a nice meal and get some entertainment. Newer traditions have sprung up, including a yearly comedy show called Kung Pao Kosher Comedy (a direct take on the Chinese food tradition).
Above: a Yiddish-language advertisement in the Forverts for a NYC Chinese restaurant dating to 1936. The Yiddish reads, “we wish all Jews a joyous New Year”.
Some Jews (mostly Chasidim) still keep the older traditions of Nitl Nakht, namely the abstention from Torah study and the playing of games.
Above: Chabadniks play chess during Nitl Nakht at 770 Eastern Parkway in 2015
