For hundreds of years European explorers braved the Arctic Sea’s treacherous waters in search of an elusive “Northwest Passage” – a route to Asia and Cathay circumventing the Indian Ocean and treacherous horn of South America. The Vikings of Iceland and Greenland were the first to ply the frigid American waters beginning in the late 10th century but colonized and exploited regional resources rather than look for a route to the Far East.
Fighting a battle in an ancient world demanded a special set of skills, not only the early types of technology. Very often, the ancient literature talks about “glorious heroes” who destroyed the enemy on land or on the sea. These ancient wars weren’t only conflicts. They were a sort of communication, psychological fight over who is more superior. So, in the case of Greek Fire and flamethrowers, we can also see hidden propaganda that aimed to weaken the enemy.
Before the completion of the U.S. transcontinental railroad (1869) and Panama Canal (1914) a major impediment to Euro-American exploration and colonization of Pacific lands was sailing around Cape Horn – the furthest-most point on the South American continent. The Spanish were the first to explore the region in 1526. In the late eighteenth century British and New England whalers began documenting extreme conditions while navigating the Drake Passage – the strait separating Antarctica from South America.
Defense and status. Swordsmanship has been the subject of fascination for a long time in popular culture and history. It was one of the most used side arms during ancient times and became a symbol of status and self-defense in the Middle Ages and during the early modern age. It wasn’t very convenient for an honorable nobleman to carry around a spear or some other battlefield weapon, so the sword was the proper solution to present yourself in front of the world, but also to protect yourself if attacked. The one who carried a sword needed to master the art of fighting. In the 18th century, that art demanded sharp skills and elegant moves.
Although he was thronged by thousands of people in the principal cities of England, a key reason Hungarian nationalist and freedom fighter Lajos (Louis) Kossuth was so popular during his 1851-1852 visit to the United States was the American aversion to monarchy. Kossuth, the figurehead of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution to overthrow the Habsburg Dynasty’s grip on that nation, was welcomed by massive crowds eager to listen to his republican-inspired orations. The New York Times noted in late 1851 that the “reception of the illustrious Kossuth… was such a scene as the world seldom beholds.”
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