Karen Hill

The story of Mulan is based on a poem written by a woman that dates as far back as at least 420 A.D., when the northern kingdoms of China were at constant war with the northern nomadic tribes. The poem was written into a song about a thousand years ago. It is this “Ballad of … Read more

The British had interest in Opium in the Opium Wars or Anglo-Chinese Wars. Actually, that’s not the entire truth. They didn’t want the opium per se, they wanted the freedom to sell their opium to millions of Chinese. That’s the great thing about addicts: They make good customers. The British weren’t the only ones to … Read more

Moon cakes are eaten during the annual Mid-Autumn Festival in China, a celebration honoring the cycles of the moon and the bounty of the harvest. The words “moon” and “unity” in Chinese are the same word. The Chinese have an old saying: “Yua yuan ren tuan yuan,” literally: “When moon forms a circle, people unite.” … Read more

The Spice Islands, or the Moluccas, have been a much-sought territory for its cultivation of both nutmeg and cloves since at least the fourth century B.C. Almost every major civilization has fought for the rights to rule there: the Chinese, Dutch, Indian, Portuguese, and Arabs, for instance. In the 1500s, because of the constant battling, … Read more

Only some Buddhist Monks wear yellow robes. There are many Buddhist sects, and each one has different rules governing the color of their dress. The Mahayanist monks of Vietnam wear brown, the Theravada monks wear dark saffron or yellow. Confucius’s followers were told to wear primary colors like yellow, blue, white, black, and red, rather … Read more

Jakarta, Indonesia was the first modern-day city in Southeast Asia to hit a population of one million people. It reached that mark in the mid-1900s, around the same time Indonesia gained independence. It’s still one of the 17 largest cities in the world, with a population of over nine million. Established in the fourth century, … Read more

The name Bangkok began appearing on western navigational charts as early as the 1400s. It may have been the Chinese who coined the name originally. By some accounts, the name Bangkok means “village of the wild plum.” So why did westerners go by the Chinese name instead of the Thai name? Well, there was a … Read more

The Emerald Buddha , Wat Phra Keo, is in Bangkok, Thailand, at the Emerald Buddha Temple Wat Phra Rattanasatsadaram. It’s carved from one solid piece of green jade. No one knows who made it or what country it actually came from originally. Many believe it originated in India, many centuries ago, before it surfaced more … Read more

Most historians believe “The King and I” is largely inaccurate, and we’re not just talking about the snappy tunes. It is true that Anna Leonowens was the teacher to the King of Siam’s wives and children. Fortunately, for readers and moviegoers, the King’s son didn’t invite Leonowens back to Siam when he took over the … Read more

Vietnam was indeed a vassal state of China for about a millennium, up until around the 10th century. That part of history has produced some bad feelings between the two countries over the years, not unlike any area that achieves independence from a long-standing mother country. However, the Chinese haven’t helped the relationship much. The … Read more

The King’s name in the book and movie “The King and I” was King Mongkut of Siam, also known as Rama IV. King Mongkut was born on 18 October, 1804, and was the fourth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1851 to 1868. His full name is Phra Bat Somdet Phra … Read more

Genghis Khan’s name means “precious warrior” in Chinese and is pronounced cheng-sze. Genghis Khan, originally named Temujin, ruled a huge Mongol Empire that spread across China and throughout Asia and Russia from 1206 till his death in 1227. The Turkish part of his empire dubbed him Khan, meaning “lord,” and the combination of the two … Read more

Empress Himiko was not a Chinese emperor, according to Japanese history books, although there has been much debate on the subject. The first recorded ruler of Japan was a woman, Empress Himiko, say some Japanese historians. She reigned during the fourth century B.C. Scholarly debates over the identity of Himiko and the location of her … Read more

Katsushika Hokusai was the famous 19th-century Japanese landscape artist. He changed his name more than 30 times in his 89 years and reportedly lived in 93 different dwellings throughout his life. Clearly, he was a man of change, reshaping himself and his work many times during his career. He is probably the most well known … Read more

There are more than two different spoken Chinese dialects in China. Most villages and towns throughout China developed their own style of pronunciation and ways of communicating. Therefore, there are several general areas of dialects, and depending on how you want to categorize them, hundreds of variations on these. Some of the main ones include … Read more

Small sections of the Great Wall of China existed prior to 221 B.C., but we have no known record of who built them or how they came to be. However, we can be certain who is responsible for connecting those small pieces and forming the one long barrier. His name was Emperor Shihuangdi, first emperor … Read more

Initially, the Great Wall of China was built by thousands of people working for a total of seventeen straight years. Many parts of the wall cover mass graves of the workers who died while building it. And it didn’t stop with the Qin dynasty. For hundreds of more years during the Ming Dynasty, peasants, soldiers, … Read more

No, the Gate of Heavenly Peace is the main entrance gate leading to the Imperial, or Forbidden City in China. It’s not part of the Great Wall of China. It is pronounced Tian ‘Anmen in Chinese and is located on the edge of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Located along the northern edge of Tiananmen Square, … Read more

Ming vases got their name because the rise in availability and popularity of porcelain goods reached its peak during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.) in China. During this period, the kilns at Jingdezhen (the porcelain capital of China) were able to produce large amounts of high-quality porcelain to readily provide all of China with vases, … Read more

The story is somewhat based on speculation, as no known origin exists for the practice of binding women’s feet in ancient China. But some historians believe the following version to be the most plausible. There was once a prince who lived about 1,000 years ago. His name was Prince Li Yu, and he ruled one … Read more

Chinese imperial Eunuchs in ancient China had the reputation of being sensitive about their shortcomings, yes. Common derogatory nicknames for eunuchs such as Old Rooster or Old Earl were never actually spoken in front of a eunuch, only behind their backs. Furthermore, it was considered bad etiquette to mention things like a tailless dog or … Read more

In China, the kowtow-ee first had to sink to his knees and fall prostrate toward the emperor. Knocking his head nine times on the floor, he could then either lie prostrate with hands on the ground or could sit more upright, but with his eyes and head lowered to the ground. Either way, the emperor … Read more

Yes, succession for ancient Chinese emperors was always given to the first-born son. Placing the first-born son on the throne was of utmost importance in Chinese culture where ancestor worship was practiced. In contemporary Chinese culture, having one of more sons is still seen as important as a son is often preferred as an asset, … Read more

It became the practice for Chinese emperors, starting thousands of years ago, to keep teams of eunuchs around the women’s quarters, to make sure the ladies weren’t having sex with other males. In times of high infant mortality rates, procreating with the wives and concubines helped guarantee an heir to the throne. The wives got … Read more

The oldest restaurant in the world is Ma Yu Ching’s Bucket Chicken House, opened for business during the Sung dynasty in 1153. It still serves noodles and rice in the city of Kaifeng, and is also the the world’s longest running restaurant. Ma Yu Ching’s Bucket Chicken House has survived numerous wars, invasions, and dynasty … Read more

No one knows an exact time or date the Ancient Chinese first use Chopsticks, but it certainly was a long time ago. Most likely when the first person was cooking the first slab of meat in a fire and needed something, a twig or stick, to pull it out. Chopsticks are first mentioned in a … Read more

If you’re talking about constantly dripping water, there’s no evidence that the technique of Chinese water torture was ever really used except in B-grade spy movies. However, other water tortures were used in China. With the real Chinese water torture, the victim had his hands tied behind his back and his head submerged in water … Read more

The Chinese jump rope isn’t really Chinese at all. It’s probably Greek. The truth of the matter is that the origin of this game is recent but relatively unclear. The game reached its height of popularity during the 1970s on playgrounds all over the globe. The materials that were generally used were either rubber bands, … Read more

From all indications, both the Chinese or the Italians invented spaghetti. And it seems that many other cultures around the world invented noodles independent of outside influence as well. The popular story, of course, is that Marco Polo brought pasta back from his trips to China sometime around 1295. However, Italian records from a decade … Read more

Sorry, no, the Chinese did not invent chinese checkers. Its first form hit the gaming scene sometime during the 1880s. It was invented in Victorian England, not China, and was called halma. Not long after, the Germans rearranged the shape of the halma board into a star and sold it as Stern-Halma. A few years … Read more

Firecrackers were invented in China totally by accident. Thousands of years ago, it’s speculated, some unsuspecting peasant in China ran out of wood for his fire and decided to pull down some bamboo and use it to keep his blaze going. Surprisingly, when the fire heated the green bamboo, the air and sap inside boiled … Read more

No Canadian was harmed in the making of that oh-so-reasonable nation. With more of a polite cough than a shot heard ’round the world, Canada’s national status was granted in 1931. There was no bloodshed, just a favorable vote by the British Parliament. Maybe other countries should learn the peaceful ways of Canada.

No, Red Square in Moscow was not named in honor of the Communists. The park in downtown Moscow has had the same name since a century before the Bolshevik Revolution. But here’s the interesting thing, it got its name from a Russian word that could be translated as either “beautiful” or “red,” but time, dubious … Read more

No, Mao Zedong was a legitimate revolutionary, not a dilettante, and was born from true peasant stock. He became radicalized while reading on the job as a library clerk at the National University in Beijing. Mao Zedong was born on December 26, 1893 in Shaoshan, Hunan province China, and was a Chinese revolutionary, political theorist … Read more

Mao Zedong’s Long March when the Red Army retreated was longer than you’d want to walk, most likely. Especially while being bombarded by Chiang Kai-shek’s air force. The Long March was a very long, slow retreat by the Chinese communist revolutionaries from southwest China to northeast China, in which they escaped encirclement and hiked 6,000 … Read more

It’s true, the dates are all wrong. On November 7, workers, soldiers, and sailors led by the Bolsheviks took over the Winter Palace, the headquarters of the provisional government, and formed a new government headed by Lenin. The Russians call it the October Revolution because to them it was still October. Although most of the … Read more

Russia didn’t switch over to the Gregorian calendar from the Julian calendar when the rest of Europe did in large part because of professional jealousy. The Gregorian calendar had been sponsored by a Roman Catholic pope. As a result, the Orthodox Russian Catholic Church dragged its feet and was reluctant to embrace it. Turkey was … Read more

It’s a little-known fact, but Woodrow Wilson did send American forces in to help the White Russians, royalists loyal to the czarist system. Along with a force of Japanese, who had long been an enemy of the Russians, American soldiers fought for two years before being forced to flee the country in 1920. Unfortunately, the … Read more

Germany smuggled the Bolshevik leaders back in, figuring it was the easiest way of getting Russia out of World War I. Even though Czar Nicholas had abdicated, the provisional government that took over continued fighting in World War I. Sowing seeds of trouble that they’d have reason to regret for decades afterward, the Germans decided … Read more

Yes, the French Revolutionary government used a ten-hour metric clock. After they won, the revolutionaries began a reign of terror in which they forced the population to convert to the horrors of metric measurement. Most people don’t know that the post-revolutionary French invented the metric system most of the world now uses for measuring weight, … Read more

When people were being executed by guillotine back then, many wondered how long the head could live for detached from the body. A scientist who had been condemned to the guillotine during the French Revolution decided to try to settle the issue once and for all. Chemist Antoine Lavoisier was one of France’s greatest scientists. … Read more

It’s a myth that Dr. Guillotin was executed by the gruesome device named after him. His connection with the death machine during the French Revolution cost him much remorse, but not his life. Dr. Joseph Guillotin was a humanitarian. He did not invent the machine that came to bear his name; he did, however, lobby … Read more

Following the death of her husband, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette plunged into deep mourning and she refused to eat or take any exercise. Before Marie Antoinette’s execution, she was paraded through the city in a wooden cart, where she was mocked and spat upon by the crowds for three hours. As she ascended the platform … Read more

According to legend, after Marie Antoinette’s beheading on 16 October 1793, the executioner lifted her severed head and slapped her face, which blushed a bright red. However, this is probably unlikely, considering how much blushing is dependent on blood moving through veins. In fact, witnesses to other beheadings described the victim’s face as immediately drained … Read more

The rabble didn’t keep great records, but it was something like 17,000 beheadings and executions that occurred during the French Revolution. Only 3000 of the executed were aristocrats and landowners, the bulk of them were peasants being punished for draft-dodging and other crimes against the revolution. Another 23,000 people died in prison or battle, their … Read more

Yes, Marie Antoinette did wear the Hope Diamond. It was part of France’s collection of crown jewels. After the revolution, they were looted, and the diamond disappeared. When it reappeared twenty years later, it had been cut from 67 carats down to 45 to disguise its origins. What happened to the missing piece or pieces … Read more

The Bastille in Paris, France was a prison that housed personal and political prisoners of the king and queen, and was built during the Hundred Years’ War. Voltaire and the Marquis de Sade had both been alumni. The number of people incarcerated there varied widely at any given time. On July 14, 1789, the prison … Read more

The story suggests Marie Antoinette was not sympathetic to the hungry plight of the French population. As it’s told, someone explained to Queen Marie Antoinette that the people had no bread and she replied offhandedly, “Let them eat cake.” However, a little digging suggests that Marie Antoinette was never that cold hearted or ignorant of … Read more

None of the accounts at the time identified any tune in particular. But about fifty years after the surrender of the British to the Americans at Yorktown, a legend developed that it was “a well known song” called “The World Turned Upside Down.” The title is so fitting to the situation that people assume it … Read more

The American Revolution inspired the French Revolution in more ways than you might imagine. The obvious link was that the heady concepts of freedom and equality traveled well over the ocean. The less obvious connection was that King Louis XVI actually helped finance the American rebels, figuring that any enemy of England was a friend … Read more

General George Washington had several horses, but he mostly rode “Nelson” and “Blueskin.” George Washington was also shot on two different occasions, enemy marksmen shot through his coat and hat, but fortunately, not through Washington himself. After the American Revolutionary War, George Washington served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to … Read more

Nassau Hall, the main structure of what would become Princeton University, was captured and recaptured three times during the heat of battle during the American Revolutionary War. Finally, British soldiers made their last stand there before American artillery convinced them to surrender, doing quite a bit of damage to the building and its furnishings in … Read more

Well, John Paul Jones certainly didn’t stick around on land for long, savoring his victories after the American Revolutionary War ended. That was partly because he had been a seafarin’ guy since the age of 12. That, and there was always a chance that a couple of old murder charges might surface and cause him … Read more

The British paid their mercenary Hessian soldiers from Germany about twenty-five cents a day, less than three dollars in today’s money, during the American Revolutionary War. That would be enough to buy a Grande Vanilla no foam not to hot Latte from Starbucks. As for food, they probably had to hunt, steal, beg or borrow, … Read more

The slaves who fought for the British in the American Revolutionary War were freed, yes, but not the ones who fought for the patriots. In fact, many southern slaveholders didn’t actively fight against the British for freedom because they were afraid that their slaves might get inspired to do the same thing. British recruiters in … Read more

Richard Stockton of Princeton, New Jersey changed his mind after signing of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, he had had qualms about signing the Declaration in the first place but had been swayed by the heady rhetoric at the convention. When captured by the British during the war, he signed an oath of loyalty … Read more

Quite a few Americans supported King George instead of the revolutionaries during the American Revolutionary War, actually, including many family members of the patriots. For example, Benjamin Franklin’s son William sent the authorities secret reports on the activities of his father until he was caught and jailed. Although opinion polls were not a staple of … Read more

The Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775 took place on nearby Breed’s Hill, just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War. The Americans were running out of ammunition when Colonel William Prescott ordered, “You men are all marksmen, now don’t shoot until you can see the … Read more

I’m sure the Samuel Adams Beer Company would be happy if you thought that it was founded by Samual Adams the patriot. It’s true that signer of the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Adams, was a brewer. However, that was long ago. The Boston Beer Company, the Samuel Adams Beer Company, which makes the beer that … Read more

Paul Revere is famous maybe because “Listen my children and you shall hear / Of the midnight ride of Dr. Samuel Prescott” doesn’t rhyme. Paul Revere was born on December 22, 1734 in Boston’s North End, and was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. “Paul Revere’s Ride,” the famous poem by … Read more

There was an awful lot of tea on those three ships involved in the Boston Tea Party protest. Participants and the mass of eyewitnesses on the shore describe a scene of near-silence interrupted only by the crack of hatchet on wooden crates and the splash of the crates in the water. This was because it … Read more

The Boston Tea Party protest by colonists in Boston was the result of a growing resistance movement throughout British America against the Tea Act, which was passed by the British Parliament in 1773. Historians say that on December 16, 1773, 50 to 100 ruffians disguised as “Indians,” complete with hatchets, ash-darkened skin, and war paint, … Read more

Pope Gregory VII declared all popes saints, but that fell away not long after Gregory VII died. Pope Stephen V (VI), during the late 800s, self-servingly ruled an even higher papal honor: “The popes, like Jesus, are conceived by their mothers through the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost. All popes are a certain species of … Read more

Well, never underestimate “progress.” The city has filled in so much of what was once the harbor that the actual site of the Boston Tea Party is now well on solid ground. The historical plaque that marks the site of the Boston Tea Party is sheepishly mounted along a freeway service road several hundred yards … Read more

So far there have been 16 Pope Gregorys in the Papacy, but only one has credit for the Gregorian chant. The first one, Pope St. Gregory the Great, served from 590-604; the last, from 1831-1846. It was the earliest Gregory to whom the Catholics attribute the chanting. However, he didn’t really invent it. It’s just … Read more

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia’s List of Popes, there have been several occasions where there was no pope in the Papacy. Usually this was for some political reason, namely infighting among the church bishops themselves, or struggles between the Roman government and the church. Take, for example, the papal election of 1241. Pope Gregory IX … Read more

All the Pope Stephens have two numbers by them because Stephen II from 752 A.D. died four days after taking office, but before he could be officially consecrated. Because of this, he was left off the official pope charts until 800 years later when church historians decided he belonged there after all. Unfortunately, this caused … Read more

Ah, yes, the Cadaver Synod, an interesting story. During the latter part of the ninth century, Pope Formosus made a number of enemies in the various palace intrigues that surrounded the popes of the time. After his death, one of his enemies was elected, Pope Stephen VI (VII). He had really tried to put the … Read more

Pope Benedict IX, known prior to his post as Theophylactus, and afterward as the Boy Pope, was only about 18 years old when his father essentially bought him the papal seat in 1032. The problem with kids is that they never appreciate what’s been given to them: He sold the papacy to his uncle in … Read more

A man named Ugolino became Pope Gregory IX at, reportedly, 86 years old in 1227. However, some historians set his birth date as only “before 1170”; others say “around 1145.” Before his papal appointment, he had a long career as a deeply devoted theologian, diplomat, and lawyer and was said to be close friends with … Read more

The cardinals are commanded to act in complete secrecy when a new pope is elected, and it is taken very seriously. If any of them blab, not only are they threatened with losing their position but also with excommunication from the church. Traditionally, the pope always had to be elected by a two-thirds majority, but … Read more

The rules for voting for a new pope after his death are that cardinals over 80 are not allowed to vote. Only 120 cardinals are allowed to vote at one time; and no cardinal under 80 can be excluded from voting. As a practical result, a pope is not allowed to appoint more than 120 … Read more

Saint Lucy is the patron saint of the blind. Saint Lucy, also known as Saint Lucia, was a wealthy Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint by Roman Catholic, and Orthodox Christians. As history tells it, she was a Roman governor who had her eyes put out because of her Christian faith. Keep your … Read more

In 1988, carbon dating established that the Shroud of Turin was made sometime between 1260 and 1380 A.D. This also confirms the first church comment on the matter that was made in 1389 A.D. When the shroud was first displayed by a nobleman, the Bishop of Troyes condemned it as a forgery that had been … Read more

Polygamy has been officially against Mormon teachings since 1890, when then church president Wilford Woodruff spoke out against the practice. Since that time, small Mormon church groups have continued to spring up, still actively professing the original polygamous teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. More recently, Polygamy has been popularized in the media with … Read more

Although it’s an intriguing common bit of anti-Mormon propaganda, it’s patently untrue. The Mormon Church did not consummate marriages at the temple during the marriage ceremony. As with all temple rites, the church holds forth that marriage rites are “sacred, not secret.” This was true in the early days of the Mormon Church and in … Read more

Brigham Young, settler of the western United States, became the Mormon leader after church founder Joseph Smith was lynched in 1844. He fervently preached that “plural” marriages were the key to a happy and healthy home. Over the course of his life, Young had 55 wives, some of whom were indeed happy. Brigham Young was … Read more

That’s an interesting result of the historic Mennonite/Amish decision that only mature adults should be allowed to become members. For older teens, too old to be ordered around like kids but too immature to commit to membership, there is a peculiar Amish, letting-off-steam institution called rumschpringes or “time out.” The teens are encouraged to go … Read more

The Pennsylvania Dutch came from Germany, actually. It was one of those funny language misunderstandings. When asked what nationality they were, the new settlers said “Deutsch.” Americans were never very good with languages. And although it was a misunderstanding, the name stuck. Many Pennsylvania Dutch are descendants of refugees from the Palatinate of the German … Read more

No, not all of the Pennsylvania Dutch were Amish. There were also Mennonites, Lutherans, and some other denominations who had heard about Pennsylvania’s tradition of religious freedom. By 1790, people of German descent made up about a third of the state’s population. Most of the original Pennsylvania Dutch are the descendants of Germanic peoples who … Read more

Before the Amish were Amish, there were Mennonites, founded in the 1530s by a Roman Catholic priest named Menno Simons. The Mennonites believed that the Reformation hadn’t gone far enough, and so they created their own churches based on the simplicity of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. As pacifist non-nationalists, they refused to swear oaths, … Read more

Well, funny thing about that. Roger Williams’ body was eaten by an apple tree that was close by, and we’re not kidding. Centuries after his death, the Rhode Island Historical Society wanted to bury Williams in a better resting place. However, when they dug up his grave, they discovered that Williams was gone, bones and … Read more

America’s tradition of freedom of religion has existed for a relatively short period of time. Some would claim that it still hasn’t arrived, but that might be overstating things a bit. Although freedom of religion was guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, court rulings held that it applied only to the federal government, leaving state … Read more

William Penn, was one of the early settlers in America who was actually pretty good about such things, and believed in freedom of religion. He was a member of the Society of Friends, they were called Quakers by their enemies, and the name eventually stuck. The Quakers had been severely persecuted in Europe, and Penn … Read more

The Puritans were English-speaking Protestants and the grim followers of Oliver Cromwell, who had gained control of England in 1649 after a bloody civil war. They got their name from their enemies who taunted them about wanting to “purify” both the Church of England and society. They were also sometimes called “Roundheads” because they cut … Read more

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella’s other big act in 1492 was exiling all 200,000 Jews who lived in Spain under the threat of death. The expulsion of Jews was part of a much larger religious “cleansing” that the two had begun 12 years earlier, when they had likewise driven the Muslims out of Spain. As … Read more

The Plymouth Colony Pilgrims got their name long after they had all died and moved on to the next new world. For two centuries, the relatively obscure little colonists had been simply called “Founders” or “Forefathers.” This changed in 1854 when a publisher got his hands on the journal of William Bradford. Bradford had been … Read more

The 300,000 cat mummies discovered in the Ancient Egyptian cemetery in Beni Hassan were dug up with tractors and sold for $18.43 a ton to an English fertilizer company. The site is located in the region known as Middle Egypt, and was primarily used during the Middle Kingdom, spanning the 21st to 17th centuries B.C. … Read more

In America, no cats were harmed in the making of the Salem witch trials. Perhaps the Salem town elders learned a lesson from the witch hunts of Europe, in which hundreds of thousands of cats were killed for being in league with the devil. As a result, the devil got his due: Rats suddenly had … Read more