What they didn’t say in school about Battle of Hastings

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

If you had World History in Junior or Senior High School, you were probably told that William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.  Well the title ‘Conqueror’ was given to him by history. About the time of the battle he was more commonly known as William the ba54ard, Duke of Normandy.  But they wouldn’t put that in a school book.

[bgavin]

There is a whole lot of other stuff not in the history books at high school as well.

The Japanese treatment of POWs with glass rods comes to mind.

How many high school kids are taught about Nazi concentration camps.
How about the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry?
How about the slaughter of American Indians and the collection of their genitals for public display and hat band ornaments?

[DocWard]

1 hour ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

If you had World History in Junior or Senior High School, you were probably told that William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.  Well the title ‘Conqueror’ was given to him by history. About the time of the battle he was more commonly known as William the ba54ard, Duke of Normandy.  But they wouldn’t put that in a school book.

I had a history professor who was rather fond of using William’s earlier name. It is also worth noting that Harold and his men won a hard fought battle at Stamford Bridge, then essentially force marched to Hastings to fight William. It is entirely possible that they were tired and beat up from the ordeal.

[Alpo]

My freshman year of college world history professor told us of William the Bastard, Louie the Fat https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_VI_of_France and somebody the Bald. Can't remember his first name. It's been 50 years.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

29 minutes ago, Alpo said:

My freshman year of college world history professor told us of William the Bastard, Louie the Fat https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_VI_of_France and somebody the Bald. Can't remember his first name. It's been 50 years.

Charles

[Subdeacon Joe]

William the Ursurper, as my 10th grade World History instructor called him.

 

As I recall, Harold had his huscarls as his center,  with the fyrd making up his flanks in a U shape on or near the crest of a hill.

 

William's forces made several attacks up the hill, only to be driven off each time.   But he noticed that the fyrd making up Harold's left flank were undisciplined,  changing down the hill in pursuit,  each time going a little further out than the last time.   So he set a trap, attacked and drew back on his right (Harold's left) in a way to draw out the fyrd to the point that they were detached from the center, then hit from the side with cavalry to cut them off while at the same time having his infantry turn and reengage from the front.  This took away about a third of Harold's forces.

 

 

[Tell Sackett SASS 18436]

3 hours ago, bgavin said:

There is a whole lot of other stuff not in the history books at high school as well.

The Japanese treatment of POWs with glass rods comes to mind.

How many high school kids are taught about Nazi concentration camps.
How about the internment of Americans of Japanese ancestry?
How about the slaughter of American Indians and the collection of their genitals for public display and hat band ornaments?

You think the Indians never slaughtered any pioneers???

[bgavin]

You think Americans are lily white and pure in their actions?
Nobody is.

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

5 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

If you had World History in Junior or Senior High School, you were probably told that William the Conqueror defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. 

 

And that would have been entirely correct, which is why he was called William the Conqueror. I don't think there was any confusion at all that the title came as a result of the battle. I was never confused anyway.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Don't forget Fatty of Arbuckle.

 

[Trailrider #896]

I am far more concerned about what isn't being taught in highschool and college history courses: The facts that presidents can NOT raise or lower taxes without passage of legislation by the House and then the Senate; the fact that a president CANNOT employ the U.S. military within the United States, except under extraordinary circumstances, using the National Guard in times of riot or rebellion. Look up the provisions of posse commitatus. And a bunch of other stuff about how our government is at least supposed to work. 

 

If these things were taught to the majority of voters, the B.S. advertised on the media would get laughed out the door!

 

Meanwhile, Go, Broncos! 

[TN Mongo, SASS #61450]

The Fatty Arbuckle murder trial was quite the scandal back in the day.

 

Arbuckle was the defendant in three widely publicized trials between November 1921 and April 1922 for the rape and manslaughter of actress Virginia Rappe. Rappe had fallen ill at a party hosted by Arbuckle at San Francisco's St. Francis Hotel in September 1921, and died four days later. A friend of Rappe accused Arbuckle of raping and accidentally killing her. The first two trials resulted in hung juries, but the third trial acquitted Arbuckle. The third jury took the unusual step of giving Arbuckle a written statement of apology for his treatment by the justice system. (Wikpedia)

 

I never was a big history fan until college. I was fortunate enough to have several very knowledgeable professors who taught the "unvarnished version" of European and American history. I was hooked. I read everything I could find. The more scandalous, the better. I retired after teaching history at the secondary level for just shy of 45 years (mostly Advanced Placement U.S. history). I didn't sugar-coat things. I think the majority of my students appreciated hearing the real story, warts and all.  Even with all the ugly and brutal things that people did too various groups of people in our past, we are still the greatest country to ever exist. We have learned from our mistakes and have strived to be a better country in spite of our past.

 

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

I've always been a bit sceptical about statements about 'what we weren't taught in school', along with an implication that things were withheld, then followed  by the 'example'-- which is always something that I in fact learned in school or in school days.

[watab kid]

the fatty arbuckle reference reminded me of the other big scandal of those times was the black dahlia murder , hadnt thought much of those in years