Show Notes
As the clocks struck noon on February 18, 1944, the citizens of Amiens, France, heard an ominous rumbling in the air and the crackling of anti-aircraft guns. Suddenly, from a blustery, overcast sky burst a flight of British de Havilland Mosquito light bombers. Roaring along at treetop level, the aircraft followed the long, straight Avenue de la Défence Passive towards their target: the looming brick and concrete hulk of Amiens Prison. A series of deafening blasts ripped through the air, and within minutes the aircraft were gone, leaving the prison walls a smoking ruin. In the ensuing chaos hundreds of prisoners, many of them members of the French Resistance, clambered out through the breaches and into the safety of the countryside, free to continue the fight against the occupying Nazis. Ramrod 564, better known as Operation Jericho, was one of the most daring air raids of the Second World War, dramatically showcasing the Royal Air Force’s ability to carry out pinpoint strikes and work in concert with allied resistance movements. But over the past 80 years the operation has become the subject of considerable controversy, with historians questioning whether it was worth the considerable collateral damage inflicted and even the motivations for the raid itself. This is the story of one of World War Two’s most contentious aerial operations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Although you might assume that being made to wear a stupid costume, be mocked, and act like an idiot for the entertainment of fatuous rulers would be a job nobody would want- like the position of Groom of the Stool (a job which initially consisted of directly supplying the necessaries to facilitate a good and clean bowel movement to the King, as well as to monitor said fecal matter and make dietary recommendations based on what you saw there)- the position of court jester was actually an enviable one due to it involving spending so much time with those in power. And as you were often putting them in good humor and otherwise making them happy, it was a position that came with a whole slew of perks. So what was life actually like as a court jester?
Ever wonder why Austria agreed to give up its sovereignty so readily to Nazi Germany without any semblance of a fight?
In the video today, we're looking at How Do German Schools Teach About WWII? How Do the Japanese Teach About WWII? Why Wasn't There an Italian "Nuremberg / Tokyo War Crimes" Trial After WWII? How Did Germany DeNazify So Quickly After WWII. How Do They Teach the American Revolution in Britain? How do Arabic Nations Teach the Crusades? How Do British Schools Teach About the British Empire? How do The Persians Teach Alexander the Great and When in History Did He First Become Great?
In this episode of The Brain Food Show, we skip the quick fact because this one took forever to research and put together and I ran out of time. Instead we jump right into the main topic which is a very real phenomenon that popped up off and on for several hundred years called Dance Mania or St. Vitus’ Dance. While it might sound like a bit of a joke, it was surprisingly deadly at times and had a fascinating cure.