Unknown facts -Second World War

Unknown facts -Second World War

The Russians partied so hard once WWII ended, that the entire city of Moscow ran out of Vodka

• during WWII Canada gave out buttons to people who tried to enlist but were refused due to medical conditions to show their willingness to fight with the military forces of Canada
• since the end of the WWII Canada has been naming its 1000's of unnamed lakes after fallen soldiers.
• the guy who played Scotty in Star Trek shot two snipers on D-Day and was shot seven times in WWII
• Luz Long, a German athlete, gave Jesse Owens advice during the long jump. Long won the silver medal, Owens won the gold. Long was killed in WWII, but Owens befriended Long's son and served as the best man at his wedding.
• a German lieutenant, Friedrich Lengfeld, was killed by a land mine while attempting to rescue a wounded American soldier during the Battle of Hürtgen Forest in WWII. The Americans erected a monument in his honor; the only American monument placed in any German military cemetery.
• During WWII, India produced the largest volunteer Army in world history, over 2.5 million men. Winston Churchill called their bravery 'Unsurpassed', with at least 38 Indians awarded the Victoria Cross or the George Cross.
• explorers on Greenland found a P-38 aircraft used during WWII buried under 264 ft of ice. They dug it out and restored it to flying condition.
• the first time the Japanese people heard the Emperors voice on radio was when he announced Japan's surrender in WWII.
• a Japanese pilot who attacked a town in Oregon during WWII returned 20 years later to present his family's 400-year-old sword as a symbol of regret. His daughter later said, if he had received a hostile reaction, he would’ve used the sword to perform a ritual suicide by disembowelment instead.
• the U.S. government spent years holding fake arrival ceremonies honoring the return of American soldiers killed in WWII, Vietnam, and Korea to American soil, but the planes were actually empty. The ceremonies were known by staff as 'The Big Lie.'
• The Navajo code is the only spoken military code never to have been deciphered. During WWII, since only 30 non-Navajo people could understand Navajo, the US used Navajos as code talkers. They could encode, transmit, and decode a three-line message in 20 seconds, versus 30 minutes for machines.
• Henry Allingham, the oldest Briton in history, credited his longevity to 'cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women – and a good sense of humour'. He fought in WWI, worked as a engineer in WWII, and died at the age of 113.
• pizza wasn't popular in the U.S. unafter WWII, when U.S. troops (including Dwight Eisenhower) returned home from occupied Italy with an appreciation for Italian pizza.
• Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry served in WWII with a pilot named Kim Noonien Singh and lost contact with him following the war's end. Roddenberry named the villain Khan Noonien Singh after his comrade in hopes that Singh would notice and contact him.

• during WWII, the Gestapo's most wanted person was New Zealand born Allied agent Nancy Wake. Among her numerous exploits, she killed an SS soldier with her bare hands, to prevent him from raising the alarm during an undercover raid.
• the alternative history novel 'The Man in the High Castle' features a 'novel within a novel'. While the actual book is about Nazis winning WWII, the in-book novel is about an alternate universe in which the Nazis lose the war.
• In WWII the Allies used the price of oranges in Paris as an indicator of whether railroad bridges had been bombed successfully.

 

How Alan Turing Helped Win WWII

During World War II, Turing served the Allied forces by breaking German military codes, particularly those used by the German navy.

 Germany’s naval prowess was well known and rightfully feared. German U-boats didn’t only strike terror throughout Europe, but U.S. shores were also well within the German submarines’ attack range.  During the first three months of 1942, German U-boats sank more than 100 ships off the east coast of North America, in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean Sea. Many of those ships were within site of land.

A German U-boat.

Turing was in charge of Hut 8, a section at Bletchley Park (the British World War II codebreaking station) tasked with solving encoded German naval messages. He devised a range of code-breaking tools for cracking German ciphers, including an electromagnetic device called the Bombe, which countered the infamous German Enigma machine.

Enigma machine.

The Enigma machine was developed in Germany shortly after World War I to encode and decode messages, and for the next 20 years the German military refined the technology until it became the Nazis’ primary means of ciphering messages during WWII.  Enigma technology was continuously altered throughout the war, making the challenge of breaking German ciphers extremely difficult.

Enigma machine

Without Turing’s efforts and those of his Hut 8 team, the Allies would have continued to face a severe disadvantage against the German military’s superior ciphering technology.  Though it’s impossible to quantify the exact impact of Turing’s contributions, some military historians estimate that the war would have continued for at least another two years, and two million more lives would have been lost.

The Bombe was especially crucial to the Allies’ victory in what Winston
Churchill called the Battle of the Atlantic, in which German U-boats laid siege to Allied naval forces in an effort to cut off supply lines to Great Britain.  Without the ability to break German codes to determine the locations of U-boats, the Allies may very well have lost the Battle of the Atlantic, and quite possibly the war.

Prophetic propaganda.

During the Second World War both belligerent parties used the Nostradamic prophecies to discourage the opponent. In order to weaken the French morale, the Nazi planes dropped leaflets with false quatrains ascribed to Nostradamus in which the defeat of France was predicted. The operation was initiated by Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s private secretary and a fan of the occult and paranormal.

Later, the allies returned the favor and dropped leaflets in which Hitler’s defeat was prophesied, and America produced propagandistic movies.[1]

Answer taken from the chapter of this book: History of the Apocalypse - 1. The Ideological Chaos of the 20th Century

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[1]. On November 9, 1944, the movie Nostradamus IV was released in the United States of America, with a length of 11 minutes. The main theme of the movie was the name “Fossan,” which, allegedly, is connected to the rise and fall of Hitler. The name “Fossan” appears in quatrains I.58 (Fossen), III.96 (Fossan) and VII.30 (Foussan) (T. W. M. van Berkel, “Substudy World War II. American Nostradamus-movies,” Nostradamus, Astrology and The Bible, accessed December 23, 2010, World War II: American Nostradamus-movies 1938-1955).

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Major William Martin, Royal Marine...

aka

The man who never was!

(The story of how Germans were fooled into a trick where they believed they had a big lottery of secrete documents)

Operation Mincemeat was a successful British disinformation plan during World War II.

As part of Operation Barclay, the widespread deception intended to cover the invasion of Italy from North Africa, Mincemeat helped to convince the German high command that the Allies planned to invade Greece and Sardinia in 1943 instead of Sicily, the actual objective.

This was accomplished by persuading the Germans that they had, by accident, intercepted "top secret" documents giving details of Allied war plans. The documents were attached to a corpse deliberately left to wash up on a beach in Punta Umbría in Spain.

And they did cover up the whole story precisely taking care of even minute details like official declaration in local news papers too!

The success of the planting of false documents was confirmed through Ultra decrypts of German messages.

Gunner – Australia’s Alarm

During World War II a dog named ‘Gunner’ could warn Australian Air Force personnel of approaching enemy aircraft – 20 minutes before they arrived!

On 19 February 1942 Air Force personnel of Australia's Darwin Air Force base found a six month old puppy with a broken front leg under a destroyed mess hut.

The hut was destroyed in the first wave of Japanese bombings of Darwin. The doctor at the field hospital said he could not fix a "man" with a broken leg if he does not know his name and his serial number.

The male kelpie was immediately named 'Gunner' and his serial number, 0000, was assigned to him on the spot.

Gunner entered the Air Force that day and his leg was fixed and plastered. Leading Aircraftman Percy Westcott, one of the two men who found Gunner, adopted him and became his handler.

Gunner became agitated, whining and jumping every time he heard enemy aircraft approaching. What was most remarkable is that he would display this behavior 20 minutes before enemy aircraft arrived!

He was so accurate that permission was granted to sound a portable air raid siren whenever Gunner started whining and jumping.

As if that is not impressive enough, Gunner could tell the difference between enemy and allied planes and would not perform at all when allied aircraft approached for landing.

  

Most short-lived Empires in history?

Most short-lived Empires

 

1)Empire of China (1915–16)

 

It lasted from when Yuan Shikai, the first formal president of the Republic of China, and leader of the Beiyang Army, the most powerful warlord faction in China at the time, declared himself emperor and reestablished the imperial court, even styling himself a regnal name.

Toward the end of the empire’s three month duration, widespread revolts broke out in rejection of Yuan’s ambitions to reinstate monarchy and Yuan Shikai died of uremia.

 

2)The Second Mexican Empire lasted all of four years

It all began with the active foreign policy of French Emperor Napoleon III, who had grand plans for French leadership in Latin America. Unfortunately, the United States was a serious regional power with the strength to back up the Monroe Doctrine. Then, the American Civil War broke out in spring of 1861. Napoleon was quick to capitalize, landing troops at the port of Veracruz before the war was over on the pretext of collecting a large debt owed to the French government. Over the next years, France made steady gains, occupying much of Mexico and reaching the capital in 1863.

French forces bombard the fort of Puebla on the road to Mexico City

With this victory, a puppet government was established under the name of the Mexican Empire. The next year, the Austrian prince Maximilian was invited to be crowned as emperor of what was supposed to be the first state in France’s new American sphere of influence. However, forces loyal to the old Mexican Republic remained stubborn in their resistance and the war dragged on through the end of the American Civil War. The newly reunified United States immediately made it clear that it would not tolerate continued French meddling in Mexico, prompting a complete withdrawal by autumn of 1866. Without French support, the Imperial army was ineffectual. Through the following year, Mexico’s republicans were relentless, capturing Maximilian just before spring’s conclusion. He was executed on June 19, after ruling for just three years.

 

3)Sur dynasty (1540–1556).

It was established by Sher Shah Suri, a powerful general who served under the Mughal dynasty during the era of Humayun (the son of the founder of the Mughal dynasty, Babur). He managed to defeat the Mughal Emperor and establish himself as the founder of the Sur dynasty. Eventually Humayun would win back his empire by the help of the Safavids in neighbouring Iran, but despite the short duration of the Sur dynasty, it left a lasting legacy by weeding out corruption from its realms, instituting a professional and effective bureaucracy to manage the vast extent of the empire, and pacifying the situation among the rulers (who were Muslims) and the indigenous people (who were largely Hindu). Humayun would soon die after conquering the Sur dynasty and re-establishing the Mughal line to the throne in Delhi, but his successor Akbar would consolidate India based on the works and reforms carried out by the Suri Sultans.

 

 

4)Empire of Harshavardhana

The Empire of Harshavardhana, or Harsha’s empire, didn’t last too long after the emperor’s death - succession wars between his sons destroyed what Harsha had achieved over the course of his life. Thanks to the eminent historians of India, not much is known about how long it took for the empire to actually disintegrate, so the general consensus is that it died with Harsha in 647.

After his death, his capital, Kanauj was the city of contention between the regional powers for the next few centuries. The Rashtrakuta kingdom centred around Nashik in modern day Maharashtra, the Pratihara kingdom centered around Gujarat and the Pala kingdom of Bengal all tried their best to control Harhsa’s capital, and with it, the legitimacy to elevate themselves to the next empire.

5)The Danish North Sea Empire:

(North Sea Empire)

It lasted for less than twenty years in the beginning of the 11th century (1016–1035) and was entirely the creation of Knut the Great, king of Denmark.

Knut managed, through great cunning, to extend his already towering power-based, from Scandinavia to England and took practical control of not only the Norse-dominated areas of Eastern England (Danelaw), but essentially the whole of England, and pacified all of its Empire’s neighbors.

However, having conquered England, he pretty much lost real interest regarding Denmark and his empire crumbled soon after his death, when his two sons son lost control over Norway, and died in England. In 1042, England slipped out of Danish control for the last time. It would not be the end of Denmark as an empire (see: Danish Estonia + Danish colonial empire + Denmark–Norway), but it was for sure the end of the North Sea Empire.

 

 

 

 

 

Greatest Indian Emperor

*He was a King who made Emperors piss in their Pants*

Chattrapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj

Rewinding to the year 1630 A.D in India.

Shivaji Bhonsle (1630-80 A.D) also known as the "father of the Maratha nation." was born in 1630 AD, in the fort of Shivneri, 40 miles north of Pune.

His Father Shahaji Maharaj was a Chieftain serving under Adilshah,Sultan of Bijapur.

• Those days Maratha chieftains (Jagirdars or Land Owners) were originally in the service of Bijapur Sultans in the Western Deccan, which was under siege by the Mughals.
• Chieftains had revenue rights over their piece of land and had to pledge alleigance to the Sultan

A Map of India during the 1630's

Forts were of great strategical importance in that era and whoever controlled maximum number of forts had influence over surrounding lands as well as the entire Political Scene.

In 1645 , a 15 year old Shivaji captured the Torna Fort.

It was a huge incident because it marked the beginning of "Hindavi Swarajya" and the downafall of Mughal Empire.

List of Atrocities faced by Hindus living in Maharashtra under Mughal Rule (Pre-Shivaji era)

1. Levying Heavy Taxes on basic necessities like Farming,Animal Husbandry,Wells,Water bodies etc
2. Looting and pillaging of Territories conquered in war.Raping of Women,Slaughter of Children,Imprisoning Men to serve as slaves of Mughal Empire.
3. Forceful conversion to Islam and aggressive propaganda.

Tired of seeing his fellow countrymen live under oppression and face constant atrocities of Mughals Shivaji decided to change the scenario of his Motherland.

With a small council of ministers, Shivaji began managing his estate.

Shivaji was an autocrat like any one other ruler of his time, he however ensure that he did not misuse the great power vested in him. He had a council of 8 ministers, the Ashta Pradhan who assisted and was a kind of advisory council. They comprised the following.

1. Peshwa- Prime Minister, who looked after the overall welfare of the people and the state.
2. Amatya- Finance Minister, who looked after all the public accounts of the kingdom and some districts.
3. Mantri or Wakia Nawis- Chronicler who kept a daily account of what was happening in the court.
4. Samant/Dabir- Foreign Secretary who advised the king on all matters of war and peace, and those relating to foreign states. Also receiving foreign Ambassadors and envoys.
5. Sachiv- Home Secretary, who handled the king's correspondence, ensuring all royal orders were in proper style.
6. Pandit Rao- Equivalent to Muhtasib, the religious head, whose duty was to fix dates for religios ceremonies, oversee public morals and interpret religious laws,
7. Nyayadish-Chief Justice reponsible for civil and military justice.
8. Senapati- Commander in chief, who oversaw the recruitment and organization of the Army.

Here are some of his revolutionary reforms and ideas which enabled him to ease the suffering of his Masses.

Revenue

1. Did away with the existing system of taxing the farmers, through the Zamindars or Deshmukhs.
2. The Government would deal directly with cultivators and land was surveyed using a measuring rod called the Kathi.
3. The state's share was initially 30% of produce, though it was increased to 40% later on.
4. The farmer could pay the amount either in cash or kind. Similiarly for territories occupied by Shivaji, outside the Maratha region, two taxes were levied, Chauth which was 1/4th of the territory's income, and Sardeshmukhi which was an additional 10% levy on the chauth, as a tribute to the ruler.

It was of great importance to build up his Military strength in order to withstand the Mighty Mughal Empire.But he ensured that his Military had codes of conduct and discipline. He could not have the large numbers of soldiers which the ughal empire had simply because he was a king of peasants,farmers and other common folk who had no military prowess.

Military

1. 32,000 Horses ,300 Elephants.
2. Infantry and Cavalry of more than One lakh soldiers
3. The most important part of the army was the famous state cavalry. Twenty-five troopers (Well armed soldiers with Horses) under One Havaldar.
4. Use of Guerilla Warfare or "Ganimi Kava" to harass the comparitively ill-organized Mughal Army.
5. More than 300 Forts out of which 24 were of great Strategic Importance.

Some Amazing Facts about his Army ;-

• It spent 8 months on campaign, and 4 in camp. No intoxicants, women, or children were permitted on campaign.
• The army had no tents, equipage, commissariat, or provisioning. As a consequence the cavalry had high mobility. The sole exception to the tent rule was for the king’s camp. It had two tents, one of which was for his minister.
• The cavalry was composed 25% of sildars – men who provided their own mounts and arms, and the rest of Bagirs, who were assigned 3 horses for every 2 men.

Military Hierarchy

Infantry

1. 10 men, led by a Naik
2. 50 men, led by a Havaldar
3. 100+ men, commanded by a Jumladar
4. 1000+ men, commanded by a Hazari

Cavalry

1. 25 troopers (Sildars and Bargirs), led by a Havaldar
2. 5 havaldars, commanded by a jumladar
3. 10 jumladars, commanded by a Hazari
4. Several Hazaris, commanded by a Panch (5) Hazari

Senior Command

1. The supreme commander was called a Sarnobat. In other sources, he is termed as the Senapati.
2. The Sarnobat sat on the Council of Eight, which was Shivaji’s cabinet. Merit was the sole criteria for choosing council members.

Navy

1. The precise strength of Shivaji's fleet is not known.

2. According to Sources Shivaji's fleet had two squadrons, each having two hundred ships of different class.

3. The notices in English, Portuguese and Dutch records mention the number of Maratha ships on particular occasions but do not give the full strength of Shivaji's Navy. As new ships continued to be built and added to the Navy, from time to time, it seems that figures of 400 ships is not exaggerated.

4. The Maratha Navy had different types of fighting ships: Gurabs, Galbats or Gallivats, Pals and Manjhuas.

SOME FAMOUS EXPLOITS OF SHIVAJI MAHARAJ

1. COMBAT WITH AFZAL KHAN AT PRATAPGAD.

In an attempt to put down this regional revolt, Adilshah sent Afzal Khan, an experienced general and veteran to destroy Shivaji.

The fort of Pratapgad.

1. With the aid of a superior army, marched Afzal Khan, desecrating Hindu temples at Tuljapur and Pandharpur hoping to draw Shivaji to the battle field and destroy him and his small army. But instead of falling to this trap, Shivaji Maharaj sent Afzal Khan a letter, pretending that he was afraid of the mighty general and requested a meeting at Pratapgad to further negotiate.
2. On November 10, 1659, the two met in a hut at the foothills of Pratapgad, armed only with a sword and attended by a follower, as decided in the agreement earlier. But Shivaji knew that a foul person like Afzal Khan cannot be trusted as he had executed another ruler in a same way before. Hence, he wore an armor beneath his clothes, as a protection, concealing his “tiger-claw” and a dagger.

1. When Shivaji entered the hut, Afzal Khan got up and welcomed him with a hug. As predicted by Shivaji, Afzal Khan then attacked the back of Shivaji with a dagger but it was stopped by his armor. Shivaji then, quickly used his tiger-claw and inserted it in the stomach of the mighty Afzal Khan and tore it apart, thus killing him and serving a huge blow to the Adilshahi empire.
2. The defeat of the mighty Afzal Khan by the hands of Shivaji Maharaj was rewarded by an immense increase in his prestige and the faith of Marathas in him was re-affirmed.

2. ATTACK ON SHAISTA KHAN.

Lal Mahal

Shaista Khan was an uncle of the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb, who was sent by him with a well equipped army of around 150,000 soldiers to eliminate Shivaji Maharaj. Shaista Khan and his huge army invaded the Maratha territory and seized the city of Pune, establishing his residence at Shivaji’s palace of Lal Mahal.

Shivaji Maharaj decided to retaliate by attacking Shaista Khan right in the middle of his own camp. In April 1663, followed by a band of around 200 followers, Shivaji infiltrated Pune, using a wedding procession as cover and entered Shaista Khan’s quarters, killing those they found there.

The startled Shaista Khan was badly wounded as Shivaji Maharaj severed his three fingers with his sword. His life was saved as the lamps in the room were put out by one of his women.

Upon realizing that his enemies are fully awakened, Shivaji promptly gathered his men together and quickly left the camp by a direct route, while the Mughals fruitlessly searched all over. As per the plan, Shivaji and his troops disguised as their enemies and gracefully left the area.

The planning and execution of this attack was so well that it created a belief in Mughals that Shivaji possessed some kind of magical powers. This story of the superhuman deed of Shivaji Maharaj spread across the entire country. The embarrassed Mughal emperor Aurangazeb punished Shaista Khan by transferring him to Bengal.

3. ESCAPE FROM AGRA.

1. After the attack on Shaista Khan, Shivaji Maharaj captured various Mughal ports in Maharashtra and sacked the richest one in Surat.

2. Enraged emperor Aurangazeb sent Mirja Raja Jai Singh with a huge army to defeat Shivaji. Jai Singh’s forces captured many Maratha forts, thereby forcing Shivaji to sign a treaty with Aurangazeb to prevent the loss of more forts and men. In this treaty, known as the Treaty of Purandar signed on 11th June 1665, Shivaji agreed to give up 23 forts and pay a compensation of 400,000 rupees to the Mughals.

3. After the treaty, Shivaji was invited to Agra by Aurangazeb, along with his son Sambhaji. Shivaji agreed and left for Agra with his son and a few followers.

After reaching the Mughal court in Agra, Aurangazeb made Shivaji stand behind the military commanders of his army intentionally disrespecting him.

Shivaji Maharaj took this as an offence and stormed out of the court, and was then put under house arrest by Aurangazeb.

4. It didn’t take long for Shivaji Maharaj to plan his escape and again, it was perfectly executed. He faked severe illness and requested to send his contingent back to Deccan, to ensure his army’s safety. He began sending daily shipments of sweets and offerings to various saints and fakirs of Agra. This continued for several weeks and the guards began to avoid checking these shipments. Shivaji and Sambhaji hid in two of such shipments and escaped the emperor’s house arrest and fled to Maharashtra disguised as saints.

4. ANOTHER BEGINNING.

After returning to Maharshtra, Shivaji Maharaj spent some time in organizing his government and soon launched a major offensive against Mughals. He recovered major portions of the territory surrendered to Mughals just in a span of four years. He continued fighting the Mughals fearlessly with the sole objective to establish Hindavi Swarajya!

There are endless stories about Shivaji Maharaj which make him one of the greatest kings in the history of India. Even after his death, the people of Maharashtra continued to fight Moghuls even when Aurangazeb himself came to conquer the land. This was only because of the foundation of Swarajya laid down by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Epilouge:

Today, Shivaji is considered as a national hero in India,especially in the state of Maharashtra, where he remains arguably the greatest figure in the state's history. Stories of his life form an integral part of the upbringing and identity of the Marathi people. Further, he is also recognised as a warrior legend, who sowed the seeds of Indian independence.

Nineteenth century Hindu revivalist Swami Vivekanada considered Shivaji a hero and paid glowing tributes to his wisdom. When Indian Nationalist leader, Lokmanya Tilak organised a festival to mark the birthday celebrations of Shivaji,

Vivekananda agreed to preside over the festival in Bengal in 1901.

He wrote about Shivaji

"Shivaji is one of the greatest national saviours who emancipated our society and our Hindu dharma when they were faced with the threat of total destruction. He was a peerless hero, a pious and God-fearing king and verily a manifestation of all the virtues of a born leader of men described in our ancient scriptures. He also embodied the deathless spirit of our land and stood as the light of hope for our future."

—Swami Vivekanada

Rabindranath Tagore wrote in his famous poem "Shivaji":

In what far-off country, upon what obscure day

I know not now,

Seated in the gloom of some Mahratta mountain-wood

O King Shivaji,

Lighting thy brow, like a lightning flash,

This thought descended,

"Into one virtuous rule, this divided broken distracted India,

I shall bind."

His Birthplace(Shivneri)

His Royal Seal (RajMudra)

Pictures from Shivaji Museum (Satara)

So in a Nutshell..

Here's why he was a Great and Virtuous Ruler...

1. Kindness to all religions: He was kind towards people of all religions and supported their religious beliefs. This is very extra-ordinary fact as all his opposing thrones were of other religion and they were harassing Hindus. He still persisted that all religions are good.
2. Indian Freedom: He fought for freedom of the nation from the conquerors like Mughals. Mughals are not originally from India though now they are considered as part of Indian culture. He fought against foreign invaders and NOT against other religions.
3. Protecting his religion: We see now a days that respecting other religions is misinterpreted as compromising yours. Shivrai helped revive good things in Hindu culture and opposed bad things. He not only helped people who wanted to convert back to Hinduism, but also married his daughter to a converted hindu so that they not outcasted by other hindus.
4. Building a navy: For centuries, no kingdom in India bothered to build a navy. They used to rely on foreigners for naval affairs. Shivaji maharaj built his own strong navy to protect cost of Maharashtra along with sea forts to help the navy.
5. Reformulating military structure: He reformulated military organization of the kingdom. Eliminated feudal lords on which older kings used to depend on. He had a standing army for the kingdom instead of conscripts. He had a strong intelligence department which helped him plan accurately.
6. Honoring women: Shivaji maharaj had strict rules about women. Anyone dishonoring a woman used to be punished very harshly (this is where you get your cutting-of-hands and burning-the-eyes misinformation). Marathi army captured towns and camps and always sent back all the women with honor.
7. Mercy to surrendered troops: Those troops of the enemy (especially local conscripts) who wanted to surrender or join marathi army were welcome. People were judged by their intentions and abilities more than their heritage.
8. Nationalism: Shivaji maharaj believed that he was fighting for India and he inspired others for the same cause. He impressed it on his army that they are fighting for free kingdom and not for a particular king. marathi civilian population kept on fighting even when there was no king after Rajaram Maharaj's death. He also inspired Chatrasal Bundela to create his own kingdom in Rajasthan when Chatrasal wanted to join him. This shows that he didn't want people to support HIS kingdom but instead he wanted people fighting for India. He was fine with other Indian kings.
9. Amazing battle tactics: He was an amazing general. True that he fought very few battles himself (compared to total his armies fought) but he emerged victorious when greatly outnumbered, out-equiped etc. He also trained his generals to realize that it is ok to come back one step and then put up the fight again, instead of dying on the battlefield when you have clear tactical disadvantage.
10. Strong government: He really cared about the common people. He went to displease established landlords for good of common people. He created penal codes, made sure that the justice is served swiftly and impartially. People were allowed to raise the concerns to higher authority. He remade the tax structure to make farmers happy. Poor farmers were given equipments and animals for farming as a loan (interest free). People were given rations from government warehouses at the time of natural calamity or enemy attacks. Some parts of Maharashtra suffering frequent attacks from enemies were given special concessions in taxes.
11. Disciplined military: Unlike most of the armies of that time, his army was very disciplined. Troops were not allowed to keep concubines. Troops did not have their own horses and weapons. Weapons and horses were supplied from government and were property of government. Troops followed their leaders to whatever end.
12. Troops did not raid the area they were active in for food and supplies. Ration for men and horses was provided from government. (I am not talking about looting wealthy enemy cities. I am talking about looting common people for supplies which was very common back then).
13. Troops were not to harm a religious place (masjid, church, temple etc), they were not to harm or dishonor women and children. The loot of wealthy cities of enemy was properly audited and submitted into kingdom's treasury.
14. Anyone not following these rules was punished severely. This does not mean that defeated generals were punished or demoted. They were treated with honor and given new tasks when they had tried their best and displayed proper judgement.

Why Is MughaL Empire So Famous

The Mughal Empire is not a household name outside of the subcontinent. There are people in the US who believe that before the British conquered India, we all lived in tribes. Well that's OK - most people in India do not know that much about US history either. The point is that among people who do know a little bit about Indian history beyond the British Empire, the Mughal Empire is widely known. I have even seen the Mughals covered in high school text books in the US. There is a fair bit of literature on the Mughals written by Western authors, certainly more than any other dynasty that ruled India (except the British).
The founding of America had its genesis in the finding of India.

Since times immemorial, people from the world over flocked to India for her riches and her splendour. Perhaps, this is best evoked in the Mughal era from where we have chronicles and evidences of such a yearning to trade with India, to see India and to experience India. Why was Mughal India famous?


Elizabeth, by  the  grace  of  God, Defender of Faith. To  the  most  invincible and most mightie prince, Lord Zelabdim  Echebar, king of Cambaya. Invincible Emperor, The great affection which our subjects have to visit the most distant places of the world, not without good will and intention to introduce the trade of marchandize of al nations whatsoever they can, by which meanes the mutual and friendly trafique of mar- chandize on both sides may come, is the cause that the bearer of this letter John Newbery, jointly with those that be in his company, with a curteous and honest boldnesse, doe repaire to the borders and countreys of your  Empire, we doubt not but that Your imperial Majestic through your royal grace will favorably and friendly accept him. And that you would doe it the rather for our sake to make us greatly beholding to your Majestic ; wee should more earnestly, and with more wordes require it, if wee did think it needful.

- Queen Elizabeth I's letter to King "Jalaluddin" Akbar, February 1583

The world was flocking to India: from Persians to Russians, from Abyssinians to Venetians, from Chinese to the English, and the English to Spanish, Dutch, Swedes, Portuguese, Ottomans and French. Why the beeline? Why were the Mogors/Moguls/Mughals/Mongols spoken of in such awe-inspiring, grandiloquent terms? Was it power? But the Ottomans, the Shahs of Iran, the Qings of China all had power too - empire loads of it. So why the race for India? Why the association of grandeur and riches with India?

Economy

It is not strange that in terms of economic history, the Mughal Empire commanded the world's largest GDP by the time it was at its geographical peak under Aurangzeb. Good taxation, stability (at least before Aurangzeb's Deccan campaigns started) and so on, led to India commanding around 25% on average of the world's GDP, throughout the Middle and Later Mughal rules. It was often second largest (first being China), overtaking China in in the 16th century A.D. to become's the world's largest economy. India had a monopoly on diamonds, indigo and spices. Her textiles (from muslin to silks to kalamkaaris) and jewellery were in stupendous demand, her sandalwood, ivory, oils, carpets, furniture and a whole horde of things were prized. Trade naturally was the first reason for the growth of India's prominence on the world stage and by extension of the Mughal Empire's which directly ruled and commanded suzerainty from almost all of the Indian subcontinent. a trading firman from the Mughals gave access to world renowned ports along Gujarat on the West or Bengal in the East, and India's strategic location enroute to the Far East was a vital factor in foreigner's race for India too.

This was not just in terms of trade or commerce, several foreigners flocked to the Mughal court individually seeking employment as well. Perhaps, the most notable of these is Ghias Beg, a Persian courtier who sought employment in Akbar's court, rising to great heights via his daughter Nur Jehan being married to Jehangir, and his grand-daughter Mumtaz Begum (of the Taj Mahal fame), rising to become Shah Jehan's chief Queen while her father Asaf Khan served as the Commander of Armed Forces in both Jahangir and Shah Jahan's reigns.


Pomp and Celebration

The Mughals it must be remembered came from a primarily nomadic heritage. The early Mughal Emperors preferred residing in Imperial tents, as compared to palaces! They were more prone to constructing beautiful gardens (like in Kashmir and Afghanistan) than build spectacular edifices. However, post Humayun's return to India, a change took place in their lifestyle. They were the first "celeb royalty" of sorts. Amalgamating Indian customs and Islamic practices, they created an elaborate code for courtly festivals and commemorations  A ruler's anniversary of ascending the throne was celebrated in both the lunar and solar calendars. The Persian festival of Nauroz was introduced by Akbar into the court customs and had a fourteen celebration with processions on gold caparisoned elephants which all the public could see. Feats for visiting travelers included preparations brought forth in beds of rubies and emeralds. Gifts were sent daily to emissaries of other lands ranging from gold Mohurs to jewel inlaid weapons, to jewels to gems to all sorts of precious items, so much so the travelers after a some years stay in India went back home and retired from public life often.

They would report the stories of grandeur, pomp and riches in their own courts and countries spurring further interest in India and the Mughal Empire.

Past present: Ambassadors at the Mughal court

Curiosity about the World

Although little known, Mughal Emperors maintained a healthy curiosity about the world beyond India. They received people from all faiths and kinds from Jesuits to Protestants to people from the New World sent as "gifts". Some of their sons like Prince Daniyal, son of Jahangir even studied English!

The Mughals always played off the Ottomans and the Persians against each other, even though it had little to do immediately with their geopolitical interests within India. They were interested in the discoveries of the New World, even in the religious affairs of faraway lands. Consider this letter from Akbar to Philip II of Spain:

As most men are fettered by bonds of tradition, and by imitating ways followed by their fathers... everyone continues, without investigating their arguments and reasons, to follow the religion in which he was born and educated, thus excluding himself from the possibility of ascertaining the truth, which is the noblest aim of the human intellect. Therefore we associate at convenient seasons with learned men of all religions, thus deriving profit from their exquisite discourses and exalted aspirations."

In this letter Akbar chides Philip II of Spain for his policy of discrimination against Protestants, and on the futility of waging wars on the name of religion! Thus, the Mughals were actively involved in engaging other Empires, often sending them grand gifts and exchanging embassies with them.

Fig: Jahangir seated on a European style throne, holding a seamless globe in his hand, which was thought impossible to have been manufactured in medieval times until their recent discovery in Mughal India.

And thus it was, that the idea of Mughal magnificence and grandeur caught hold of the world's imagination.

"Gar firdous bar rue zaminasto; haminasto, haminasto, haminasto!"

- If there be Paradise on Earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.....

(An instance of Jahangir quoting a Persian couplet when on the ramparts of the Red Fort in Delhi.)

Sources: Ain-i-akbari, Akbarnama, Tuzk-i-Jahangiri, Alex Rutherford's novels, Salman Rushdie's Enchantress of Florence, letters of explorers like Hawkins, Fitch, Roe, Niccolo da Conti etc.

The History of Philips

We all Know  the big brand which makes a lots

 of things  PHILIPS. Though we know Philips most of us dont know where did it all start. This Giant MNC which made a profit of 700 million Euros in 2015 was founded in 1891 by 
 
Gerard Philips and his Father Frederik Philips in Eindhoven in Netherlands. Frederik Philips was a banker financed this company and the company started the production of carbon filament lamps and other electronic products in 1892. Though they started the company it was not very successful in the beginning they faced a near bankruptcy. In 1895 Gerard Philips  young brother Anton Philips who was 16 years old came into the business he was an engineer by degree but he started working in sales department.




Anton Philips was a Brilliant innovator he was the brain behind the Philips company we know today.Though Anton Philips was working in sales department he began contributing many important ideas to the company with his arrival the companies business began to grow rapidly, resulting in the foundation of Philips Metaalgoeilampfabriek N.V or simply Philips Metal filament Lamp factory Ltd and Philip Light Bulb Factories Ltd. During World war 1 Anton philips Increased the business by taking advantage of boycott of German goods in many countries.
Anton (and his brother Gerard) are remembered as being civic-minded. In Eindhoven they supported education and social programs and facilities, such as the football department of the Philips Sports Association, which is the best known.
Anton Philips brought his son Frits Philips and grandson Frans Otten into the company in their times. Anton, Otten and other family members escaped the Netherlands just before the Nazi Occupation during World War II. They went to the United States and returned after the war.

World War II

On 9 May 1940, the Philips directors learned that the German invasion of the Netherlands was to take place the following day. Having prepared for this, Anton Philips and his son in law Frans Otten, as well as other Philips family members, fled to the United States, taking a large amount of the company capital with them. Operating from the U.S. as the North American Philips Company, they managed to run the company throughout the war. At the same time, the company was moved (on paper) to the Netherlands Antilles to keep it out of American hands.
On 6 December 1942, The British No. 2 Group RAF led an air raid which heavily damaged the Philips Radio factory in Eindhoven with few casualties among the Dutch workers and civilians. The Philips works in Eindhoven was bombed again by the RAF on 30 March 1943.
Frits Philips, the son of Anton, was the only Philips family member to stay in the Netherlands. He saved the lives of 382 Jews by convincing the Nazis that they were indispensable for the production process at Philips. In 1943 he was held at the internment camp for political prisoners at Vught for several months because a strike at his factory reduced production. For his actions in saving the hundreds of Jews, he was recognized by Yad Vashem in 1995 as a "Righteous Among the Nations".

  Statue of Frits Philips in Eindhoven

 
                                                       

Philips Radio and Record players

 

Philips chapel radio model 930A, 1931

One of the first Philips home radios - Philips Radio 930A (1931) - was also known as the Chapel Radio This striking and instantly recognizable radio stands out as key in the move towards the importance of styling and design at Philips. Previous radio designs were boxy and impersonal, but the Chapel, designed by Louis Kalff, was shapely and incorporated the stars and waves of the Philips logo. The Chapel radio was also ground breaking for its time by virtue of its inbuilt loudspeaker.

Even before the advent of the home radio though and a little known fact, Philips owned its own radio station. In fact on 11 March 1927 Philips went on the air with shortwave radio station, PCJJ (later PCJ) which was joined in 1929 by sister station PHOHI (Philips Omroep Holland-Indië). PHOHI broadcast in Dutch to the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) while PCJJ broadcast in English, Spanish and German to the rest of the world.

The Philetta tube radio was produced throughout the 1950s, with slight changes made to the design each year. The radio was popular due to its simple appearance, while two lights at the front dramatically lit up the grill when in use. This timeless design was the inspiration for the updated Philips Original Radio (2012), featuring DAB and internet radio.

 

Shavers

 

The first Philips shaver was introduced in the 1930s, and was simply called “The Philishave”.
n the 1930s most electric shavers used a version of the Schick shaving system. This involved a cutter sliding back and forth within a slotted shaving head. Horowitz took a different approach, inspired by Philips' bicycle dynamo technology to create a rotary system with three blades rotating beneath a round, slotted shaving head. In the USA, it was called the “Norelco”, which remains a part of their product line today.


After the war the company was moved back to the Netherlands, with their headquarters in Eindhoven.
n 1972 Philips launched the world's first home video cassette recorder, in the UK, the N1500. Its relatively bulky video cassettes could record 30 minutes or 45 minutes. Later one-hour tapes were also offered. As competition came from Sony's Betamax and the VHS group of manufacturers, Philips introduced the N1700 system which allowed double-length recording. For the first time, a 2-hour movie could fit onto one video cassette. In 1977, the company unveiled a special promotional film for this system in the UK, featuring comedian Denis Norden. The concept was quickly copied by the Japanese makers, whose tapes were significantly cheaper. Philips made one last attempt at a new standard for video recorders with the Video 2000 system, with tapes that could be used on both sides and had 8 hours of total recording time. As Philips only sold its systems on the PAL standard and in Europe, and the Japanese makers sold globally, the scale advantages of the Japanese proved insurmountable and Philips withdrew the V2000 system and joined the VHS Coalition.
Philips had developed a LaserDisc early on for selling movies, but delayed its commercial launch for fear of cannibalizing its video recorder sales. Later Philips joined with MCA to launch the first commercial LaserDisc standard and players. In 1982, Philips teamed with Sony to launch the Compact Disc; this format evolved into the CD-R, CD-RW, DVD and later Blu-ray, which Philips launched with Sony in 1997 and 2006 respectively.
In 1984, Philips split off its activities on the field of photolithographic integrated circuit production equipment, the so-called wafer steppers, into a joint venture with ASM International, located in Veldhoven under the name ASML. Over the years, this new company has evolved into the world's leading manufacturer of chip production machines at the expense of competitors like Nikon and Canon.

 


Philips currently has  105,365 employees and has 3 divisions namely

	Philips Consumer Lifestyle Philips Healthcare Philips Lighting

                                    

                                                    World headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands

List of CEOs

Past and present CEOs:

• 1891–1922: Gerard Philips
• 1922–1939: Anton Philips
• 1939–1961: Frans Otten
• 1961–1971: Frits Philips
• 1971–1977: Henk van Riemsdijk
• 1977–1981: Nico Rodenburg
• 1982–1986: Wisse Dekker
• 1986–1990: Cornelis Van der Klugt
• 1990–1996: Jan Timmer
• 1996–2001: Cor Boonstra
• 2001–2011: Gerard Kleisterlee
• 2011–now: Frans van Houten

 Philips today has become a part of our lives and one of the Greatest electronic company in the world all started in 1891 thanks to Philips we have a lot of electronic equipments at an affordabe price.

Unknown facts about Taj Mahal

    We have all heard about one of the greatest architecture in the world TAJ MAHAL. Its one of the most beautiful buildings one will ever see. This building is the work of great Mughal architecture. This Great structure stands on banks of Yamuna river.

Taj mahal as we all know was built by shah jahan in 17th century. It is a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz mahal. The construction of Taj mahal was started in 1631 and was completed in 1653. The cost required to build the Taj mahal was around 32 million Indian rupees during that time. For the period of 22 years around 20,000 men were forced to work to build Taj mahal.

As the world and we all know Shah jahan built taj mahal for the love he had for Mumtaz mahal his 4th Wife but how true is that??. Mumtaz Mahal was beautiful no doubt but did shah jahan actually do it out of love. Shah jahan killed mumtaz husband to marry her and after she died giving birth to their 14th child he married her sister. The love that we know shah jahan had for mumtaz how true is it??

The early 17th century was a starting time for failure of The Mughal Empire. There were many reason for their decline in power. One of the most major reason is due to Conflict with the Marathas. 

Some of other reasons are

Over-expansion of the Mughal Empire

Weakness of Administration

Foreign Invasion

Agrarian Crisis

Failure of Military Strength 

Thus there began a dark period in the Mughal Empire. People were unemployed and thus were not able to pay taxes as they had no money  the Mughal Empire was practically Bankrupt. They had no money to pay to their soldiers thus army was weakened. 

Thus to recover form this Crisis Scholars in the court of shah jahan suggested him a brilliant idea by which everyone would be benefited and Mughal Empire could rise again

This was the the plan to built a structure whose construction would take ages and thus creating employment among people. This Structure Would Require labours By this The labours would get jobs which would give them money. As employment was created there would be circulation of money in the market thus starting Trade again in the region as trade would have started and people had money  to buy things they would start paying Taxes and this Went on for 20 years. 

For 20 years people were employed in building Taj Mahal and thus gave Mughal Empire the time to get back on track. These people ended up creating one of the most beautiful Structure in the world though it was started for a totally different reason and with no intention of making something so beautiful. 

The rest of the story about Shah Jahan Building it was created later on and as it was so beautiful and none of us really know Shah Jahan we believed it and continued believing it.

Taj Mahal is actually a symbol of Survival of Mughal Empire.

Image Source- Google images