Rama I: Founder of the Chakri Dynasty

Rama I

As the Siamese saw the fall of the once great kingdom of Ayudhya, a new kingdom rose from the ashes. Under a great general named Taksin, the Siamese saw the foundation of the Kingdom of Thonburi. It reunited the lands of the fallen Ayudhyan kingdom and began to expand its domains. It became a powerful kingdom to strike a blow to the power of its equally domineering neighbor – the Burmese Kingdom of Ava. However, Thonburi and Taksin won’t last for a century. Because only few decades, a new man rose to power and establish a new dynasty that would rule and symbolize the Siamese or Thai people, the Chakri Dynasty. It founder – Rama I – would continue the works of Taksin and built a powerful Kingdom of Siam.

Taksin: The King of Thonburi

Thonburi Kingdom

Thailand had a lot of Kings that became retrievers of independence and glory. From Ramathibodi, to King Naresuan, many Kings brought back the prestige of the Siamese Kingdoms and became respected and considered great rulers. In the 18th century, the Siamese Kingdom of Ayutthaya (Ayudhya) faced invasion and division once again. But a man born from an intermarriage rose to power and prominence to revive the unity of the Siamese people for another time and became a player to the foundation of modern Thailand.

Nuremberg Laws

Adolf Hitler

Nazis and its leader, Adolf Hitler, became notorious for their anti-Semitism. The Holocausts displayed their brutality driven by racism and hatred towards the Jews. Leading to the Final Solution and to the death of millions of Jews, during early years in power, they instituted new laws that made anti-Semitism systematic and legal and to protect the so-called superior Aryan race of Germany. These laws were dubbed as the Nuremberg Laws.

An End of an Era - The Birth of the First Republic of Brazil

Proclamation of the First Republic of Brazil

The coup of 1889 aimed in abolishing the monarchy and paved the way for the establishment of the First Republic of Brazil. On November 15, 1889, the military under Field Marshall Manuel (Manoel) Deodoro da Fonseca took over the government from Brazilian Emperor Pedro II. It was a result of the declining support for the monarchy and growing calls for the establishment of a republic.

March to the Sea: Breaking Will of the South

Devastation was the result of the five year American Civil War. The Union North and the Confederate South fought each other for slavery and other political motivations. The Industrial might of the North turned towards war and contributed to its eventual victory. The agricultural power of the South brought disadvantages but allowed for them to give a good fight. In 1864, a Union General would launch a campaign a terror campaign that would help to bring the Civil War to the end. The famous March to the Sea by General William T. Sherman would bring fear to the enemy.

William Vanderbilt: The Mistaken Robber Baron

William Henry Vanderbilt

The life of Cornelius Vanderbilt was filled with cut throat competition. A man of extraordinary energy, he build two business empires. First was a maritime transport empire. And the second was a railroad empire. Vanderbilt became recognized as a ruthless tycoon, earning the title of robber baron. However, in 1877, he passed away and left his wealth to his eldest son, William Vanderbilt. William was mostly a contradiction of his father. And his life would prove to this fact.

Kristallnacht: The Night of the Broken Glass

Burning a synagogue in Seigen, Germany (Wikimedia, Public Domain)

The horrors of the holocaust were dark chapters in the history of mankind. Millions of Jews were killed. Brutally carried out by Nazis under Adolf Hitler. Dachau and Auschwitz were just some of the concentration camps where atrocities towards the Jews were committed. But in the 1930’s there were already signs of this brutality. In 1938, the Nazis instigated the so-called Kristallnacht or the Night of the Broken Glass.