Tanks that Shaped WWII - Panzer IV

Panzer IV

Russia, 1941 – the German tanks led the advance to the Russian tundra under Operation Barbarossa. Hitler desire to crush the heart of communism and to gain the huge oil supply in the Caucasus. Among the tanks that pushed back the Red Army was the Panzer IV. Tanks shaped World War II. It moved battles from trenches to open plains. Mobility overtook static strategies. And the Panzer IV was among the tanks that played during World War II.

Household Responsibility System: Changing the Face of Rural China

Deng Xiaoping

A nation mourned the death of its leader, Mao Zedong, and later would begin the revitalization of its agriculture. During the time of Mao, China’s farmers faced restructuring and famine. But upon the death of founder of the PRC, a new leader rose. A more practical and more pragmatic, Deng Xiaoping would fix the problems left by the previous regime. Among his priorities was fixing the livelihood of the many peasants in the Chinese countryside. His answer for lack of unproductivity and inefficiency was the Household Responsibility System.

Ranavalona III: The Last Sovereign of Merina

Ranavalona III

The desire of the French for Madagascar erupted in last month of 1883. Months into the middle of the war, the Queen, Ranavalona II, became ill and died. Upon her death, his husband, the real power in Kingdom, and Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony looked for another Queen. He found it in form of a niece of Ranavalona II who became to be known as Ranavalona III. Her reigned would be the last of the Merina Dynasty and its Kingdom.

Sea Beggars: The Foundation of the Dutch Navy

William "the Silent"

In the upheavals of the Protestant Reformation, the Spanish Netherlands of Philip II saw the rise of a new world power. The Dutch sought to make their own destiny. A destiny impossible under the Spanish hegemony. As a result, a war that would last over eighty years rocked the Low Countries. At the front of the conflict were group of seafarers that would later lay the ground work for the Dutch navy – the Sea Beggars.

The Rashidun: Ali ibn Abi Talib

Ali ibn Abi Talib

In 656, the reign of the third caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, Uthman ended bloody. The nepotism and rise of corruption of Caliph Uthman caused dissent and chaos within the Islamic community. Then, Mohammad ibn Abu Bakar, son of Caliph Abu Bakar, led the murder of Caliph Uthman. The Caliphate then fell in the hands of son-in-law and cousin of Prophet Mohammad, Ali ibn Abi Talib. His reign saw the rise of division and chaos.

Conrad Van Houten: Start of a Chocolate revolution

Conrad van Houten

Ever since, the time of that Hernan Cortez brought back cacao beans from the Americas, it became a luxury across Europe. From Spain it spread across to France and into the court of the extravagant court of Louis XIV. It then spread to other countries, to the Swiss, the Dutch, and later, the British. More and more ways of processing chocolate developed. Among the most pioneering was a Dutch chocolatier and engineer, Conrad van Houten.

Cohongs: Domination of Trade

The Thirteen Factories (1825)

China’s rulers were anxious about the proselytizing of the Christians in its ports. In the mid 1700’s, the Manchu Qing government decreed that all foreign trade of China would only pass to the ports of the southern city of Canton. And in Canton, only few were allowed to transact with the outsiders. Those who were only allowed to mingle with the western traders were called Cohongs (Kohongs or simply Hongs). They would serve as intermediary between Beijing and the Europeans.