ChiefsPlanet - View Single Post

Amnorix · 06-30-2010, 06:41 AM

June 26

1284. The Pied Piper leads the children of Hamelin, Germany, out of town. The full story of the Pied Piper supposedly occurred around this date in Hamelin, Germany, in 1284. The full story is that a man in pied clothing (motley-colored patches or multicolored clothing) arrived in Hamelin while it was suffering a serious rat infestation, offered the town a solution, which the town leaders agreed to. They also agreed on the price to be paid for his services. He played a musical tune, leading the rats to the Weser River, where they drowned. The town, however, refused to pay.

He returned on Saint John and Paul's and, while the adults were in church, played a tune to lure the town's children away. According to the story, he lured 130 boys and girls to a cave, and they were never seen again. Other versions have the piper leading the children to also drown in the Weser, or returning them to the town upon payment of triple the original price, or leading them over the mountaints to a far off land.

The historical precedent for the story is shrouded in time. Several interesting facts exist, however. First, the earliest written history of the town known to exist was written in 1384 and begins with the line "It is 100 years since our children left". Second, there are descriptions of a stained glass window in the Church of Hamelin which depicted the event and was first put in place around 1300. The stained glass was destroyed in 1660.

The rats, however, are clearly just a latter-day add on, with no accounts of them appearing before the middle 1500s.

Despite exhaustive research by historians, no agreement exists regarding the actual facts. Speculation includes a serial killer/pedophile who may have murdered a large number of children, or that the plague carried away a very large percentage of the town's children in 1284. More widely believed, however, is that a large number of children left Hamelin to join a migration to Eastern Europe, with the pied piper serving as a recruiter of sorts, a practice that was not entirely uncommon, in which case the parents may well have sold their children to the "piper".

1870. The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States.

1917. The first US troops begin to arrive in Europe to join English and French troops fighting WWI.

1918. The Battle of Belleau Wood. The US troops in WWI, especially the Marines, are instrumental in a victory against German forces.

1936. The first flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw-61, the first practical helicopter.

1953. Lavrentia Beria, whom Josef Stalin had introduced to President Roosevelt at Yalta as "our Himmler" is arrested by the Politburo. He will soon be executed as part of the power struggle to control the Soviet Union post-Stalin. Beria may have poisoned and killed Stalin himself, who fell ill shortly after a dinner with Beria and certain other party members, dying four days later. The poison Warfarin would have produced symptoms similar to those experienced by Stalin.

1974. The Universal Product Code (UPC) is used for the first time, to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

06-30-2010, 06:41 AM	#507
Amnorix In BB I trust Join Date: May 2003 Location: Boston, Mass. Casino cash: $10029808	June 26 1284. The Pied Piper leads the children of Hamelin, Germany, out of town. The full story of the Pied Piper supposedly occurred around this date in Hamelin, Germany, in 1284. The full story is that a man in pied clothing (motley-colored patches or multicolored clothing) arrived in Hamelin while it was suffering a serious rat infestation, offered the town a solution, which the town leaders agreed to. They also agreed on the price to be paid for his services. He played a musical tune, leading the rats to the Weser River, where they drowned. The town, however, refused to pay. He returned on Saint John and Paul's and, while the adults were in church, played a tune to lure the town's children away. According to the story, he lured 130 boys and girls to a cave, and they were never seen again. Other versions have the piper leading the children to also drown in the Weser, or returning them to the town upon payment of triple the original price, or leading them over the mountaints to a far off land. The historical precedent for the story is shrouded in time. Several interesting facts exist, however. First, the earliest written history of the town known to exist was written in 1384 and begins with the line "It is 100 years since our children left". Second, there are descriptions of a stained glass window in the Church of Hamelin which depicted the event and was first put in place around 1300. The stained glass was destroyed in 1660. The rats, however, are clearly just a latter-day add on, with no accounts of them appearing before the middle 1500s. Despite exhaustive research by historians, no agreement exists regarding the actual facts. Speculation includes a serial killer/pedophile who may have murdered a large number of children, or that the plague carried away a very large percentage of the town's children in 1284. More widely believed, however, is that a large number of children left Hamelin to join a migration to Eastern Europe, with the pied piper serving as a recruiter of sorts, a practice that was not entirely uncommon, in which case the parents may well have sold their children to the "piper". 1870. The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States. 1917. The first US troops begin to arrive in Europe to join English and French troops fighting WWI. 1918. The Battle of Belleau Wood. The US troops in WWI, especially the Marines, are instrumental in a victory against German forces. 1936. The first flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw-61, the first practical helicopter. 1953. Lavrentia Beria, whom Josef Stalin had introduced to President Roosevelt at Yalta as "our Himmler" is arrested by the Politburo. He will soon be executed as part of the power struggle to control the Soviet Union post-Stalin. Beria may have poisoned and killed Stalin himself, who fell ill shortly after a dinner with Beria and certain other party members, dying four days later. The poison Warfarin would have produced symptoms similar to those experienced by Stalin. 1974. The Universal Product Code (UPC) is used for the first time, to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
Posts: 43,125