h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Ides of March - A3716985
Author: radioactiveBIGAL1 - on a different planet. Keeper of Mnemonics and of the Renowned Glowing Pickle - U723247

Yet another Entry which wasn't on my list of 'Entries to Write'.

I was stimulated to write it having discovered that 'The Ides of March' don't appear in the h2g2 calender. Also, I have a soft spot for 'The Ides' , being a Piscean.

In trying to find things to link to I was surprised to find no EG Entries for Julius Caesar, calender, Rome, Pompeii, and some others.

I'm not a historian so I'm sure I've made errors.

I was thinking of writing an article on the 'Liberators' (the 22 men who stabbed Caeser a total of 23 times, the extra time being for Trebonius who was delaying Mark Anthony outside Pompeys Theatre where the Senate was meeting) but if there isn't 1 on Julius Caeser to link to it will be a lot more work. I came across another name for the soothsayer in a historical novel. I'll google it and see if it was a real person or just artists licence.

Its a good article and explains the Ides of March well but I can't see Caeser forgetting when they were. It would be like us forgetting the days of the week.

Hmmm. Advice of others could be required, but maybe you'll need to work a little on rewording this to differentiate it from source articles.

One way to make it more original could be to add material about other events on the date. March 15th is oddly portentous. It also marks the death of Ivan the Terrible (1584), the abdication of Tsar Nicolas and hence the fall of the Romanovs (1917), Hitler's proclamation of the Third Reich (1933) and the bloodiest officially-recorded day of Stalin's purges, with Bukharin and seventeen party colleagues shot (1938).
As if that isn't enough, 15th March was Taylor and Burton's (original) wedding anniversary, which could be used as a suitably-quirkish route back to Caeser.

Hmm, I'll consider that PP. It was also the aniiv of Test Cricket!

Hey PP, The more I think about it the more I like your comment about Taylor vs Burton. I may well do that.

Pinniped, Nice idea, but some of your ideas don't hold water.

My sopurces state that the death of Ivan the Terrible was March 18th. A website about important dates in the history of the Third Reich says nothing about March 15th, and I haven't yet managed to confirm an exact date for the bloodiest day of Stalin's Great Purge.

I'll leave the para in my Entry for the time being, though whilst I continue the research.

According to Wikipedia, Bukharin was shot on March 13th 1938, i.e. not the Ides.

Hi



I enjoyed reading this, I don't know anything about it, but I enjoyed reading it.

Z.

I'm still 'massaging' it a little.

I've no idea at all what this Entry is about BigAl, Hmmm maybe I've led a sheltered life. but I can tell you there is an Entry on Pompeii - A371422 (I've used it in my Thimbles Entry.)

And two very minute points

'the Ides of March? ~ 'the Ides of March'?

And, BigAl, you have done enough Entries to know to use single quotes not double quotes

Emmily

I think I removed the double quotes before you posted Emmily - but I'll check.

Dont think Ides of March neewds to be inside inverted commas. It isn't anywhere else.

(, this was supposed to be part of my previous post, but it sent itself without being asked!

well, you didn't check very well Teach, it's still there

>"Cry "Caesar!" Speak. Caesar is turn'd to hear."

and something I missed before; spaces here >"Caesar:Who" and here >"Soothsayer:Beware"

Emmily

iI 've tried inserting those spaces; it's s'thing to do with the italics. I read about this sort of problem (on Mort's Entry on Dentition in Pets' I think), but can't remember how she cured it.

Try inserting this;   where you want the space.

If you need it again, it's on my space, I posted it to myself 'GuideML: Space between links'.

Emmily

Well, I just tried that and got 'Error in Guide ML - illegal use of ampersand'.

Did you copy it correctly?

 

Try again, it does work, I've used it a few times.

It's come from Mort, so it's kosher.

Emmily

Well I copied and pasted it, and I've tried pasting it both outside and inside of the code, and I still get 'illegal use of ampersand'.

It's this sort of thing that causes me to lose patience with h2g2!

I tested it in one of my Entries, no probs. So I'm mystified.

I'll copy that section to an Entry and see if I get the same.

Sometimes individual Guide Entry don't follow all the 'codes' I've had that with mine.

Emmily

Looks like you're right about Ivan

Several sources confirm the Hitler one (including this curiosity - shudder) :
http://www.iln.org.uk/iln_years/year/1933.htm
The exact date looks contestable, however. The account reads like he proclaimed it several times starting from about January.
An even better one, though : 15 Mar 1939 is the day the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia.

Bukharin and Co. is easy to check too. These were the executions that resulted from the Third Trial.

I'd say that if you want two more dark anniversaries that nobody will argue with, go for Bukharin et al and the Invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Ok BigAl I found the problem. I think.

Caesar: Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue, shriller than all the musicCry 'Caesar!' Speak. Caesar is turn'd to hear.
Soothsayer: Beware the Ides of March.

Move the : to the other side of the and the space will show, well it worked in my GE.

Emmily