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

Congrats!

Well done!!

Brilliant work!

Thanks.

I wish I'd seen this before. I attended a seminar at uni on Crockett. I remember a few things - like it seems that they did surrender at the Alamo (there was a Mexican lieutenant who wrote in his diary that Crockett was executed), and that in life he was known as David (the Davy came more from his mythologised life, in the tv series, comics and so on).

Good job, Dmitri.

Can I just add as well that I'm not sure what you mean by 'holding his father's notes'. I presume it's an IOU?

A note was an IOU.

On the question of surrender at the Alamo. Nobody is completely sure - but the story that he was executed is generally discounted. He probably died fighting.

The execution story seems to have been a propaganda move aimed at discrediting Santa Anna, who gets really bad press.

It is hard to get a clear view of the Alamo. So many really bad movies have been made about it. From them, you conclude that Davy Crockett - who called himself David, formally, but who was probably Davy to his friends - was anywhere from a tall, young man to a toothless codger. He was in his 40s. I don't know about the state of his dentistry.

From the films, you usually get the impression that Jim Bowie was a good guy, although his business deals make the Clintons look honest...

Addressing the subject of the Alamo is dangerous, especially in San Antonio. When a film was made that mocked the whole legend, locals sabotaged the camera cables.

Another source of misinformation on Crockett is the book about his Texas adventures mentioned in my last section. It is a forgery. Apparently a lot of people who should have realised this, didn't.

Oh, and a 'note' is an IOU. That was the common word for it - and still is, where I come from, which is Tennessee. We speak of a 'house note', meaning a mortgage, or a 'car note', meaning the loan on a car. You 'pay off the house note'.

I can add a footnote if the sub-editors haven't already copied it.

Sounds like your info is more up-to-date than mine, Dmitri.

I added the footnote. Thanks for noticing.

Congratulations, Dmitri!