“In 390 BC, an army of Gauls led by Brennus attacked Rome, capturing all of the city except for the Capitoline Hill, which was successfully held against them. Brennus besieged the hill, and finally the Romans asked to ransom their city. Brennus demanded 1,000 pounds (327 kg) of gold and the Romans agreed to his terms. Livy, in Ab Urbe Condita (Book 5 Sections 34–49), recorded that the Gauls provided steelyard balances and weights which were used to measure the amount of gold. The Romans brought the gold and noticed that the provided weights were fixed. The Romans complained to Brennus about the issue. Brennus took his sword, threw it on to the weights, and exclaimed, ‘Vae victis!’ The Romans were forced to bring more gold to fulfill their obligation.”

Wikipedia entry on “Vae victis” as of Sept. 8, 2014

"Pale Ebenezer thought it wrong to fight/ But Roaring Bill (who killed him) thought it right"

Hilaire Belloc, "The Pacifist"
 

Uploaded by John Robson on 2017-09-19.

Making the first solo crossing of the Atlantic in a gas balloon in 1984 rather missed the golden age of ballooning, and it's an achievement with a few asterisks attached. But it's still a heck of an achievement by Joe Kittinger, and reminds us there are so many ways there are to excel in so many areas.

Two naval battles that began on August 30 remind us of the outsized geopolitical importance of the West.

With regret I have decided no longer to contribute my “It Happened Today” pieces to Rebel Media.

I very much appreciate what Ezra Levant and others in the organization have done to challenge conventional wisdom and defy political correctness and am grateful for the opportunity to be part of it. But I now find the tone too unconstructive and think The Rebel has drifted too far from its mission of covering the news from a refreshing perspective.

If you enjoy the “It Happened Today” feature please contribute on my website if you are not already a backer and we will continue to publish them.
 

My latest for The Rebel.

John Robson of TheRebel.media reflects on Missouri entering the union as a slave state and the impact this had on American history. MORE: https://www.therebel.media/today_in_history_choosing_missouri_over_principle_1821 Subscribe to the Rebel's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/RebelMediaTV PLUS http://www.Facebook.com/JoinTheRebel *** http://www.Twitter.com/TheRebelTV More from John Robson: https://thejohnrobson.com/

My latest for The Rebel.

John Robson of TheRebel.media explains how the German army got its nickname "the Huns" during the Boxer rebellion. MORE: https://www.therebel.media/today_in_history_who_said_hun_1900 Subscribe to the Rebel's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/RebelMediaTV PLUS http://www.Facebook.com/JoinTheRebel *** http://www.Twitter.com/TheRebelTV More from John Robson: https://thejohnrobson.com/