Article: Canada – Origins of Province and Territory Names

The link below is to an article that takes a look at how the various provinces and territories of Canada got their names.

For more visit:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31071/how-canadian-provinces-and-territories-got-their-names

Article: Guernsey – German Military Underground Hospital

The link below is to an article that takes a look at a German Military Underground Hospital built during WWII on Guernsey, a territory of the United Kingdom.

For more visit:
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/german-military-underground-hospital

Article: A Bit of Baltic and Polish History

The link below is to an article looking at the boundaries of the Baltic and Polish states. It looks at the history of the territory in these countries.

For more visit:
http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/576-baltic-ifs-and-polish-buts

Today in History: 20 May 1902

Cuba: Independence from the USA

On this day in 1902, Cuba received its independence from the United States, having been previously a territory of Spain until the conclusion of the Spanish-American War which ended in 1898.

For more, visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba

Today in History – 11 May 1867

Luxembourg Independence Maintained

Luxembourg, known as the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a small country in western Europe bordered by Belgium, France and Germany. It has a population of about 500 000 people and is almost 1000 square miles (2 586 square kilometers) in size. It’s ‘life’ began as a small fortress in 963, from which a town developed and eventually the state of Luxembourg.

Luxembourg lost its initial independence in 1437 and from that point it was ruled by various states, but regained a form of independence following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815. From then however, it lost territory and was greatly reduced in size. Its independence was affirmed with two treaties, the first in 1839 and the second on this day in 1867, following what
is known as the Luxembourg Crisis.

For more on Luxembourg:
http://www.luxembourg.co.uk/
http://www.luxembourg.com/

 

Today in History – 29 April 1672

Louis XIV: Franco-Dutch War – France Invades the Netherlands

The Franco-Dutch War was more than a war between France and the Netherlands, then known as the United Provinces. It involved a host of other nations including Sweden, Spain, England and other less known regions/countries. The war lasted from 1672 to 1678 and ended with the Treaty of Nijmegen.

This day in 1672 saw the beginning of the war with the French invasion of the United Provinces and they quickly made progress into the country. However, as the war continued it quickly became a stalemate-type situation, though the French did gain territory from the Treaty of Nijmegen.

For a more detailed treatment of the war, see the Wikipedia page at:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Dutch_War