Hanns Scharff was a German nazi who was famous for being what was considered the best interrogator the nazis had, as he was able to extract information from almost every person he was given, which mainly consisted of American pilots from the 8th and 9th Air force. However, Hanns techniques were very diffrent and even a complete opposite of what you would expect from the nazis, as he didn't torture or deprive his subjects of their needs. In fact, he actually gave them privileges such as being able to roam about the court yard freely anytime they wanted, and in some cases, even let the pilots fly german aircraft for fun. At no point in his career did he ever have to resort to violence, making him actually praised for his effectiveness.

Olga of Kiev, also known as Saint Elena, was a viking queen who live from ~890-925, and ruled in territories of modern day Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. Olga's husband, Igor, was murdered after returning to the tribe of the Drevlians, which had a shaky relation with Igors empire, and murdered Igor when he requested further payment (the payment in question was tribute to Igors predecessors, to which the Drevlians had stopped paying until confronted). Upon Igors death, Olga assumed power of the throne as her son, Sviatoslav, was too young at the time. Just as Olga began to grieve for her husband's death, the Drevlians sent 20 negotiators to try and convince Olga to marry their prince (the reason for this was an attempt to keep Olga from retaliating against the Drevlians). Olga responded calmly and requested they return tomorrow so that she may gather her people to hear the news. The next day, the 20 negotiations returned in their boats, and repeated what they had requested to Olga. Her people then picked up the boats with the men still in them and peraided them through town until they arrived at the court to which they were unceremoniously thrown into a hole, their soon to be grave, with Olga mocking them as they were buried alive. Afterwards, Olga sent a request to the Drevlians to send men to help safely bring her to their kingdom, to which the Drevlians abliged. Upon arrival, Olga offered the men a bath, and when they entered the bath house, Olga herself set the door on fire and let the men burn to death. Olga sent another request for the Drevlians to prepare mass amounts of mead so that when she arrives, they may have a large feast and so she may grieve over her husband's grave. The Drevlians, again, obliged and prepared the mead as requested. Olga did go to the Drevlians and feast and grieve, however had herself and her men not indulge as much as the other attendants. When the attendants had drunk themselves to sleep, Olga and her men killed what is estimated to be 5,000 men in a single night, all of which were the party attendants. Olga would leave and return with an army at her side and a year long conflict would insue. With little results from either side, Olga would request they stop fighting and the Drevlians agreed, though stated they were still scared she still wanted revenge. Olga promised to leave them be under the condition that each house hold bring three pigeons and sparrows to her. When done, each bird had a sack of sulfer tied to their legs, with it set on fire, and released back into the city where almost every house was burned down. This would finally satiate Olga's blood lust. In ~950, Olga would travel to Constantinople and would convert to Christianity, and would then attempt to peacefully introduce her kingdom to it.

Episode 1 here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2pibBnPuHqKr07hxEMZE41

Greatest history podcast out there. Season 1 Iraq, Season 2 Cuba, Season 3 Korea!

If you haven't listened yet, get on it folks.

!fidel-cool

\-:(Explore Mankind’s True Origins & Inspire Your Imagination):- Peer into the distant past, where ancient civilizations laid the foundations of our world. Traverse the footsteps of pharaohs, philosophers, and pioneers as we unlock the secrets of antiquity. From the grandeur of the pyramids to the wisdom of ancient texts, every artifact and tale tells a story that transcends millennia. @risetv @history https://rise.tv/show/edge-of-wonder/

> During the 60s and 70s, the U.S. Air Force dropped millions of cluster bombs on Laos, many of which didn't explode initially and are still causing casualties today. Victims, including children, suffer the consequences of this devastating legacy. Despite efforts to clear the bombs, it may take a century to complete the mission. However, there is hope for Laos's future as it now has a high-speed rail connecting China, thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative, which will aid in its economic development.

Maybe the classical era too, I don't know where the start year should be. It ends in the early modern period when bordering agriculturalists like the Russians start expanding.

In other places and times agriculturalists tend to displace nomads on arable land, probably because crop farming can support a lot more people (and therefore fighters) per area.

Any explanation needs to be valid across the whole period and rely on things the nomads had that the farmers didn't. Horse archery was not new by this period.

👉 #Historia 🇦🇫 #AFGANISTÁN, 50 AÑOS DE UNA #MUERTE NO ANUNCIADA https://elmonarquico.com/afganistan-50-anos-de-una-muerte-no-anunciada @bloguers\_net @history

I heard a good bit about defections from North Korea but today was the first time I read about people decring to North Korea. Here is an interesting read about the life of one of seven U.S. soldiers to defect after the Korean War. Jenkins deserted in 1965 by crossing the DMZ expecting to the fairly quickly handed over to the Soviets and then included in a prisoner exchange back to the US. Instead, the North Koreans kept him, tortured him, turned him into a movie star (playing evil Americans) and married him to an abducted Japanese nurse. In 2005, he left (or was allowed to leave) to Japan and lived there until his death in 2017.

The articles about the other defectors are also a decent read. I found the life of James Desnok particularly interesting who seems to have quickly become a convinced regime supporter (and whose two sons are serving in the North Korean army).