Archive for January, 2009

  • Poilu or Grognard?

    Poilu or Grognard?

    Posted on January 24, 2009 | No Comments
    Poilu (pronounced /pwaly/ in French) is a warmly informal term for a French World War I infantryman, meaning, literally, hairy one. The term came into popular usage in France during the era of Napoleon Bonaparte and his massive citizen armies, though the term grognard (grumbler)...

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  • Execution by Drowning

    Execution by Drowning

    Posted on January 7, 2009 | No Comments
    In Europe, drowning was used — more often than hanging, even — as capital punishment, at least for a time. In fact, during the Middle Ages, a sentence of death was read using the words “cum fossa et furca,” or “with drowning-pit and gallows.” Commonly,...

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