Posts by tag Wars

Hello everyone It's been a long time since we've seen each other in this category, and I think most of them don't remember its existence at all. However, yes, let me briefly remind you. Here I am talking about various things (especially those related to history or ideology) from a point of view that may seem strange to many, but which I support to one degree or another. 

Today, the topic of conversation is the nuclear bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US Air Force, which were imprinted on culture and society and became the first and last (hopefully) use of nuclear weapons during an armed conflict. But what if I tell you that I consider these bombings justified in that particular case? Why? Let me explain it to you.

Let's start with a short preface. War is bad. Any situation where it's not about literally saving your own life (but that's a debatable issue, let's not go into it). And anyway, as they say, Make love, not war.

However, it is also worth noting the fact that any historical event or phenomenon should be viewed precisely from the perspective of what was happening at that time around. Therefore, we will proceed precisely depending on the point of view of the current and ongoing war for more than one year. 

So why do I think the bombing is justified? For myself, I have identified three reasons (which are formulated in detail on the same Wikipedia, but I will only briefly present them to you in my own words and from my position).

Reason 1: The preference of bombing over invasion and the rapid surrender of Japan

I think it's no secret to many that the militarists in Japan did not want to capitulate in any way. The Emperor had almost no influence on the situation (according to some statements, he was completely against the initial hostilities), and the Japanese were gradually preparing to land on the territory of their native islands.

And now imagine if the cleansing of the Japanese on small islands could last several weeks and spent an extremely large amount of material and human resources, what would an attempt to land on the islands of Japan itself cost? 

Do you remember the stories of how entire Japanese units in the Pacific and the Philippines resisted for years after the official surrender? Imagine what would have happened in their native land after the occupation. The Germans, who for the most part are less fanatical than the Japanese, did a lot of harm (for example, the same partisans from the Werewolf). Imagine what kind of casualties and instability there would have been after the Japanese occupation.

The number of victims from terrorist attacks, attacks by guerrilla groups and other similar activities, even if it had not reached the number of victims of the bombing, it would still have been noticeable.

Reason 2: Saving a large number of lives

Yes, it sounds paradoxical, but it's true. 

In addition to the fact that there would have been noticeably more deaths among the civilian population in Japan itself (even without nuclear warheads, Japanese cities could have been remarkably destroyed by conventional ammunition and fires, which was actively happening, but would have acquired much greater proportions), this would have affected people in the territories occupied by Japan.

China, Korea, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, everywhere there were mass killings of civilians (and extremely sophisticated ones at that), mobilization of labor resources, and other war crimes. With the surrender of Japan, all this stopped. If she hadn't capitulated, the additional number of victims would have been in the millions. 

Reason 3: Legitimate goals and an act of retaliation

The Japanese were known for using the entire or almost the entire population for military purposes. Children and women worked for military enterprises and were sometimes even happy about it. As a result, in the conditions of the so-called "total war", the division into justified and unjustified targets for destruction is very problematic.

Yes, and mentioning the atrocities committed by the Japanese. They are usually omitted for the sake of ethics, but I will list some anyway (especially about squad 731), because it is better not to read for the faint of heart. So that's what they were doing: dissecting living people, killing people in pressure chambers, frostbite on limbs and causing gangrene, and so on and so forth. And even without taking into account this particular detachment, the mass killings of civilians and prisoners of war by the Japanese can be noted.

Therefore, people needed something like this as an act of revenge (and quite humane, compared to what the Japanese themselves were doing). However, there may already be a conversation about collective responsibility (relevant today), which is oh so difficult.

Well, it turned out that way.

The main problem, of course, is the very perception of Japan and the Japanese. Japan now and Japan 80-100 years ago are completely different countries. Therefore, it should be assessed in such a way that they bombed not the Japan that we know, but a completely different one.

For now, that's it for today. What do you think about this? It will be interesting to find out!

Most often, mummies are associated with Ancient Egypt, occasionally America, but not Europe. Well, today I will tell you about the oldest currently known mummy from Europe. 
Just in case - it's better not to eat while reading this post;)              

Location history
The mummy was discovered by two German tourists in September 1991 in the Alpine Mountains in Tyrol (Italy). The mummy was well preserved due to the fact that it was frozen in ice. The true age of the body was determined only in the morgue of the city of Innsbruck (Austria). 

It is noteworthy that almost immediately disputes began about the ownership of the mummy, as it was found almost on the border of Italy and Austria. After it was completed by scientists at the University of Innsbruck (Austria), it was placed in the South Tyrolean Museum of Archaeology in the city of Bolzano (Italy).

The location of the mummy (marked with a red dot)

Examination of the mummy
The estimated age of the mummy is 5,000 years. That is, Etzi lived around the 3300's BC.

At the time of death, Etzi was approximately 165 cm tall, weighed 50 kg, and aged 45-46 years.
The ice that covered the body immediately after death ensured its relative safety. 

Bran, roots, fruits, as well as meat (presumably chamois and deer) were found in Etzi's stomach and intestines. Most likely, he took food about two hours before his death. 

After examining the proportions of the shin, hip and pelvis, the scientists concluded that Etzi often had to travel for a long time through hilly terrain. As a result, it was assumed that Etzi was a mountain shepherd.
57 tattoos consisting of dots, lines and crosses were found on the body of the mummy. It is noteworthy that they were not made with needles, but by making small incisions, into which charcoal was then poured.

It is also interesting that Etzi is not the ancestor of any modern people.

The appearance of the mummy (it's just a mummy, not a mutilated body - do not ban:(( )

Clothing, shoes and equipment
Etzi wore a woven straw cloak, as well as leather "coats", a belt, trousers, a loincloth and "moccasins". He also had a bearskin hat and several other items of clothing.

His shoes were wide and waterproof, which allowed him to walk safely in the snow. He also tied soft grass around his feet, which could play the role of a kind of "socks".

A bag with useful things was sewn to the belt: a scraper, a drill bit, flint, a bone awl and a dry mushroom used as tinder.  

Of the equipment Etzi had: a copper axe with a yew handle (the only well-preserved axe of ancient times), a stone knife with an ash handle, a quiver with 14 arrows with bone tips and viburnum and dogwood shafts, as well as a 182-centimeter yew bow, berries and two baskets made of birch bark.

An approximate image of Etzi along with all his equipment

Facts from Etzi's life
Having reached the age of about 45, Etzi was considered one of the oldest in his society. His body showed clear signs of aging: joints were worn out, blood vessels were in the process of calcification. In addition, the 12th pair of ribs was not found, which is a rare anomaly in our time.

Analysis for the presence of metal in the hair structure showed that Etzi's hair contained much less lead than that of modern humans, and, conversely, more arsenic. Etzi may have lived in places where arsenic bronze was processed and copper was mined.

Also, scientists using computed tomography were able to reconstruct the cervical spine of the mummy and measure the larynx and vocal cords. Based on this, Etzi's exemplary voice was recreated.

Circumstances of death
The ancient man was found to have spinal injuries, broken ribs and nose, a frostbitten toe, a damaged right arm, as well as bruises and wounds all over his body.  

The basic theory says that a two-day battle between two communities took place in the mountains. Perhaps Etzi was saving one of his wounded tribesmen, and also fighting off two more enemies (the blood of four people was found, one of them was Etzi himself). It is known that an arrowhead was stuck deep in the shoulder of the mummy, which could not be pulled out during his lifetime. 

It is also unknown whether Etzi died immediately on the "battlefield" or was buried later.

The moment of Etzi's death in the artist's fantasy

Etzi's mummy is an amazing find, which is considered one of the most interesting in recent times. I hope you were interested. 

Thanks for your attention!