Tuesday 9 September 2008

First Post....We are up and running.

My father in law suggested to me today that I should have my own History blog since I am so interested in the past, and am looking for potential research projects when I finish my Masters. So here I am. I have done some research today and found this rather amusing.

http://timesonline.typepad.com/alphamummy/2008/09/20-most-controv.html

I want to know where Anne Boleyn was. Left out from this list and yet, I feel, rather controversial nonetheless. Or does encouraging your husband to divorce his wife and break away from the church not count. Still it was an article that made me giggle particularly since Sarah Palin made the list. Surely more controversial women have walked the earth.

2 comments:

Mike Tea said...

Not many people follow my advice these days so I feel quite flattered really. And such a good start I had to make a comment.

Boudicca was only controversial to the Romans; the rest of us thought she was quite good really, though I don't know about having her for a mother-in-law.

If Elizabeth was controversial at all it was for beating the odds, proving herself to have the heart of a man, and beating the pants off the Spanish both in politics and in the sea. Good controversial all-in-all.

Madame Moa was her husband's dog. In Jung Chang's excellent biography of the tyrant she describes how, when Mao was on his death bed, his wife stood behind him for fear he would see her because she was banished from his presence. She bit the wrong person perhaps. Controversial cowardice it seems to me.

Eva Peron - well let's not cry for her.

Benazir Bhutto was a doll and perhaps the best leader Pakistan ever assasinated (she would say that honour should go to her father of course)

Hilary Clinton would just like to be controversial.

Sarah Palin. Has controversial been redefined to include her?

Boleyn should have been in the list and any self-respecting compiler would have included her. My mate once wrote a song about "Ann of a thousand days". Quite good though it never got published and I only remember a snatch of it these days.

Why don't you compile your own list? Then I can say I get listened to more than occasionally.

Anna said...

Thank you. When I saw the list I felt I had to make comment about it, generally I find these things rather amusing.

I have been thinking of a list of my own (although I will also then have much reading to do) Anne will be there for certain. It is a post for the future.

Glad your liking. This site has just gotten started I am raiding my list of sites and sources, and finding new ones as well. I also have a few ideas for posts, like reviewing new academic journal articles (the pick of them at least) and such. It is going to be alot of fun!! If you find anything when you're researching and you think I could use it then pass it on.