Watched "They shall not grow old" a Peter Jackson Documentary on WW1.
I still can't believe how Serbian killing an Austrian started a series of events, which led to an entire Generation of New Foundlanders dying in France, fighting the Germans
There are tonnes of books, movies, videos, documentaries, TV shows about WW2.
But there is actually very little about WW1. A war which had similar human causalities as WW2.
This documentary goes a long way in addressing that.
It's truly an epic watch.
Particularly amazing is the part concerning the Battle of Somme. What I consider the worst battle in modern era.
A battle in which Soldiers were ordered to carry a 70 kg bag and walk towards the enemy, while they fired on you with Machine Guns and Artillery.
How the Future of India and USA, was determined by the inability of the Austrian Kings Joseph I and Charles VI, to produce male heirs..
When Joseph 1, died of smallpox in 1711, he had two daughters but no son. As a result, his brother Charles VI, succeeded him on the throne
Given that it was 1700s and the presence of a Son was considered paramount for succession, and the Salic law, in effect at that time barred women from inheritance, Charles VI was the last male heir to the throne, unless Charles VI had a son.
Which he didn't.
But he had 2 daughters, Maria Theresa & Maria Anna. Realizing that his kingdom would be divided on his death, he decided to change the law, and allowed his daughters to inherit the kingdom
Which was pretty sad for thhe daughters of his elder brother, Joseph, who he disinherited
It's good that Indian government wants to become self sufficient in production and manufacturing. But merely reiterating it at every juncture won't suffice. I sincerely hope that the govt takes some lessons from WW2, on manufacturing transformation.
When US went to war in 1941, the defence situation was ultra bad. The army didn't have enough guns & they were manufacturing only 3000 planes. On the other side was Nazi Germany who were already in the war for 2 years by then and were technology pioneers
However, in the next three years, US took such a leap, that they built more tanks, ships, aircraft in One year, than what their enemies built in six years.
In fact US built more shipping in the first half of 1944, than what Japan managed in seven years.
Hyundai's Journey In India, from being a competitor to Maruti both in Price and Quality to becoming a manufacturer, who can get away with pricing a Hatchback at 15 Lakhs, should be a case study for all auto manufacturers.
And the most significant aspect of their journey is the way they have managed their perception. They are not classified as a cheap option, Like MSIL, nor an expensive one Like a Honda or a VW.
Even when a car like Verna, is priced as much as a Honda City or a VW Vento..
Toyota found a niche and stuck to it, but failed everywhere else
Hyundai, somehow managed to straddle across segments & Price brackets, and is successful
And every segment they entered, they have significantly managed to increase their prices, without suffering a drop in sales
Immanuel Nobel, was a Swedish Inventor, who had three sons, Robert, Ludvig and Alfred.
Other Than inventing routine stuff, he was also ultra interested in explosives. Once, during his visit to Russia, he impressed the Tsar with his awesomeness. As a result, he settled in Russia.
His Son Robert, took forward his legacy. Once, as a part of business, he got a huge rifle contract for the Russian Army. So he sent his Brother Luvig, to Baku, to procure some wood for the rifle butt.
When Ludvig reached Baku, he found oil literally coming out of everywhere.
There was so much oil, thag people didn't know what to do with it. There were actual oil fountains.
Given that there were no mobile phones at that time, He decided to spend the 25000 roubles that he had for wood, and bought an oil refinery.