Pianist Walter Gieseking and Artur Rother, conductor of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, made a stereophonic tape recording of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto in 1944 or 1945 for German radio. It was one of the very earliest high-fidelity magnetic tape recordings, as well as one of the earliest stereo recordings, and was one of about 300 such recordings made during the war. However, only three are known to survive. During the quiet passages, anti-aircraft weapons can be heard firing.
ETA: It is not known how the Berlin airport was from the recording studio
Tempelhof Airport, on the edge of downtown Berlin on the former site of a Prussian Army parade ground, was the focus of the 1948 Berlin Airlift led by the US Air Force. Its distinctive canopy-type terminal was one of the 20 largest buildings in the world when it was built, and was the first terminal with a subway station.
During the years of the Soviet occupation of East Germany, West Berlin was a separate sovereign nation, not a part of West Germany. West Berlin had its own Bundestag parliament, and West German law was not binding on West Berlin until a corresponding law was passed by the West Berlin parliament. West Berlin even had its own postal authority and issued postage stamps.
French Nobel-laureate author François Mauriac, who wrote the foreword to Elie Wiesel’s book Night, observed “I love Germany so much I’m glad there are two of them.”
Germany did not become a full-fledged country under one ruler until 1871 and the end of the Franco-Prussian War. Before that, it was a collection of independent states varying in size and power, ranging from kingdoms and grand duchies to principalities, cities and ecclesiastical states.
During the Prussian siege of Paris in the 1870 war, communications out of the city went by hot-air balloons and carrier pigeons, which could pass mostly unmolested over enemy lines. Léon Gambetta, the Minister for War in the new government, escaped via balloon.
The siege eventually succeeded due to famine. A Latin Quarter restaurant menu contemporary with the siege reads in part:
* Consommé de cheval au millet. (horse)
* Brochettes de foie de chien à la maître d’hôtel. (dog)
* Emincé de rable de chat. Sauce mayonnaise. (cat)
* Epaules et filets de chien braisés. Sauce aux tomates. (dog)
* Civet de chat aux champignons. (cat)
* Côtelettes de chien aux petits pois. (dog)
* Salamis de rats. Sauce Robert. (rats)
* Gigots de chien flanqués de ratons. Sauce poivrade. (dog, rats)
* Begonias au jus. (flowers)
* Plum-pudding au rhum et à la Moelle de Cheval. (horse)
One German ecclesiastical state was the Principality/Bishopric of Osnaburgh. The last Prince - Bishop of Osnaburgh was Frederick, Duke of York, second son of George III.
Initially granted in the 14th century in the Peerage of England, the title Duke of York has been created eight times in all. The current holder of the title is HRH the Prince Andrew, second son of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.
The last time the Dukedom of York descended to an heir was upon the death of Richard, Duke of York, during the war of the Roses. His son and heir became Edward IV and started the custom of creating the monarch’s second son as Duke of York.
Since then, the title of Duke of York has never passed to an heir, either because the Duke became King and the title merged with the Crown, or the Duke died without male heirs, which is what will likely happen on the death of the current Duke.
Borrowed it from the Wiki article I was using for research, did some more legwork and cannot confirm, so I’ll take the hit there.
In play:
York Minster is the second largest Gothic cathedral of Northern Europe (Cologne Cathedral in Germany is the largest). The present building was begun in about 1230 and completed in 1472.
The opening scene of British writer Susanna Clarke’s novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell takes place in York Minster; a wizard temporarily gives the power of speech to all the statues in the cathedral.
In addition to the eight creations of the title Duke of York referred to by Elendil’s Heir, there was a ninth création which has never been recognised by the current Royal Family or British government.
In 1725, James III (VIII of Scotland), also known as James Stuart and “The Old Pretender”, named his second son, Henry, as Duke of York in the Jacobite Peerage.
Duke Henry entered the priesthood and eventually became a cardinal in Rome. He was known as the Cardinal-Duke of York.
Upon the death of his older brother, Bonnie Prince Charlie (also known as “The Young Pretender” and “Charles III”), the Cardinal-Duke became known as Henry IX of England, Henry I of Scotland.
As he died without heirs, the Jacobite title of Duke of York suffered the same fate as the other eight creations, and failed for lack of issue.
If Scotland is considered a country, Scotland County Missouri is one of only three US counties sharing their name with another country. The other two are Lebanon County , Pennsylvania, and Switzerland County, Inhdiana.
Great Scotland Yard is a street in the St. James’s district of Westminster, London, connecting Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall. It is best known as the location of the rear entrance to the original headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, giving it the name “Scotland Yard”.
Whitehall is a road in London. Despite being the home of many Government Agencies and bureaus, the Centopath, and other offices and statues of importance, it is only 0.4 miles long.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Phantom of The Operaopened at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End on October 9, 1986. This Sunday will be 31 years in London!
While King George V’s widow Queen Mary, her daughter-in-law Queen Elizabeth, and her granddaughter the current monarch Queen Elizabeth II were all alive in 1952-53, there were three women in the United Kingdom entitled to the style “Her Majesty.”
Cricket, also called Cricket (Hearts and Wickets), is a short musical written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. It was commissioned for Queen Elizabeth’s 60th birthday celebration, and was first performed at Windsor Castle on June 18, 1986.
Queen Elizabeth I of England, a Protestant, was interred in Westminster Abbey in a tomb with her half-sister and predecessor, Queen Mary, a Catholic. The Latin inscription on their tomb, Regno consortes & urna, hic obdormimus Elizabetha et Maria sorores, in spe resurrectionis, translates to, “Consorts in realm and tomb, here we sleep, Elizabeth and Mary, sisters, in hope of resurrection.”
The three ships currently operated by Cunard Line (now owned by Carnival, as is most of the industry) are the Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Victoria.