Two famous historical lovers. Cleopatra and Mark Anthony. Their heated romance ended in suicides.
For ten years, the two partied. Big time! In strange ways!
Sex without question. Hot lovers. Craved each other deeply.
The relationship involved more than sex. The two were boozers. Might even be described as alcoholics. They formed a drinking society. Called it Inimitable Livers. Convened nightly for debauchery. Historians are not sure if the debauchery was in service to the Greek god Dionysus or just for fun.
Initially the drunken fun primarily involved feasting, lusting and playing dice. Then came games and pranks. For example, Cleopatra and Anthony would dress themselves in servants’ clothing and take to the streets of Alexandria. Sometimes their “fun games” succeeded. Other times people figured out who they were and made fun of them.
At some point, because of a battle Anthony lost to Octavius, Inimitable Livers was dissolved and replaced with the Society of Partners in Death. Merely a name change. Its members partied as wildly as the previous one.
Cleopatra reigned for 21 years. Her Mark Anthony relationship again was 10 years.
The two never married. However, they had three children. Two boys and a girl. The first born were twins. One male, one female.
As boozers Cleopatra and Anthony had their own special mugs. Each mug held 4.2 ounces.
The relationship was born in love and mutual political gain.
Mark Anthony screwed up. On one of his business/political trips to Rome, he married Octavia. Octavian’s sister. Then he abandoned her to return to Egypt and Cleopatra.
Anthony and Octavian subsequently met in battle. The Battle of Actium in 31 B.C. Octavian defeated Anthony and the Egyptian forces Anthony was relying on. Suicides by Anthony and Cleopatra followed. Anthony stabbed himself. Soon after, Cleopatra died from the bite of an asp.
We move centuries ahead to Washington, D.C. and the Trump/GOP plan to replace Obamacare. Is failing dramatically! Reason: The premiums were too cheap. Coverage minimal. Purchasers stuck with huge medical bills to pay. Typical Trump error again. Query: Did any of the premium dollars end up in a Trump or a family business?
The Battle of Waterloo. Guess what? It did not take place in Waterloo. Not one ounce of anyone’s blood shed there on that fateful day in 1815.
The fighting took place three miles to the south between the villages of Braine’l Allead and Plancenoit.
Napoleon and his French forces referred to the place of their defeat as the Battle of Mont Saint-Jean after the Brainel’Alleud hill that had seen the day’s fiercest clashes. The Prussians favored the Battle of La Belle Alliance for the nearby farm house where the victors met to celebrate their triumph. The ultimate namesake however turned out to be the picturesque town where the Duke of Wellington had spent the night before and from where he had sent out the report of his crowning achievement the following day.
The art world is a strange place. Much art has been stolen over the centuries. One famous artist who was a procurer of stolen art was Pablo Picasso. Yes, he did!
The Mona Lisa had been stolen. The police thought Picasso was the thief. They searched his home and studio. Discovered other stolen pieces for which Picasso had to make amends, but no Mona Lisa.
Two years later it was discovered the Italian Vincenzo Peruggia was the thief.
On this day in 1959, “The Sound of Music” premiered on Broadway.
W. C. Handy: “Life is like a trumpet. If you don’t put anything into it, you don’t get anything out.”
Last but not least, an interesting tidbit indicating where even today a buck can be made. I found a comment that in the U.S., 30,000 laundromats serve 50 percent of apartment dwellers without washers.
Enjoy your Sunday!