On The Haphazard Origins Of Empires

On This Day In History
31 BCE: The Battle Of Actium

Quote Of The Day
"Cleopatra's nose, had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed."
(Blaise Pascal)

Similarly, if Ogedai Khan had not died of heart failure when he did, the Mongol army, under the overall command of General Tsubodai, would have continued sweeping westward. Moscow, Poland, Hungary and Romania had already fallen to the Mongols and all attempts to stop them were practically useless. Austria, Vienna, Paris; all would have fallen. Instead, they returned to Karakorum in Kashmir to make sure that the forces of Ghengis Khan's son, Chagatai, did not attack and plunder the city and become the next khan. If Tsubodai's army had continued westward, we would all be speaking Mongolian and/or Chinese today.

If Starbucks hadn't realised that the offer of a pleasant, moderately luxurious dining environment, free wi-fi and an app would offset any concerns potential customers might have about ridiculously high prices, then they wouldn't be the mighty coffee-shop empire they are today. Whoever devised that daring marketing strategy, give him or her a raise. I'm a fan.

The Imperial March