Blogfolio Revision 2: A History Lesson

Original Post

So, I actually do have other hobbies aside from ranting and raving in case you were curious. As much as school itself bores me, learning itself is great fun when it's interesting. It's a pity some people can't appreciate it, but don't get me started.

I really do enjoy talking, writing, and reading about history. I've read numerous history textbooks cover to cover and I've spent lord knows how many hours on Wikipedia reading about the fall of empires and wars throughout the ages. I can recall so many obscure facts about European history and our own history that some of my friends call me a walking encyclopedia. Even my brother will leave the shelter of his room when he needs a question answered. I don't think any of you can understand the magnitude of that like I do.

I've never understood why, but fellow students will always complain to me about how history is that class for them. You know what I'm referring to: the class where as soon as you enter the room, you feel instantly exhausted despite how many Monster you drank that morning or how many hours of sleep you got. Is it coming back to you now? That's good. See, I always found history fascinating. I think it's the connections it has back to the present day that makes it so intriguing. There is an infinite number of connections to be made, but let me give you an example. Hope you're feeling up for a history lesson today.

Ever wonder why all of South America speaks Spanish, but for some obscure reason in Brazil they speak Portuguese? Well, I doubt you may have wondered about that, but I know that you knew about it. Now you are wondering. Here is some history for you. Back when the New World had just been discovered, and the Pope was still the de facto ruler of all Europe, the Spanish and Portuguese were the leaders in exploration. They both started trying to claim the same lands in the Americas, and something had to be done to prevent war from breaking out. Other European nations probably could've cared less, but the Pope couldn't have Catholic nations spilling each others blood. So, he drew an imaginary line on a map, splitting the New World in half. Mind you, they had no clue back then just how large America was, so they gave Spain everything west of this imaginary line, and Portugal everything east of it. They both went about their colonizing, and Spain was quite pleased with the amount of land they soon discovered. At this point, most of North America and 97 percent of South America was controlled by the Spanish, but as it turns out, the imaginary line had been unknowingly drawn directly on the tip of today's Brazil. The Portuguese claimed it as quickly as they could, and established their colony there. Due to the large amount of rainforest in the Brazil area, the Spanish never did find out about this small Portuguese settlement. It wasn't until the Spanish got involved in numerous wars and financial troubles that the Portuguese decided to expand, and turned their colony into the largest in South America. The rest, as they say, is history.

That's why Brazil speaks Portuguese amid the multitude of Spanish speaking countries! I sincerely hope you learned something today. Now just because this entry wasn't about anything too thought provoking doesn't mean you can't comment! I'd love to hear some unique history facts from my devoted audience if there are any to be had.

See you.