Friday, August 30, 2013

30 Agustos - Victory Day, Turkey

A patriotic picture for a patriotic country.

Sarkoy, Turkey

The 30th of August marks the end of the Greco-Turkish War.  Growing up, I was not a history buff by any means.  I don't blame anyone for my lack of interest, but I do not think history is well packaged in schools.  It is not always presented as exciting, but actually many of the stories are stranger than fiction.

Today I learned that the outcome of this war could have had a lot to do with a monkey bite.  Yes, a monkey bite.  My husband was telling me this was the theme in today's column of one of our favorite Turkish writers, Yilmaz Ozdil.

He tells the story of how King Alexander of Greece was bit by a monkey while walking his dog.  As a result, he died of sepsis.  Many, including Winston Churchill, believed had he lived the outcome of the War could have been different.  Who knows.

His full article in Turkish is here.

No comments: