Lithuania was already planning to mark its 100th anniversary, keen to assert its independence in the face of what it sees as renewed aggression from Russia. Memories are still fresh of Lithuania’s emergence from Soviet occupation in the 1990s.
April 1, 2017
"A copy of Lithuania’s lost declaration of independence, drawn up in 1918, has been discovered languishing in a German archive...."
"Lithuania had lost track of all copies of the independence declaration, signed on 16 February 1918, in the turmoil that engulfed the region after the end of the first world war. The Lithuanian state was announced with the approval of Germany, whose army controlled the territory at the time, following a successful offensive against the Russian empire in 1915."
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21 comments:
And it was once a mighty empire!
German archives are the best archives in which to languish.
Lithuania was probably the origin of the genetic mutation that created blue eyes.
All people with blue eyes can trace their genetics to that area 10,000 years ago.
Why it has persisted is still a mystery. Most mutations, unless they confer some advantage, die out genetically.
Sounds as suspiciously convenient as Josiah finding the ancient book of laws while rebuilding the Temple. Pure coincidence that it supported the reforms he was implementing.
I taught in Lithuania for a couple years. The Russia angst there is great. A Russian-Lithuanian student (named Sergei, of course) told me he didn't let his classmates know he was of a Russian extract. The Lithuanian tough guys (and they have them, believe he) didn't take well to that info. But in class the Russian students (from Russia) would dominate class discussion while locals (Lithuanians) sat quietly.
Lithuania has the least Russian quotient of the three Baltic states. They haven't forgotten June of 1941 when the knocks in the doors began happening and families were split up on their circuitous routes to Siberia.
There's a long, deep troubled history there with Russia which is very much alive and well today.
I thought the HMS Lithuania got torpedoed and went down with all lives lost.
Are they back again playing as target practice for Torpedo Putin?
Let's drop McCain in by parachute and see what he can do to save the Lithuanians. If he dies, he dies.
Its time for the new Polush-Lithuanuan Commonwealth, to include Catholic Ukraine. A good Pope could organize it.
Why it has persisted is still a mystery. Most mutations, unless they confer some advantage, die out genetically.
It probably was an advantage in mating/producing offspring. Many people are fascinated with blue eyes.
Is Lithuania the same thing as Latvia?
No!
"It probably was an advantage in mating/producing offspring. "
That is the only reason I can figure out. It is a variation of the albinism gene which is related to white skin.
I teased a black orthopedic surgeon friend one time by saying Farrakhan is right about us. We are the "Ice People" and they are the "Sun People." As humans migrated out of Africa, they entered colder climates where days were shorter (no seasons at the equator) and clothing was necessary. This resulted in Vitamin D deficiency. The result was the evolution of white skin that allows more UV to penetrate and synthesize Vitamin D.
Lighter skin follows northern latitudes in Europe and Asia but there are no blue eyes in Asia. It seems to have been a single mutation.
My surgeon friend bought copies of "The 10,000 Year Explosion" for his family.
So a Lithuanian walks into the German archive and says "Ar turite kokių nors nepriklausomybės deklaracijas vargstančius čia?" and the bartender says "I know nuffink! Ich bin nicht der Archivführer! Kommen Sie um ein Uhr nach dem Mittagessen zurück."
"I thought the HMS Lithuania got torpedoed and went down with all lives lost."
That would have been the RMS Lusitania in 1915, sunk by a German submarine.
"Is Lithuania the same thing as Latvia?"
Tiny cold country with hot women. That's a similarity.
When did the first world war end?
WWI ended on November 11. 1918. Thus Veterans day.
--Vance
M Jordan,
This seems very interesting.
Do you mean to say the Lithuanian students in your classes deferred to the Russian ones out of fear?
"Languishing" usually applies to something living, like our Constitution.
Languished has many meaning. I suspect the meaning here is "neglected" as it certainly was absent any emotional pain.
The real mystery is, why was the capital of Lithuania spelled "Vilna" on pre-WWII maps, but now is spelled "Vilnius"?
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