Venimus, vidimus, Deus vicit!

“We came, we saw, God conquered.”

This week saw the 17th anniversary of 9/11. Ever wonder why the hijackers chose that date? Well, in 1697 that date saw the Battle of Zenta, which crushed Turkish dreams of subjugating Christendom once and for all, but before that, in 1683, Spetember 11th marked the beginning of the Battle at the Gates of Vienna, the final push to clear the city and let the Ottoman Turks loose to sack Europe at will. It is not an exaggeration to say that had Vienna fallen, Rome would have been next and Christianity today might be relegated to the fringes of a backwater world. Instead, at their moment of triumph, the tide finally turned.

(More below the cut)

The Turks laid siege to Vienna in July of 1683. Lacking enough true siege cannons to reduce the city's defenses, they dug a series of parallel trenches surrounding the city, each one closer to the walls than the last. From these trenches they had placed gunpowder beneath the walls of the city, and by Sept 11 had blown them down in a significant number of places. On the 11th, the Turks struck! They surged out of their trenches, screaming like demons from hell. By a major stroke of fortune, the Viennese had detected the latest tunnels under their works and had managed to disarm the explosives. Desperately the Hapsburg army fought to keep the invaders out of the city, the Holy Roman Army holding the left flank, fighting man to man. All day the fighting raged, and it resumed on the 12th. By mid-afternoon both sides were exhausted, though it looked like the Turks would finally carry the day. At 4:00, however, a group of men appeared on the right flank of the Christian lines. Emerging from the forest were King Sobieski of Poland and his heavy lancers. Hesitating for a moment at the crest of a hill to form ranks, down they charged, King Sobieski at the forefront, straight into the Turkish lines!

20,000 men strong, it is still the largest cavalry charge in history. The Ottoman Turks were impaled upon the lances and crushed under the hooves of the King Sobieski and his men, and Christendom was saved. So if anyone ever asks “Why Sept 11th?”, now you know. The hijackers wanted a symbolic date, this time they were sure that they were striking a blow to bring down the West, and getting revenge for the defeat of the Turks 318 years earlier. Ask Osama, he'll tell you. Oh, wait, you can't. He's deader that Kara Mustafa Pasha (The Turkish commander at Vienna, he was executed by his men for having failed to take the city).

Now, what have we got that's more typical ONT fare?

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I've only had to put one pet down, a cat. I scratched her ears and muttered to her, she curled around my hand, purring....and then she wasn't. It was hard. I cried. I can't imagine not being there, however. It was my final duty to her.

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You guys like interactive maps, don't you? Well, there's a fun one at the link!

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Tonight's ONT brought to you by voice recognition:

posted by WeirdDave at 09:52 PM

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