Shortest war in history

Year Fought: 1896
Between: British Empire vs Zanzibar
Outcome: British victory

The Anglo-Zanzibar War was fought between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar on 27 August 1896. With duration of only 45 minutes, it holds the record of being the shortest war in recorded history. The war broke out after Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini, who had willingly co-operated with the British colonial administration, died on 25 August 1896, and his nephew, Khalid bin Bargash, seized power in what amounted to a coup d’état. The British favoured another candidate, Hamud bin Muhammed, whom they believed would be easier to work with, and delivered an ultimatum ordering Bargash to abdicate. Bargash refused. While Bargash’s troops set to fortifying the palace, the Royal Navy assembled five warships in the harbour in front of the palace. The British also landed parties of Royal Marines to support the “loyalist” regular army of Zanzibar. Despite the Sultan’s last-minute efforts to negotiate for peace via the U.S. representative on the island, the Royal Navy ships opened fire on the palace at 9 am on 27 August 1896 as soon as the ultimatum ran out. With the palace falling down around him and escalating casualties, Bargash beat a hasty retreat to the German consulate where he was granted asylum. The shelling stopped after 45 minutes. The British demanded that the Germans surrender the erstwhile Sultan to them, but he escaped to sea on 2 October 1896. He lived in exile in Dar es Salaam until captured by the British in 1916. He was later allowed to live in Mombasa where he died in 1927. As a final act, Britain demanded payment from the Zanzibar government to pay for the shells fired on the country.

History of Cadbury

Cadbury is a British confectionery company owned by Mondelēz International Inc. and is the industry's second-largest globally after Mars, Incorporated.^[2] With its headquarters in Uxbridge, London, England, the company operates in more than 50 countries worldwide.
The company was known as Cadbury Schweppes plc from 1969–2008 until its demerger, in which its global confectionery business was separated from its US beverage unit (now called "Dr Pepper Snapple Group").^[3] It was also a constant constituent of the FTSE 100 from the index's 1984 inception until its 2010 Kraft Foods takeover.

World's Youngest GrandFather aged 29 years

An unemployed man, 29, has become one of Britain's youngest grandparents after his daughter gave birth at 14. Shem Davies and his former girlfriend Kelly John, 30, were overjoyed when their daughter Tia, who was born when her parents were 15, gave birth to little Gracie earlier this month.

Tia's boyfriend, Jordan Williams, is 15. Shem said: 'It is an absolute joy to see Gracie thriving. I'm incre

dibly proud of Tia. She'll be a brilliant mum. At first I wasn't overly pleased that she was pregnant but I soon got over than. Now it's all about being positive. I've got to know Jordan and he's shaping up to be a decent young man,' Shem told The People. However, nurses at the maternity unit were left embarrassed after they thought the young grandfather was in fact the teenage father of Gracie. Apparently when he entered the ward they thought the 29-year-old looked so fresh-faced they asked him to prove he was over the age of 16. But the arrival of Gracie wasn't easy as Tia was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, seven weeks before her due date.

Worried doctors decided their best option would be to deliver the tot by Caesarean section. The condition, which often leaves expectant mothers with high blood pressure and protein in their urine, could lead to life-threatening symptoms for both mother and baby.

Tia said the contrast between the carefree fun of the school playground and then the fear of death for her and the baby was something she would never forget. Happily after a 25 minute operation Gracie was born but only weighed 2lb and was rushed to the special care unit at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, which is close to the family home. Little Gracie is still being kept in an incubator but has managed to put on enough weight which means she will be allowed home in a few weeks.

A week after Gracie was born Tia celebrated her 15th birthday in the ward surrounded by friends and family. The teenager, who has been dating Jordan for 18 months and wants to be a hairdresser, said she didn't plan on celebrating her birthday in hospital but added that her baby daughter was the best present she could ask for.

Once mother and daughter have been released from hospital they will be staying with grandmother Kelly so that Tia can finish school. Grandad Shem, who has a young son of his own, said he is keen to get stuck in and help Tia and Jordan settle into life. Jordan, who sat his final GCSE just weeks before Gracie arrived, said he understands responsibility. 'I'm captain of the school rugby team and that's like having 14 kids.'

Despite her young age, mother Tia says that she would not be happy if newborn Gracie became pregnant at 14 but that she would do as her mum did, which is respect her choice to have a child. She also paid tribute to her mother, who was 15 when she was born, saying that she could not have wished for a better parent and role model adding that they have a very close relationship.

Britain's high teenage pregnancy rate means that many more young people in this generation are set to become grandparents in their late twenties and early thirties. The latest figures show in 2009 38,259 girls under 18 became pregnant, but nearly 50 per cent had a termination. The UK still leads the way when it comes to young mothers, and our rate is five-times higher than in the Netherlands and twice that of France and Spain.

Construction pics of Eiffel Tower from 1878

One of the most famous series of construction progress photos were taken between 1887-1889 documenting the construction of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

This archival shot of the Eiffel Tower during the construction phase was taken in 1878, when photography was still a fledgling technology. The tower is constructed of 18,038 pieces, including 7,300 tons of metal, for a total weight of 10,100 tons. It stands at 324 meters/approx. 1,063 ft. It took a total of 2 years, 2 months and 5 days to complete construction, and contrary to popular belief, the architect behind the project was Stephen Sauvestre-- Gustave Eiffel was the contractor hired to plan the project.

 

 see more pics at http://blog.jobsitevisitor.com/info/projects/eiffel-tower/

Cleanest Country of the World

Do you know which Country have won the award for cleanest Country????

 It's Finland who have won the award.
Second and third was Norway and Sweden respectively.