Barbarians - destruction of myths. Destruction of myths about medieval armor, weapons, their purpose and strength Destruction of myths

I. The Role of Myth in Life By turning to a consideration of typical Melanesian culture and a survey of the views, customs and behavior of the natives, I intend to show how deeply sacred tradition, myth, permeates all their activities and how strongly it controls their social and moral

THEORIES OF MYTH There is no such absurdity or such absurdity that one or another philosopher would not claim to be true. Jonathan Swift Despite the fact that a number of sciences are engaged in the study of myths - literary criticism and folklore, ethnography and anthropology, science

It just so happens that among the many myths about Jews, the myth about their bodily weakness is one of the oldest, and often when it comes to the participation of Jews in “combat” sports such as boxing, wrestling or fencing, there is a certain gap in public consciousness . That’s what I’ll try to fill in with a brief excursion into the history of sports.

According to Halacha, physical perfection among the Jews is an important element of human education. And it is no coincidence that they included, for example, swimming among the basic skills that need to be instilled in a child. The Tanakh allowed running and playing with a ball even on Saturday, when a Jewish believer had no right to work at all. Some of the most common sports among the ancient Jews were weight lifting and belt wrestling, which gave rise to the famous expression “gird the loins,” as did sling throwing. Let us remember the legendary Samson and David. Martial arts were usually held on days of religious meetings and celebrations in the Jerusalem Temple.

Judaism did not allow Jewish participation in any type of spectacle in the Hellenic-Roman world. Nevertheless, at the turn of the 1st century. BC and I century. AD, or more precisely, during the reign of Herod, Judaism was not able to protect itself from the imposition of the institutions of Greco-Roman culture. Herod built a circus, theater and amphitheater not only in Caesarea, the administrative Roman capital of Judea, but also in Jerusalem and held games in honor of the emperor every five years.

At the beginning of the 1st century. AD not only in Syria and Lebanon, but also in Judea there were a lot of robbers. There were also Jews among them, some of whom became gladiators.
But mainly Jewish gladiators turned out to be participants in open anti-Roman uprisings in Judea. When Emperor Titus suppressed the First Great Revolt (66-70 AD), he sent so many Jews into the arena that in all historical works captive gladiators are almost always associated with Jewish captives.

There was no shortage of Jewish gladiator rebels even after the fall of Jerusalem. According to the latest research, the riots in Judea never subsided. It is enough to cite one remarkable impression of Marcus Aurelius. When one day, while passing through, he found himself in Palestine, he sadly exclaimed: “O Marcomanni, O Quadi, O Sarmatians, at last I discovered a people more restless than you” (“Writers of the Augustan History”, Mark, XXII). Some Jews sold themselves into slavery or became gladiators out of need. In the Jerusalem Talmud we read: “You cannot redeem a Jew who has sold himself into slavery several times, but if he has sold himself into slavery once, then he is redeemed.” And here is an important addition: “If a Jew sells himself as a gladiator even once, he is not redeemed.”

However, not all Jews sold themselves as gladiators because of dire need. The Roman way of life beckoned, and gladiator games, as already noted, became the main entertainment and even a kind of honorable occupation. All this could not but influence the Jews: those of them who became gladiators of their own free will. And only later did the Jews begin to view sports as a means of strengthening health and developing strength and agility. There is several evidence that Jews played sports in the Middle Ages. Thus, it is known that the Jews of Spain excelled in fencing. Jewish youths in Syria in the 4th century. trained by lifting heavy stones. In Provence, Jews participated in falconry on horseback. There is evidence that at the end of the 14th century. Jews participated in running, jumping and stone throwing competitions in Germany and Italy. There is even a song dedicated to Jewish runners, composed in Italy in 1513.

In the 16th century An Austrian Jew named Ott became famous at the Augsburg Games. He compiled a manual on wrestling called “Wrestling According to Ott.” Andre Youd published a similar manual on fencing. From the beginning of the 19th century. the revival of interest in sports captured the whole world and Jews took a certain part in this process. As a rule, Jews were strong in those sports that they were especially fond of in the countries where they lived (swimming in Hungary, boxing in the USA, chess in Russia). However, there are certain general trends that have emerged among Jewish athletes, regardless of their country of residence. Thus, Jews are traditionally strong in checkers and chess. But the high percentage of Jews in intellectual sports does not mean that they do not and have not had serious achievements in “combat or strength” sports.

1.Fight

1.1 Freestyle

Olympic champions were: K. Karpathy (Hungary) in the junior welterweight (1936), H. Wittenberg (USA) in the light heavyweight (1948), he also won a silver medal in this weight category at the Olympics in Helsinki (1952), Kiev resident B. Gurevich in the middle weight (1968). The Americans S. Gerson and F. Meyer, S. Rabin (Great Britain, 1928), N. Hirschl (Austria, 1932) and L. Shimon (Romania, 1976) became Olympic medalists.

1.2 Classic

Representatives of the USSR B. Gurevich in the bantamweight division and Y. Punkin in the featherweight division became Olympic champions in 1952; in 1908, R. Weiss (Hungary) became the Olympic champion. The Olympic medalist was A. Kurland (Denmark).
Belarusian wrestlers occupy a special place in the history of Soviet sports classic style Oleg Karavaev and Leonid Lieberman.

Oleg Karavaev became the brightest star of Greco-Roman wrestling. He became addicted to wrestling following the example of his older brother Igor, champion and prize-winner of the USSR championships in freestyle wrestling.
The successes of Oleg Karavaev were stunning: at the age of 18 he became the champion of the USSR among youths, a year later he became the winner of the 1st Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, as well as the second in 1959. For six years in a row Oleg Karavaev became the champion of the USSR and twice the world champion (1958,1961 gg.). Gold medalist at the 1960 Rome Olympics. After finishing his sports career, he worked as a coach for several years. He passed away in 1978 at the age of 42.

Leonid Lieberman became world champion in 1973 at the age of 21. In 1970 he won the “Olympic Hopes” tournament, the “International Tournament in Memory of Ivan Poddubny” and became the champion of the USSR and Europe among youths. Second prize-winner of the 4th Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR (1971), winner of the World Universiade (1973).

The most significant successes in classical and freestyle wrestling were achieved by repatriates from the former USSR who supported Israel. Thus, in 2003, repatriate from Georgia Gocha Tsitsiashvili became the world champion in classical wrestling in the weight category up to 84 kilograms. Prize-winners of the world championships were Tsitsiashvili, Yuri Evseychik (1998 in the super-heavy weight category) and Michael Beilin (2001 in the up to 63 kg category) in classical wrestling and Victor Zilberman (1974, in the up to 71 kg weight category) in free.
In 1991, M. Geller became the silver medalist of the European Championship (1993) in freestyle wrestling in the weight up to 68 kg; N. Zagranichny (weight up to 48 kg) became the silver medalist of the European Championship in classical wrestling; A. Zeevi became the European champion among youth (1995).

1.3 Judo

Olympic medalists in Judo were A. Bogolyubov (USSR) and D. Bragman (USA) in 1964, M. Berland (USA) and M. Berger (Canada) in 1984.

The first Soviet world champion in sambo (1973) was the repeated champion of the USSR in this sport in the period from 1965 to 1973. David Rudman. He was also a European champion in judo. Ilya Tsipursky became the European champion in judo (1964). He also won the USSR Sambo Championships twice.

Judo is the most popular form of martial arts in Israel. In addition to three Olympic medals, Israeli athletes perform successfully at world and European championships. Ariel Zeevi is a three-time European champion in the weight category up to 100 kilograms and a World Championship medalist in the open weight category. Yael Arad also became European champion (1993 in the weight category up to 61 kg and vice-world champion in the same year). Oren Smadzha, Yoel Razvozov, Gal Yekutiel, Andrian Cordon and Alisa Shlesinger also became medalists at the World and European Championships.

1.4 Krav Maga

Israel can be proud not only of the success of individual athletes in various combat sports (judo, taekwondo, boxing, karate, wushu, Muay Thai), but also of such national integral systems of hand-to-hand combat as “Krav Maga” (contact combat) and “Kapap” (face to face fight). "Krav Maga" system of hand-to-hand combat is not a sport, but a defense system - a kind of art. The art of not being a victim. The founder is a native of Slovakia, Imre (Imaj) Lichtenfeld (1910 -1998), multiple European champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and boxing.
Growing up in a sports family, he studied French wrestling and English boxing, and was actively interested in jujutsu, which was then fashionable in Europe. He soon had to hone his Krav Maga skills, acquired in the sports arena, in street skirmishes with Nazi thugs. In the mid-30s - during the period of tightening Nazi terror in Europe - Lichtenfeld organized a self-defense detachment to maintain order and security in the Jewish area. A few years later, he volunteered for the British Expeditionary Force, in which he participated in the most risky operations against the Nazis, sometimes leading to open hand-to-hand clashes.

In 1940, Lichtenfeld was forced to leave Europe and go to Palestine. Here, starting in 1944, he trained personnel of the Jewish police and special forces. Invariably emerging victorious, he began to teach his colleagues the techniques of “his” martial art. In 1948, after the creation of the State of Israel, Imai Lichtenfeld entered service in the Israel Defense Forces as the army's chief instructor in physical training and hand-to-hand combat. The result of teaching work and personal experience Imrich Lichtenfeld, who changed his name to Imi Sde-Or, was the creation of a new system of aggressive and purely practical hand-to-hand combat - “Krav Maga”. It was officially adopted for the training of the Israeli Self-Defense Forces, Mossad, police and special forces and arose almost simultaneously with the formation of the State of Israel in 1948. In 1972, he took the first course for civilian instructors, and in 1981, “Krav Maga” entered the international arena and is currently in demand by the intelligence services of many countries around the world.

Already at the dawn of modern boxing - the English prize fight, whose rules were promulgated in 1743, we immediately meet a Jewish character. This is Daniel Mendoza (1763-1836), a descendant of Spanish Jews, nicknamed “The Light of Israel.” So he was the strongest boxer in England in 1787-1795. Mendoza always emphasized his Jewish origin and at the same time defended his own national dignity. He was the first Jew that King George III spoke to. The image of Mendoza was depicted in the story “Rodney Stone” (1896) by the king of detective stories and “father of Sherlock Holmes” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. On the pages of an ancient sports chronicle about a friendly dinner of the best boxers in England, other Jewish fighters were also depicted. For example, “Dutch Sam,” whose real name was Samuel Elias (1775–1816), is one of the era's top heavyweights. His son, nicknamed “Young Dutchman Sam,” was considered the world welterweight champion in the 20s and 30s of the 19th century and was never defeated in his entire career. Among the British boxing pioneers, Barney Aaron, nicknamed the “Star of the East,” also takes pride of place. He was recognized as the strongest lightweight in the world in 1819–1834.

These worthy Jewish characters have been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, which has existed since 1989. Here they were accompanied by another three dozen fellow tribesmen who left their bright mark on the world history of boxing. And beyond this venerable elite gathering there are many Jewish boxers left, including world, European and Olympic champions, medalists and participants in these and other prestigious amateur and professional tournaments. In addition, since 1981, at the Israeli Institute of Physical Education and Sports. O.Ch. Wingate in Netanya opened the “International Hall of Fame for Jewish Sports”, which even then included 31 boxing representatives.

The Concise Jewish Encyclopedia names 22 Jews who were former world professional boxing champions and three Olympic champions. This list is by no means complete. For when reprinting the corresponding article from the Encyclopedia Judaica, for some reason they did not include three world champions in categories whose names began with the word junior, apparently deciding that we were talking about juniors. These are champions Jack Bernstein, Mushy Callahan and Jackie Berg. This list is also not accurate: for example, the weight category of the famous Benny Bass is incorrectly indicated. The history of sports also includes the names of Jewish boxers who, although they did not become champions, achieved outstanding success. Such as, say, Joe Khoinsky and Lev (Lew) Tendler, who were awarded a place in the same Hall of Fame. Lev Tendler, a fighter from Philadelphia, considered by some to be the greatest southpaw in boxing history and by others to be the greatest non-champion boxer. Over a 15-year career, Tendler won 69 fights (37 by knockout) with 11 defeats.

Let's move from England during Mendoza's time to America. It was there that professional boxing flourished according to the rules of the Marquis of Queensberry (introduced in 1867), where it became a powerful industry, where many geniuses of the ring showed their talents to the world. However, the reasons why, already at the beginning of the twentieth century, the children of Jewish immigrants from Tsarist Russia began to succeed in boxing are also quite clear. On the one hand, this is the cruel need to assert oneself on the streets of various East Sides in fights with Irish and Italian peers. On the other hand, there is the no less cruel need to earn bread for large Jewish families. Finally, the third is the inescapable desire of the Jewish Diaspora to succeed in the most popular activities of the aborigines. Hence the achievements of American Jewish boxers, baseball players, basketball players and football players (naturally, American football players, not European soccer players). This is confirmed by Allen Bodner's 1997 book with the characteristic title When Boxing Was a Jewish Sport.

The most striking example of the implementation of this theme is the boxing genius Abe Attell - Abraham Washington Attel. "Great Abe", world featherweight champion 1901–1904 and 1906–1912, considered by many experts to be the absolute best boxer of all time, regardless of weight (pound per pound). Abe Attell received the second part of his name because he was born on the birthday of the first American president. While still a teenager and living in the area South Market in San Francisco, Abe fought with Irish guys from 3 to 10 times a day. This school was very useful to him in August 1900, when he had his first professional fight, vowing to his mother that this fight would be his last (the family already had two professional boxers - older brothers Caesar and Monty). However, seeing the $15 fee and Abe’s undamaged face (he won by knockout in the second round), Mrs. Attell asked: “Abe, when is the next fight? “Abe Attell, nicknamed “The Little Champion,” fought as a featherweight throughout his entire career, but was willing to fight heavier opponents—and beat them successfully. His professional record is 165 fights, 92 wins (51 knockouts), 10 losses, the rest of the fights ended in a draw or no result. He started out as a straightforward puncher (24 of his first 28 fights), but then two of his great teachers, James Corbett and George Dixon, taught Abe the art of blocks and dives, and, most importantly, instilled in him that you can and should fight smartly, while maintaining yourself and not cripple the enemy. In such beautiful and noble style, Abe Washington Attell continued and ended his illustrious career.

In the same year, 1901, when the 17-year-old Attel won the featherweight championship, Chicago native Harry Harris (1880–1959), nicknamed the Scissorman, became the world champion in the bantamweight division. . A year later, he gained weight and moved to another category, where he no longer had the highest achievements. His worthy successors on the bantamweight championship podium years later were four Jewish fighters. In the twenties, the title was held by the Americans Abe Goldstein and Charlie Rosenberg, in the fifties by French Jews, natives of Algeria, Robert Cohen and Alphonse Halimi. These were great boxers.

In San Francisco in 1888, the professional career of heavyweight Joe "Khoinski" (1868–1943) began. Little Joe" Joe Khoinski is considered the best Jewish heavyweight of all time. But let’s not forget that there was a brilliant and unique Max Baer (1909–1959) in the history of boxing. He, the absolute world champion in 1934-1935, is incomprehensibly not recognized as a Jewish boxer by either the Wingate Institute or the mentioned Jewish encyclopedias for many boxing experts. And this despite the fact that in photographs and newsreels the magendovid is clearly visible on his underpants! And that the film, “The Boxer and the Lady” (1933), which opened his glorious career in Hollywood, was banned for distribution in Nazi Germany precisely because of Max Baer’s Jewish origin (his paternal grandfather was a Jew). In 1930, when he had 24 knockouts in 28 fights (and he had incredible punching power), Max killed Frankie Campbell in the ring, after which he had problems with the justice system and even quit boxing. Returning to the ring, under the guidance of the great Jack Dempsey, he mastered a new style of fighting, as if shortening his overly powerful arms. True, they began to beat him sometimes, but Max Baer no longer took sin on his soul. In June 1934, he defeated the then world champion Primo Carnera in phenomenal style - this two-meter Italian giant was knocked down 11 times before the referee stopped the fight in the 11th round. True, Max held the proud championship title for only a year and lost it at the very first defense - he lost on points to James Braddock, and, moreover, solely because of his own negligence and disrespectful attitude to an opponent, something that sport does not forgive even to the brilliant grandchildren of Jews. And, if there was no place for Max Baer in the “Jewish Sports Hall of Fame,” then his presence since 1995 in the “International Boxing Hall of Fame” is beyond doubt.

However, let us return to the tenth years of the twentieth century. In 1914, middleweight Al McCoy, whose real name was Alexander Rudolph, knocked out George Chip in the first round of his title fight to become the first left-handed champion in history. He held the title for three years.

In 1915, the English fighter Ted “Tiny” Lewis, whose real name was Gershon Mendeloff, became the world champion in the second welterweight. Among his achievements, in addition to a twenty-year career and 283 fights (215 wins, 71 knockouts) in six weight categories, is the fact that he was the first in history to use a protective elastic band for teeth - a mouthguard (1913).
The champion title "Aldgate Sphinx" (nickname - from the name of one of the districts of London) held until 1919.

In 1916, Battling (“Brawler”) Lewinsky from Philadelphia, real name Barney Lebrovich, ascended the throne of the world light heavyweight champion. A former boxing instructor in the US Army during World War I, Battling held the title for four years and left an impressive record of 287 fights (192 wins). In 1917, the star (certainly six-pointed!) of the greatest Jewish lightweight boxer of all time, Benny Leonard, real name Benjamin Leiner, rose. His statistics are amazing: eight years of holding the title, leaving undefeated, in the first year - 14 defenses (!), 213 fights, of which 180 victories (70 by knockout). Benny Leonard came from an Orthodox New York family and never performed on Jewish holidays.

According to one journalist, “Leonard did more to eliminate anti-Semitism than thousands of books.” During World War II he served in the US Navy. After the war, Leonard became a referee, and died in the ring of the St. Nicholas Arena from a heart attack during a fight he was refereeing.

The twenties have arrived. New Jewish names shone on the world rings. So, in 1923, Jack Bernstein interrupted the championship of the famous Johnny Dundee in the first lightweight weight for seven months. In May of the same year in New York, he defeated the champion on points, but in the rematch (there, in December) he lost on points. In the “rooster weight” (bantamweight), Abe Goldstein became the world champion in 1924, and Charlie Phil Rosenberg in 1925. Charlie is a rare, if not unique, boxer who has never been knocked out in 65 fights in his professional career.

In the same 1925, the era of two natives of Kyiv began in the featherweight division: Louis “Kid” (“Kid”) Kaplan in New York defeated Danny Kramer in the 9th round and won the championship title. Then he moved to lightweight and there he encountered a problem: the best fighters in this category refused to meet him. In 1933, Kaplan left the ring undefeated.

In 1927, when Louis Kaplan left the title of king of the featherweights, two other Jews entered into a dispute over him - Kiev resident Benny Bass, nicknamed “Little Fish”, and Maurice Kaplan, who performed under the pseudonym Red Chapman. The winner in their amazing battle, which took place in Philadelphia, was, to the great joy of his fellow countrymen, Benny Bass, who, however, was born in Kyiv and came to Philadelphia at the age of two. He performed in the professional ring from 1921 to 1940, had more than two hundred fights, scored 172 victories, in 1927–1928. was world featherweight champion, and in 1929-1931 in the first lightweight division. Of the 28 fights he lost, he lost only twice, being knocked out: in battles against the legendary champions Kid Chocolite (in 1931, in the 7th round) and Henry Armstrong (in 1937, in the 4th round).

In 1926, Mushi Callahan (Vincent Shear) became the world champion in the junior welterweight. However, Mushy Callahan lost to Jackie Berg four years later. In 1927–1929 The world champion in the “fly weight” (flyweight) was Izzy (Isroel) Schwartz, nicknamed “Corporal”. Two Olympic Games in the 1920s brought gold medals to two American Jews: lightweight Samuel Mosberg in Antwerp in 1920 and featherweight Jackie Fields in Paris in 1924.

It should be mentioned that the first Jewish Olympic gold in boxing was won in 1904 at the Olympic Games in St. Louis by American heavyweight Samuel Berger. Jackie Fields from Chicago (Jacob Finkelstein) has had a brilliant career in the professional ring. He twice won the world title in the super welterweight division (1929–1930, 1932–1933), and managed to return to the ring after a car accident in which he was blind in one eye. Out of 87 professional fights, he won 74 (30 by knockout).

It was Jackie Fields who was the first in boxing history to receive the nickname “Golden Boy,” becoming the prototype for the main character of the film of the same name, famous director Rouben Mamoulian (1939). Under very curious circumstances, Jackie lost his title: the referee, allegedly by mistake, after winning the fight against Young Corbett on points, raised his opponent’s hand, for which he was punched in the face by the manager of the robbed champion in the locker room. Having lost his earned capital during the Great Depression, the ex-champion later proved that it was not for nothing that he was nicknamed the “Golden Boy”: Fields managed to rise again in business and died a wealthy man.

The thirties also showed the world many champion Jewish names. In July 1930 in New York, Al (Abraham) Singer, nicknamed the Bronx Brawler, knocked out Sammy Mandell in the first round to become the lightweight champion of the world. In November of the same year, Singer lost the title to the great Italian Tony Canzoneri. But already in April 1931 in Chicago, Jack “Kid” Berg from London (Jehuda Bergman) took a kind of Jewish revenge, knocking out Canzoneri in the third round. Berg, who received the nickname “Whitechapel Windmill” in his homeland (from the name of the area in London), had 192 fights, of which he won 157 (57 by knockout).

World champion 1930–1934 light heavyweight Maxi Rosenblum earned his nickname "Slapper" for sometimes throwing open-gloved punches. Punching with a closed glove brought him 223 victories in 299 fights over a 16-year intensive career. As a champion, Maxi had 106 fights and has no equal in this regard. Like his namesake Baer, ​​he became a successful film actor and showman. Like him, Rosenblum lost the title to a much more ordinary boxer - Bob Olin, notable for us primarily for his Jewishness.

The traditions of these light heavyweight masters were continued more recently by Mike Rossman (“Jewish Bombardier”). In September 1978 in New Orleans, he defeated Victor Galindez by TKO in the 13th round to win the WBA world light heavyweight title. However, already in April of the following year, he lost there to the same Galindez in the 10th round and said goodbye to the title.

Let's go back to the thirties. A native of Tunisia, Viktor Peretz, first became the champion of metropolitan France in 1931, and in October of the same year in Paris, knocking out Frankie Genaro in the second round, Viktor Peretz became the world flyweight champion. He held the title for two years. Viktor Perets went down in boxing history not only as a world champion. His fate was tragic: in October 1943, he was taken to Auschwitz along with a thousand prisoners from France. The Gestapo identified the former champion, and he was forced to box as a gladiator. The plots of films like “Triumph of the Spirit” or “Boxer and Death,” alas, were not fictional. By the victorious spring of 1945, Peretz was one of the three dozen prisoners who survived out of that thousand. In March, before the evacuation of the concentration camp, the Nazis shot the champion.
Another Jewish boxer from Greece, Salamo Arouch, who entertained Nazi officials in Auschwitz, managed to survive the Holocaust.

The Second World War played fatal role and in the life of the great American boxer Barney Ross, real name – Berl-Dovid Rozovsky, nicknamed “The Pride of the Ghetto”. His life was generally full of drama. The grandson of a rabbi who came from Russia ended up in an orphanage after his father, who served as a cashier in a store, was shot by robbers, and his mother went crazy from the grief she experienced. Like the cinematic Rocky, young Berl ran a racket on the streets of Chicago. Legend has it that Al Capone himself banned him from the criminal business, saying that the grandson of a rabbi should not be a gangster, and giving him $20 to new life. In this new life, the talented Jewish guy established himself first as a great amateur boxer, and then as a great professional. Having defeated the already familiar Tony Canzoneri in 1933, he became the first world champion in two weight categories at the same time - lightweight and welterweight. From 1934 to 1938 he became a champion even in three categories, defeating the toughest boxers and always giving his opponents the opportunity for revenge. Barney Ross was distinguished by courage and nobility. His record includes 74 victories in 82 fights and only 4 defeats, and only on points. He was never even knocked down, although his last fight in his life against the great “Hurricane” Henry Armstrong was incredibly difficult. When the war began, Barney Ross, who was not eligible for conscription due to his age, volunteered to join the Marines. In battles against the Japanese, he earned awards and a number of wounds and illnesses, including malaria and dysentery, from which doctors treated him with morphine. The champion returned from the front as a heavy drug addict, gradually slid to the very bottom, but found the strength to undergo treatment and return to a decent life.

In the thirties, the world middleweight champions were: Ben Jeby (Morris Zebaltowski) in 1932–1933 and Solly Krieger in 1938–1939. The fifties discovered two great bantamweight boxers who came to France from Algeria - Robert Cohen (b. 1930) and Alphonse Halimi (b. 1932), we have already mentioned them. The fate of both of these Sephardim was manipulated by the famous French promoter Gilbert Benaim (Ben-Haim). From 1954 to 1956, Robert Cohen held the world title. Then, in a strange fight with the deaf-mute Italian Mario D'Agata, the judges took away his well-deserved victory, and in April 1957, the Italian fell under Alphonse Halimi, and he became the world champion.

Cohen and Halimi's fellow countryman Fabrice Benichou was the IBF world featherweight champion from 1989 to 1991. Over the years, English boxers became European champions: Anshel Joseph (1910, welterweight), Matt Wells (1911–1912, lightweight), Harry Mason (1923, lightweight), Johnny Brown (1923, lightweight ), Al Philips (1947, featherweight) and French boxers: Albert Yvel (1950–1951, light heavyweight), Gilbert Cohen (1978, first middleweight) and Gilles Elbilia (1983, welterweight).

A native of Gomel (Belarus) and Israeli citizen Yuri Forman (31), who has been living in Brooklyn for 12 years, became the owner of the “big belt” in the WBA super welterweight division.
Boxer Dmitry Salita has 30 victories and only one defeat. Back in 2000, he became the American boxing champion. Then he became the winner of the Golden Gloves tournament. The son of Odessa immigrants, he began boxing at the age of 13 in a club run by Jimmy O'Furrow. His teacher said about Dima this way: “He looks like a Russian, prays like a Jew, fights like an African-American.”

One cannot help but recall the famous coach - Charles (Israel) Goldman, who trained four world champions, among whom is the great Rocky Marciano. It may well be that it was because of the screenwriter’s acquaintance with his fate that Rocky’s old Jewish trainer appeared on screen. One cannot help but name the most successful trainer in the history of professional boxing, Ray Arcel. Over seventy years of work, he trained more than two thousand boxers, including twenty world champions. Among them are our five heroes: E. Goldstein, C. Rosenberg, D. Berg, B. Ross and B. Olin, as well as such boxing giants as James Braddock, Ezzard Charles and Larry Holmes. When Charlie Goldman's pet Rocky Marciano defeated the great black champion Joe Louis in his last fight, legendary referee Ruby Goldstein was the judge in the ring. His real name is Reuven, his nickname is “The Jewel of the Ghetto.” During a long refereeing career from 1943 to 1964, he fought 39 title fights, including: Joe Louis vs. Jersey Joe Walcott and Ingemar Johansson vs. Floyd Patterson.

The most outstanding of the numerous Soviet Jewish boxers is Honored Master of Sports of the USSR and Honored Trainer of the USSR Lev Segalovich. He was a six-time USSR flyweight champion (1940–1948) and trained Olympic champion Vyacheslav Lemeshev (Munich).

Vladimir Kogan is the most famous Belarusian boxer and coach, comes from one of the most “sports” families in Belarus, the youngest of four champion brothers. The elder Aron was the republic's champion in weightlifting in the 30s. Alexander was the champion of the BSSR in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 30s, and the next one, Matvey, was the champion of the republic in boxing in 1936-1938. Aron's son Dmitry is an international master of sports, USSR champion among youth (1955), six-time champion of the republic in Greco-Roman wrestling, Honored Coach of Belarus (1974). Vladimir Kogan became widely known in the republic when, as a 17-year-old boy, he won the BSSR adult boxing championship. For three years in a row, the brothers became champions of the republic. During the war he made 140 missions as a gunner-radio operator of bomber aviation, reaching Berlin. He spent 140 fights in the ring. What a coincidence. In January 1945, finding himself in Moscow, he accidentally ended up at the Moscow Championship. Takes part in it and becomes the champion of the capital. And then he flies again to bomb Berlin. He is recalled from the active army, and a year later Kogan becomes the winner of the All-Union Championship of the Dynamo Society. In the same year, he was demobilized, returned to Minsk and began working as a boxing coach at the District House of Officers. At the same time he competes: silver medalist of the All-Union Championship in 1947 and 1948, champion of the BSSR in 1947, 1949 and 1950. In 1949, Vladimir Kogan became the first Belarusian boxer to receive gold medal USSR champion. In the same year, he was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports and included in the USSR national team. Over 32 years of professional coaching, V. Kogan trained 40 masters of sports of the USSR. His students were the most famous boxers in the USSR, Boris Prupas (seven-time champion of the republic, bronze medalist of the USSR), Nikolai Belykh (six-time champion of the republic), Alexey Zasukhin (champion of the USSR, three-time champion of the republic, vice-champion of Europe) and many others. In total, V. Kogan trained 120 (!) champions of the BSSR, and for many years he headed the national team of the republic.

Jewish boxers have won the title of national champion more than once. Among the Soviet boxers, the champions and prize-winners of the USSR championships were: N. Stein, A. Greiner, L. Sheinkman, E. Kaufman and others. In the thirties, this title was held by Yakov Braun, who had a crushing blow. Later, “Mukhach” Lev Segalovich and lightweight Anatoly Greiner, still unsurpassed in technique, became the virtuosos of fighting in the ring, a seven-time national champion. In the 60s, welterweight Leonid Sheinkman became the country's champion twice. Azerbaijani boxing champion 1983-1986. - Leonid Gertzenzon.

According to the famous Russian popularizer of sports Leonid Mininberg, more than 200 Jews were champions of the Olympic Games. Belarusian Jewish athletes made a great contribution to many strength sports and boxing, including.
Already at the first USSR championship, which took place in 1926, among the nine winners, three were Jews: J. Braun, F. Brest and V. Rukteshel. Among the Soviet Jewish boxers, the champions of the USSR, in addition to J. Braun, F. Brest and V. Rukteshel, were G. Katz (1940), L. Segalovich (1940, 1944-1948), G. Khanukashvili, V. Kogan (1949), A. Greiner (1951,1953), L. Sheinkman (1957,1959), V. Botvinnik (1959), E. Kaufman (1968), A. Berezyuk (1972, 1974). ). Ya. Brown, V. Kogan, A. Berezyuk and V. Botvinnik are natives of Belarus.

Among the Israeli boxers, Hagar Schmoelfeld Feiner should be noted. She began her career in sports at the age of 13 with karate. By the age of 17, she won the title of Israeli champion, after which she changed her direction to boxing. At the age of 24, she won the WIBF (Women's World Boxing Association) world boxing champion title in the super lightweight category and has already confirmed this title twice (2009-2010). Dan Aarono won a silver medal at the Junior World Championships in 2009, the first world championships medal in Israeli history.

Ran Nakhash, as a boxer, fought his first professional fight in 2006 and won all 17 fights (13 by knockout), and in 2008 won the vacant Global Boxing Union belt. In addition, he is a hand-to-hand combat instructor for the Israel Defense Forces and is considered the number one expert in the Israeli combat system of Krav Maga. He is an Israeli champion in karate, kickboxing and freestyle fighting. In 1997, Nahash competed in the World Muay Thai Championships.

Roman Grinberg began boxing at the age of 11 in Kiryat Bialik. In 1997 and 2000 won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships, and in 1999 became Israel's youngest heavyweight champion. He made his debut in professional boxing in November 2001, and in March 2006 won the title of intercontinental world champion.

And finally – about modern world boxing stars. But first, a romantic story... The Ukrainian town was occupied by the Nazis, and for many months the young lad, at the risk of his life, hid in the underground the young Jewish woman Tamara Etinzon, whose relatives died at the hands of the Nazis. They got married, and after the war they were exiled as former occupiers. After Stalinism, their son Vladimir became an officer. His sons, born in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, grew up in Kyiv and now live in Germany. In German they have a “speaking” surname: Klitsch - means “kick”, and the ending in boxing terminology can be interpreted as “knockout” - K.O. Many are convinced: the two-meter giant athletes brothers Vitali and Vladimir Klitschko have been and will be world champions more than once.

2.1 Thai boxing (Muay Thai).

Thai boxing, although not yet included in the Olympic disciplines, is very popular sport in the world. Israeli Ilya (Eli) Grad distinguished himself in this sport. He has won the Baltic Cup (2007), a bronze medal at the World Championships (Thailand, 2009), a gold medal in the weight category up to 71 kg, the Asian Open Championship (Uzbekistan, 2010), and successful performances in the professional ring. Eli came to Israel with his parents as a very young boy. His family settled in Jerusalem, and he began training in Thai boxing at the age of 16 with coach Benny Kogan, a world-class master who studied with Thai boxing masters for several years in Paris and then trained in Bangkok.

Do we need any more evidence of a Jewish presence in boxing?

3.Fencing

Judaism never contributed to the development of sports; moreover, Jews who played sports were considered apostates. Nevertheless, there is several evidence that in the Middle Ages Jews were involved in various sports and fencing had a special place. It is known, for example, that the Jews of Spain excelled in fencing. In the fifties, fencers from three countries claimed all championship titles: the USSR, France, Hungary, gathered in the lobby of the hotel where they lived during the world championship and easily spoke the same language among themselves. Guess which one three times. No, not in English and not in French. Alas, and not in Russian, as it could happen today. They spoke Yiddish. You can read about this in the book by David Tyshler, a professor and world champion in fencing, who was then the coach of the Soviet team.

It so happened that Jews achieved significant victories in this sport. In the period from 1896 to 1968. 34 Jewish athletes won 71 Olympic medals (38 gold, 20 silver and 13 bronze). The Jews of Hungary, the USSR, Belgium and France especially distinguished themselves. P. Anspach from Belgium (1912) and G. Criss from the USSR became Olympic champions in epee fencing in individual competitions. In team competitions in 1912, the Belgian team, which consisted almost entirely of Jews (P. Anspach, A. Anspach, J. Ochs, G. Salmon), won; the French team that won in 1908 included two Jews ( A. Lipman and J. Stern). A. Lipman was also part of the winning team in 1924. In foil fencing, K. Netter (France) became the Olympic champion in team competitions in 1952, M. Midler (USSR) won twice (1960 and 1964) . Jewish athletes have especially many victories in saber fencing. E. Fuchs (Hungary, 1908 and 1912) has two gold medals in individual competitions, and his compatriot E. Kabos (1936) has one. The Hungarian saber team, which won the Olympics more than once, consisted almost entirely of Jews: E. Fuchs, O. Gerde, L. Werkner - 1908; E. Fuchs, O. Gerde, Z. Schenker, L. Werkner - 1912; S. Gombos A., Pechauer - 1928; E. Kabosch, A. Pechauer - 1932; E. Kabosch - 1936. In the 1960s. In saber fencing, the Soviet team was the strongest at the Olympics. Its members included Jews: M. Rakita, Ya. Rylsky - 1964 Olympics; E. Vinokurov - 1968 Olympics

For women, competitions are held only in foil fencing. The champions of the Olympic Games were the Hungarian foil fencers Ilona Elek (1936, 1948) and Ildiko Uylaki-Reite - 1964, in individual and team competitions.
Among the Olympic medalists are N. Hermitage (USA), A. Axelrod (USA), I. Dreyfus (France), O. Hershman (Austria), A. Jay (Great Britain), A. Muyal (France), I. Osier ( Denmark), E. Seligman (Great Britain), D. Tyshler (USSR) and I. Vitebsky (USSR).
The year is 2009. Israeli fencer Daria Strelnikova won a gold medal at the World Fencing Championships held in Austria.

Literature:
1. Rosa Lyast, In the arena,
http://www.sunround.com/club/22/132_rozaljast.htm
2. Semyon Liokumovich, Jews in Belarusian sports, http://www.homoliber.org/ru/xx/xx010114.html
3. Igor Levenshtein, From kipa to kapa, http://www.lechaim.ru/ARHIV/140/kipa.htm
4. E. Geller, Along the path of David and Samson,
http://www.sem40.ru/sport/18814/
5. Evgeniy Lankin, Krav Maga,
http://www.top4man.ru/menthings/531/5183/

Reviews

Andrey, you are a thinking person and not a timid one, and I really like your historical excursions, the courage and originality of the proposed hypotheses. It is not so much your ardor and overly aggressively demonstrated Judeophilia that harms you, as does the debunking of harmful myths (and love, like faith, is an intimate thing) Moreover, anti-Semitism and Judeophilia have a lot in common; it’s just a mental illness and it manifests itself in the irrational perception of Jews. Both Judeophiles and anti-Semites believe in the uniqueness and chosenness of the Jewish people. And if the former claim that Jews are the chosen people, then the latter think that this is true...:). And therefore, with myths, obviously false ideas, we have enough large group people we care about, if they do not consolidate, but work with a minus sign, we need to fight. Some of them will be debunked by time, but others must be debunked here and now. And don’t “disappear” please...:)) .If not us, then who?

The daily audience of the Proza.ru portal is about 100 thousand visitors, who in total view more than half a million pages according to the traffic counter, which is located to the right of this text. Each column contains two numbers: the number of views and the number of visitors.

What is the first association you have when you hear the word Automobile Plant? Probably, if you are a resident of the upper part of the city, then most likely simple stereotypes will come to mind about the “gopniks” waiting around every corner for Yuzhka, Monchaga and Molodega.

If you are a resident of the Avtozavod, then most likely you will find the myths written about your area strange and unfair. Perhaps you always have to prove to your friends and colleagues that you are Avtoz no worse and in many ways even better Pokrovok, Pecher and Sherbinei. Let's try to understand the essence of the matter, where do these stereotypes come from and why are they often not justified?

Myth No. 1. There is a lot of crime at the Avtozavod

In Soviet times, the automobile plant was one of the most prosperous areas of Gorky. It was here, in the 1930s, that one of the largest enterprises in the USSR was built - the Gorky Automobile Plant. After the collapse of the Union, the plant, despite the fact that it tried to adapt to market conditions, still ceased to be advanced, its star had set: no industry in demand among the population, no good wages, no prospects. But the main blow was the collapse of the system in which Soviet values ​​played a huge role.

This system overnight became a fake in the opinion of the new elites. The proletarian, who for 70 years ascended to a pedestal that faithfully served Ilyich’s behests, was an October child, a pioneer, a Komsomol member, a defender of the homeland, an alternative to decaying capitalism, became useless, backward and obsolete. Many lost their jobs, and many lost the meaning of life - and began to make ends meet, washing down “Sasha” cologne, if there was nothing stronger, to think bitterly about the fate of their homeland.

The automobile plant, as we have already said, was a leading area of ​​the Soviet era, but what happens to those who were everything? Usually in the minds of people living at the crossroads of eras, there is a change from one picture of the world to another. Everything that was good becomes bad. A typical phenomenon for mass consciousness.

Many people in the 90s actually began to become drunkards and follow a crooked path, but this was not only the case at the Avtozavod, it was the same everywhere. It’s just that mass alienation took its toll on the most Soviet area, so to speak, and created the myth of a rough, proletarian, criminal area. Only time passes, more than one generation has replaced the residents of the Automobile Plant District: probably among your friends there are many interesting, creative and well-read people who live there. Yes, and mass Internet culture influences the modern teenager much more than parents or drinking neighbors.

Therefore, if we talk about the quantitative ratio of gopniks and hipsters, then probably, as elsewhere, there are much more of the latter. To finally prove the myth wrong, here are the statistics from 2016: the Nizhny Novgorod region was recognized as the most criminal area.

Myth No. 2. The car factory is boring and ugly

Analyzing the city slang, it can be noted that the entire architectural essence of the Automobile Plant in the views of Nizhny Novgorod residents can be expressed in godonyms (street names) Yuzhka, Monchaga, Molodega. What could be located on streets with such names? The same type of two-room and three-room apartments with carpets on the walls, with herring accompanied by vodka and chanson? In fact, Avtozavod is a unique area that reflected all the tossing of Soviet architects from the whimsical Art Deco of the 30s to the massive buildings of the Stalin Empire era, from the experimental communal apartments of the 20s to Brezhnev’s panel high-rise buildings.

In 1929, on the site of a former village Monastyrka(now Avtozavodsky district) it was decided to begin construction of residential buildings around the future automobile plant. An All-Union competition was announced for the design of a new type of housing, proletarian communes. A group of students led by an architect won A. Mordvinov. The layout was based on a scheme based on 3 highways, converging to a central square and a park. The entire area was divided into blocks of two communal houses with a large amount of green space. In the early 30s the project was finalized A. Zilbert.

st. Krasnodontsev. House built by Stalin in the 40s - 50s of the XX century

The idea of ​​the houses was this: the Soviet man, the builder of the socialist future, needed to engage in spiritual and physical education, spend less time on everyday life, so instead of kitchens, one large dining room was planned, instead of a bath - showers, in addition, reading rooms, gyms, schools and kindergartens were planned near the house. True, the idealistic dream failed to come true; due to lack of money, it was decided to postpone large-scale construction and for now make do with cheap, lightweight two-story houses.

In the 30s, after winning the competition - projects Palace of the Soviets B. Iofana, made in the style art deco, this style prevailed in urban construction. Socialist City has set a course for new forms. Compared to the early 30s, in the mid-30s construction was in full swing. It’s worth walking along Kirov Avenue or Molodezhny Avenue to see these cozy 3.4-story houses that combine the eclecticism of modernism, neoclassicism and constructivism in their façade. They are very attractive with cozy open balconies with flowers, stylized columns on the facades and transitions between houses in the style of urban communes of the 20s.

Busyginsky house

You can’t do without cultural heritage sites: in block No. 4 of Sotsgorod there is a famous Busyginsky House (architect I. Golosov). In addition, on Molodezhny Avenue there is another miracle of that time Radius House (architect N. Krasilnikov, P. Polyudov), which cannot but surprise with its plastic expressiveness and play of light and shadow throughout the day. In the morning and before sunset, due to the lighting, the shadows become deeper and longer, and this makes the shape of the building seem to change.

IN post-war years construction continued, now in a pompous, but firmly standing Stalin's Empire style – bright that An example is the partial development of the street. Krasnodontsev is very similar in style to the Art Deco houses of the 30s, as well as the park ensemble Avtozavodsky park of culture and recreation.

In the late 50s - the first half of the 60s, architecture underwent major changes. In 1957, the party issued a decree “On the development of housing construction in the USSR,” the main essence of which was this. to eliminate the housing shortage through accelerated construction. Therefore, it was decided to make housing cheaper by reducing the area (from 40-45 to 20-25), reduce construction time by transferring the bulk of the work to the factory (production of solid blocks), increase the output of construction products, and also reduce the excesses of previous eras. In a word, architecture was moving towards simplification.

Radius house

The streets began to be lined with houses of the same type made from cinder blocks. In addition, in the late 50s a phenomenon arose people's construction based on the labor participation of the population. This is how the famous 2-3 storey houses made from folk materials arose without any special financial investments. For example, we can see these small ones colored predominantly in yellow houses on the street Yanka Kupala: front gardens, greenhouses with cucumbers, dogs in kennels - time seems to have stopped here. New people to transfer a piece of something of our own, of the people: many moved from the villages at that time.

In the 70-80s. the architecture did not undergo any fundamental changes, the course was continued towards standard construction, although panel houses became much taller (9-storey buildings predominated, and sometimes 14-storey buildings), apartments became larger and more comfortable (some apartments had a balcony and a loggia, kitchens became wider, instead of 2-room apartments, 3-room apartments began to predominate). At that time, entire avenues and neighborhoods were built: at the Avtozavod - Yuzhnoe Highway, Monchegorskaya, Kosmicheskaya, Vedenyapina, Kolomenskaya, etc.

The district beyond the river also keeps up with innovations; nowadays, fashionable 17-story giants painted in all the colors of the rainbow have grown here with nearby modern children's playgrounds, outdoor sports equipment (which anyone can exercise on), benches and parking lots. These are residential complexes: “South”, “Water World”, “Monchegoria”, “My House on Kolomenskaya”. In a word, the area is developing, constantly being completed and updated.

In such an architectural mixture it can’t help but be interesting, it’s as if you’re gliding through time, running into the sunny streets of the 30s, and coming out in a strict Empire style great victory, you pass by the same type of 9-story panel buildings, and come to the high-rise buildings of modern architecture. In a word, interesting, diverse, Nizhny Novgorod style.

Myth No. 3. The car factory is not the best place for a walk

Many people think: “What to do at the Automobile Plant? There’s nowhere to go…” If we consider that our city, in principle, is not particularly developed in terms of tourism, then we can make a small comparative analysis. As in all areas, there is a large park with a pond and a beach, sports complexes, sushi bars, McDonald's and shopping centers. Another thing is that there are no galleries, few cinemas and generally fashionable art spaces. But all the art spaces are concentrated only in the area of ​​the street. Bolshaya Pokrovskaya, pl. Minina and st. Rozhdestvenskaya. Therefore, to say specifically about Avtozavod that “there is nowhere to go here” is very unfair; in principle, there is nowhere to go everywhere.

On the other hand, if you are lovers of walks and new sensations, then why not walk along the same Soviet streets with beautiful architectural buildings, with a light atmosphere in retro style. Yes, and it will be nice to take a walk, the car plant is one of the cleanest areas Nizhny Novgorod: the garbage is regularly removed, the ice is sprinkled on time, and they even catch fish on the lake in winter. And again the interrogative: “Why?” Why not look at the Oka not from the Dyatlovy Mountains along the Fedorovsky embankment, but from the other side, across the river. Push the boundaries of consciousness, abandon stereotypes, come and see with your own eyes what has been hidden for so long behind a screen of mass neglect.

The image of the Avtozavod in connection with the ideological ups and downs, the first place in the ranking of the most criminal district in the 90s and 2000s, was very spoiled. Myths about an integral part of our city simply do not allow new people to come here.

But it’s not fair, we turn a blind eye to one of most interesting places our city, thus we are indifferent to it, but we need to update our knowledge, it can tell us a lot. It is necessary to try to modernize it in our consciousness, to rehabilitate it, to wash away from it the stigma of a region for gopniks and scum.

VICTORIA IS ONE

This review does not pretend to be the ultimate truth; it was rather created to spur interest in this topic and question some existing stereotypes.

It’s interesting that many people take the story of the destruction of Rome by vandals seriously. This is a myth. Firstly, by the time the vandals arrived, most of the historical monuments had collapsed completely on their own. The Romans were very practical, and it is not profitable to monitor ancient monuments. Secondly, during the robbery of Rome by vandals, not a single resident and not a single building was damaged. Mainly because no one resisted them. The vandals simply quietly entered the city, took as much valuables as they could carry (including many books, mainly on tactics and strategy), took away a couple of thousand prisoners, and calmly left. The prisoners were kept in good conditions, and then released for ransom. By the way, the daughter of one noble captive later married the son of the leader who organized the raid. And rumors about the cruelty of the Vandals and the destruction of Rome were started by several robbed nobles. Therefore, when you hear hooligans called vandals, always ask them not to insult the vandals. They were completely civilized people.

Stereotype one – “unwashed barbarians”
Very often in the literature when describing barbarian peoples the general rudeness of life and complete unsanitary conditions are mentioned. Like, barbarians wash only when they get caught in the rain, etc. In the Germanic language, one of the synonyms for barbarian is literally translated as “unkempt.” Which sounded very funny when archaeologists discovered 6 combs in the burial of an ancient Germanic “unkempt man”.
Also, some historians, narrow specialists in ancient civilizations, and after them popular literature, oppose the “barbaric” unsanitary conditions of Rome public baths. At the same time, without specifying that all these baths were located in elite areas, where the majority of the city population was not allowed by the guards (not to mention the countryside). And also, they don’t always remember that the Romans didn’t know how to make soap. Therefore, in order to wash off the dirt, they coated themselves with olive oil, and then scraped off the oil from themselves with a special stick.

Naturally, from such “enlightenment” many decided that the barbarians did not wash at all. While both archeology and surviving written sources indicate the opposite. It is known that the Celts regularly visited the baths, and naturally washed themselves every day (which is understandable). And, characteristically, the Celts knew how to make soap, and used it. Why the Romans, having conquered the Gauls, did not adopt such a simple invention is difficult to explain. Although perhaps they were simply too proud to use a barbaric invention (which for some reason did not stop them from copying barbaric weapons).

In another era, other barbarians - namely the Vikings * - in the minds of the English and Franks they robbed were pure savages. Therefore, many modern authors (and after them directors and game makers) endow them with truly savage features - they are described as rude, uneducated people, respectively unwashed, shaggy and unkempt, dressed in rags, if not skins... At the same time, if you read carefully The same English chronicles, where they are called savages, paint a completely different image. In particular, the chronicler says about the Viking settlers that they came here in large numbers and settled down to live according to their alien customs. And they, the bastards, are all beautiful girls they beat our guys up because, you see, these Vikings go to the bathhouse every other day, comb their hair and trim their beards (in context, the British themselves did not do all this. And neither did the Franks). If you look into the Scandinavian sagas (in which the Scandinavians describe their daily life quite reliably), other details become clear. For example, that the Scandinavians always washed their hands before eating, which the same British and French did not do for another 3 centuries after the “civilization” of the Vikings.
And in addition to basic hygiene, barbarian peoples took care of their appearance.

By the way, only in Scandinavia and the Slavs in Europe at that time had normal toilets. And also only they brushed their teeth.

The second stereotype is “barbarians in skins”
Often in movies, various barbarian peoples (Gauls, Vikings...) are “dressed” in some kind of tattered, coarse rags, for example, sewn scraps of skins or clothes made of coarse gray fabric. In general, homeless people are homeless people. And civilized people there mostly flaunt white vestments or other luxurious costumes. And if, for example, in films about the Romans (see “Julius Caesar and the War with the Gauls”) this is explained by the laws of the genre (they are the bad guys), then in films about barbarians it is more than strange. There are also very funny mistakes in this area: when reconstructing a Viking’s attire from a plate of a helmet decoration (2x2 cm, if not less), they assumed that he was wearing one “skin” to the middle of the thigh. For a long time, both in paintings and in films, they were depicted in such clothes. Although almost immediately it became clear that this was a mistake - on the plate the Viking was dressed in leather leggings and a jacket, which, due to the small size of the picture, could not be drawn to scale, and as a result took on the appearance of a shaggy skin. I wonder how these artists/directors imagined wearing such clothing in a northern climate?

There is also a tradition when depicting Viking raids to dress them in the same rough outfits of monotonous dull colors - to give a savage look. At the same time, archeology and chronicles tell a different story. Firstly, Scandinavians did not like faded colors. The nature of the north is very monotonous most of the year, so their desire for rather bright, even variegated, colors in clothes is understandable. In addition, tribal signs and amulets patterns were always embroidered on clothes. Scandinavian embroidery from those times is very beautiful. In addition, everyone who could afford it wore jewelry. And as amulets, and as signs of wealth, and simply for beauty. Warriors wore jewelry as signs of their victories, and to provoke opponents - the more gold, the more enemies will try to take it away, and accordingly, the more glory a warrior can receive in case of victory. And if in computer games Viking jewelry is depicted as thick and rough, in reality archaeologists have discovered very elegant works of local craftsmen. Just look at the pictures of these things to be convinced.

Viking clothing was by no means as primitive as it is often portrayed. For example, the sagas mention a cloak with sleeves and fasteners along the entire length (in other words, a coat), pants with belt loops (almost modern look, and not tied with a rope as some believe), a dress with a cutout on the chest (neckline) ... And also in Denmark, the tomb of an 18-year-old girl was discovered, whose mummified remains were dressed in a top and a miniskirt. Simply put, their clothing did not closely resemble the cast-offs usually associated with the “Dark Ages.”

Other barbarians, namely the Celts, also took care of their appearance. For example: the Celts, for the most part, tend to have dark hair, but consider light hair the most beautiful, and thanks to this they became one of the first inventors of hair dye. It is also known that they independently invented cosmetics. Thus, one Roman poet reproaches his girlfriend for using cosmetics, like the barbarian Gauls. Naturally, the proud Romans considered it shameful to adopt the customs of some barbarians, but the Roman women did not seem to care much about this. Few details have been preserved about this, but it is known for sure that Celtic girls did their own manicures - in an ancient Irish saga, a girl describing her grief says “I don’t paint my nails purple.”

The Celts were generally great aesthetes. Even in battle, they considered showmanship to be no less important than efficiency. Therefore, many of them went into battle in beautiful, elegant clothes, without helmets (so as not to cover their fashionable hairstyle), or in decorative decorated helmets, and with the same decorative, richly inlaid shields. And the chariots of tribal leaders were completely covered with gold and silver plates, painted with the most skillful, complex patterns.

For some reason, by the end of antiquity, the original Celtic culture was preserved only in Ireland, and partly among other island Celts. Often in articles describing the early Middle Ages, you can read about wretched existence, dirt and disease. And so it was. In western and southern Europe. Far Celtic West, Scandinavia and eastern Europe(in the last 2 points there was a very similar culture, so I won’t repeat myself), which is usually not taken into account in such descriptions. And many, out of ignorance, consider these lands to be savage.

Stereotype three – “savage/illiterate barbarians”
In literature and cinema, barbarians are often depicted as savages living in crude huts and eking out a miserable, primitive existence. It is clear that there is no talk about any education or culture at all. Sometimes authors emphasize their barbaric “severity” with contempt for learning and refined art.

What does history say about this? About the ancient Celts, the authors of that time said the following:
“In their speeches they are laconic and allegorical, often resort to exaggeration in order to exalt themselves and humiliate others, they are used to threatening, boasting and extolling themselves, but they are sharp in mind and inclined to learn"Diodorus Siculus.

“If they are convinced, then they are easily accessible to considerations of benefit, so that they are able to perceive not only education in general, but also science" Strabo.

“They say that they learn many poems by heart, and that is why some remain in the Druid school for twenty years. They even consider it a sin to write down these verses, while in almost all other cases, namely in public and private records, they use the Greek alphabet"Caesar on the Druids.

So, we see that the Celts were not stupid savages at all. Although most of their literature and science (at least of the continental Celts) is lost, as religious taboos forbade writing them down. Although merchants and the upper classes seemed to be literate, science was oral, passed down by word of mouth for centuries. On the continent this continuity was destroyed by the Romans along with the Druids. In the British Isles it was partially preserved until they finally decided to write it down. The volume of this information is simply enormous, considering that it was memorized. Surviving examples include many literary works as well as very elaborate legal codes. The language of their works is complex and emotional, and the laws are very competently drawn up, and take into account many details (although experts note that they are written in a very confusing manner. It is believed that this is a sub-language of the caste of lawyers - philids. Also in the literature, those initiated into this “language” use it to avoid eavesdropping).

The basis of the Celtic intelligentsia were the Druids. They were mainly recruited from among the aristocracy, and underwent special long-term training in Druid academies. It is known that the entire aristocracy of the Celts underwent at least elementary druidic education. In special educational institutions philids and bards were also trained. Learned people were highly respected in Celtic society, they were protected by the law, and a warm welcome awaited them everywhere. The Druids were not only priests, but also teachers and historians. There were Druid communities specializing in economics, medicine, and astronomy.

The Celts used ancient writing, but before the adoption of Christianity, a purely Celtic alphabet, Ogham, appeared in Ireland. Ogham writing was used mainly for ritual purposes.

The Vikings are also often described as uneducated savages attacking an enlightened Europe. Sometimes they are even credited with hating literacy. This is despite the fact that Western Europe itself was then uneducated. Despite the fact that its main population was former Germanic tribes, some of which already had their own runic writing, with the adoption of the Latin alphabet and a new way of life, their education experienced a decline. Mostly only monks were literate, and kings did not even know how to sign their names.

In Scandinavia, hundreds of funerary rune stones of that time were discovered, as well as many household items and weapons with runic inscriptions. The sagas also mention letters and other records carved on wooden tablets.

The literacy rate among the Vikings was higher than in the Europe they plundered. And they were proud of it! Literacy is considered one of their most useful skills. In addition, the Vikings were quite curious, and traveling a lot, they brought home information about distant lands and affairs of bygone days. For example, about the Trojan War or the past of Rome. And also a lot of scientific knowledge. By the end of the Viking Age, the Scandinavian countries (especially Iceland) became one of the centers of culture and science. Being a very inquisitive tribe, they themselves learned a lot. Especially about such vital things as maritime navigation and medicine. They invented fairly accurate instruments for measuring time and latitude (measuring longitude, given the speed of their ships, was unnecessary). On the shores of Norway there is a runic stone, the inscription on which says that by sailing from it due west, you can get to such and such a bay in Greenland. And indeed, that bay is located due west, accurate to a fraction of a degree.

The Scandinavians also developed medicine (especially wound healing). The sagas mention dynasties of healers who passed on knowledge from generation to generation and accumulated experience over many years. And the results were very noticeable. It is even known about surgical operations, for example, the removal of stones from the abdominal cavity (the patient, characteristically, survived).

The story of one farm laborer is also noteworthy. His name was Oddy, he worked as a fisherman, and in his free time he loved to look at the sky, watch the movement of the sun, moon and stars. For this he was nicknamed Star Odd. He recorded his observations, carried out calculations, compiled tables of the movements of the luminaries, and sold them to ship navigators. Some of his notes have survived. Their analysis shows quite high accuracy and complexity of calculations. Star Oddy is now considered the greatest European astronomer of his time.
The Vikings also independently developed a calendar consisting of 365 days, and through many years of observations they invented leap years. They compiled very accurate calendars for many years in advance, up to several centuries.

The Vikings had great respect for oratory and especially poetry. The surviving skaldic poems are quite remarkable. In addition to highly complex rhyming systems and poetic forms, they also used unique system consonance. In addition, they loved to use various allegories - kyonings - in poetry. Koening is the replacement of one word with a phrase, often containing a reference to mythology or history. For example, shields were called “tiles of Valhalla” (Valhalla is a banquet hall for dead heroes, for which shields served as tiles). There were also double koenings, for example, “string snake” - arrow, “string arrow thrower” - warrior. And there were also 6 (!) multiple koenings - “thrower of fire, blizzard, witch, moon, horse, ship sheds.” “Horse of the ship sheds” is a ship, “the moon of a ship” is a shield, “the witch of the shield” is an ax, “the blizzard of an ax” is a battle, “the fire of battle” is a sword, “the sword thrower” is a warrior. All this served as a kind of intellectual game - the listeners had to understand what the author meant.

Although the Scandinavians wrote down poetry (first on tablets, later on parchment), the best poets memorized everything by heart. Many of these skalds memorized hundreds of their own and others' poems. Some were also famous for their ability to compose poetry on the spot, literally speaking in verse. It was considered very prestigious for anyone to insert witty four-line verses into their speech. The Vikings took poetry very seriously - a poetic insult was considered doubly offensive, and love lyrics could even be considered an attempt at a love spell (although most poets did not care about this prohibition).

So, this stereotype has no basis. Moreover, it was often the other way around.

Stereotype four – “barbarians are jocks”
In literature, cinema and games, the stereotype of barbarians as healthy, pumped up hulks has taken root. Clumsy, clumsy and extremely inept fighters, relying only on physical strength and reckless pressure. In stories that describe a person from our time falling into the past, or a world reminiscent of the early Middle Ages, often a modern person trained in martial arts, or, for example, a former paratrooper, easily copes with “inept savages.” And in popular scientific literature describing ancient countries, it is often said that the Greeks/Romans supposedly contrasted skill with numbers and brute force. Unfortunately, some of the descendants of those same barbarians also think so. Mainly due to lack of education, or ingrained stereotypes. Such people agree with popular opinion, but try to “shield out” their ancestors, extolling their heroic power.

So, in the modern imagination, a barbarian warrior is something extremely huge, with steel muscles, broad shoulders and a small head. In almost all films and games, the main tactic of a barbarian is to recklessly rush at the enemy with a wild cry, without even thinking about defense. Naturally, there are exceptions, but unfortunately they are few. This image has become so ingrained that it has become a kind of “archetype”. Sometimes you can find discussions in which, for example, the archetype of a barbarian is compared with the archetype of a martial artist (usually the so-called “monk”), or the archetype of a swordsman (naturally, these archetypes are also far from reality).

In this work I look at Viking martial arts. It should be noted that in this case, by martial arts I mainly mean the art of hand-to-hand combat, which is historically incorrect - fighting without weapons was not considered a full-fledged martial art until the 19th century. But since the deep-rooted stereotype associates the concept of martial arts with hand-to-hand combat, let’s start with it.

First, let's look at an episode from the Scandinavian saga** (The Saga of Magnus the Blue of Erling): After the battle, a certain Orm Brother of the Kings lay down to rest. There was no lighting in the house, and the surviving enemy warrior hid in the darkness. When Orm lay down, the warrior rushed at him with an ax, intending to cut off his legs. Orm managed to react, he “quickly picked up his legs and threw them over his head, and the ax pierced the boards of the bench and stuck firmly in them.” As you can see, the Vikings were not so clumsy. And this is not surprising - armor in those days was quite expensive, and the Scandinavians were not rich. Most made do with homemade armor, usually strong leather jackets, sometimes reinforced with sewn-in plates of bone, horn, and sometimes iron. Only princes and large landowners could afford chain mail. And many of them preferred lighter armor, valuing mobility. (It should be noted here that before the Viking Age, during the “Vendel” era, the Scandinavian rulers wore heavier uniforms, but then the fighting style changed). The weapons they used were also quite light - the famous Viking axes weighed no more than 2 kilograms (which is natural - unlike the giant armor-piercing axes of knights, Viking axes did not require such penetrating force). In such conditions, the key to survival was dexterity and dexterity.

Here are some more interesting excerpts from the sagas:
“There lived a man named Tord. He loved to get into fist fights with merchants, and those usually got the worst of him. And so he agreed with Gunlaug that he would fight with him... The next morning, when they began to fight, Gunlaug knocked out both of Thord’s legs, and he fell down as if knocked down” (apparently, not only in the east they knew the “dragon’s tail” technique). From another saga: “Grettir stood calmly. Thord flew at him, but Grettir didn’t even move. Then Grettir took Thord in his arms, grabbed him by the pants, turned him upside down and threw him over himself, so that he fell on both shoulder blades.” Another interesting episode: the hero of the saga is going to fight with a swindler who was engaged in extortion, to intimidate the victims he copied the external manifestations of the “berserker rampage” (for example, he bit his shield, as, according to rumor, berserkers did in a rage), “The berserker sat on a horse, on his head he had a helmet and his cheek pads were not fastened. He held a shield with an iron rim in front of him, and he looked formidable. He said:
“You’ll be even more afraid to fight me if I get angry!”
“We’ll wait and see,” said Grettir.
The berserker howled loudly and, raising the shield to his mouth, began to bite the edge of the shield and grin ferociously. Grettir rushed forward and, having caught up with the berserker's horse, kicked the bottom of the shield. The shield flew into the berserker's mouth and broke his jaw. Grettir grabbed him by the helmet with his left hand and pulled him off his horse, and at the same time with his right hand he snatched the sword hanging from his belt and struck the berserker on the neck, so that his head flew off his shoulders.” In the sagas, the Vikings often use combat acrobatics: in the “Saga of the Men of the Sandy Shore,” it is said that a man named Steinthor saved his friend who slipped on the ice during a battle by running up and throwing his shield at him to repel the blow, while while with his other hand he cut off the leg of the enemy attacking his friend and at the same moment jumped up so that the blow aimed at Steinthor by another enemy passed between his legs without causing any harm. In another saga, a Viking jumped, avoiding the blow of a spear, and, before he even had time to land, broke the enemy’s spear with a kick. The Njal Saga speaks of a certain Gunnar, “skilled in battle. He cut in battle with a sword with both hands and at the same time threw spears if he wanted. At the same time, he swung his swords so quickly that it seemed that not two, but three swords were flying in the air. He had no equal in archery, and he never missed. When fully armed, he could jump more than the height of his height, and he jumped forward as well as backward.” It is also told about warriors who jumped over the enemies that surrounded them(!).

In their culture, like that of many other “barbarian” peoples, due to the environment, almost all games included an element of military training. Even the simplest ball game. There were also many purely military exercises, for example, “playing with swords” - juggling with three combat knives. The Norwegian king Olaf son of Trygvi (considered one of the most skilled warriors of his time) could juggle knives while walking along the oars of his longship while rowing.

The sagas also mention many other skillful techniques, such as throwing two spears at the same time, with equal dexterity. Or catching a thrown spear on the fly and throwing it back at the enemy.

The Slavs had similar customs. But less information has been preserved about our ancestors. Nevertheless, here is an interesting episode from the epic “Ilya Muromets and the Poganous Idol”: “The Tatar did not like these speeches, he grabbed a sharp knife, and how would he throw it at Ilya; Ilya himself deviated, the knife right hand waved it away - the knife hit the oak door;...". You can often hear the opinion that the basis of the martial art of the Slavs was wall combat. Based on the analysis of the latter, many argue that the Slavs, for example, did not shy away in battle. It should be taken into account that wall combat is a ritual imitation of combat in a tight formation (in which dodging is generally difficult), intended only to strengthen the fighting spirit and cohesion of fighters. In addition, the Slavs did not fight in close formation for a long time. According to Byzantine sources of the 6th century, Slavic warriors fought better than Byzantine ones one on one, but were inferior in combat (as were everyone else). Therefore, the Slavs tried to lure the Byzantines into forests, hilly or rocky places where the Byzantine formation broke down, and then the Slavs fought on their own terms.

What is also interesting, judging by the chronicle material, punches with the fist were practically not used in Rus'. Instead, they used elbow and palm strikes (slaps, slaps). There is no clear explanation for this yet.

Among the Celts the best warriors The Irish were famous. Irish sagas even describe special schools of martial arts. Irish warriors practically did not use armor, relying on dexterity and the ability to repel blows with a shield and weapons. By the way, the Irish were among the first in Europe to learn how to parry blows. Moreover, their parrying technique was very developed - they describe not a hard block with a shield, but a deflection with its edge. Deflecting spears with a sword is also mentioned. Like the Scandinavians, the Irish have many “fighting techniques” described. One of the most notable was running up a spear stuck into the ground, after which the warrior had to somehow stand on its tip. Typically, the greatest warrior of the Irish epic, Cuchulainn, is described as a short boy of medium build. He won thanks to his agility, dexterity and skill.

Stereotype five – “ruthless barbarians”
Also, the typical image of barbarians is complemented by passages about their cruelty, rudeness and aggressiveness. Here, for example, is what they write about Conan on Wikipedia: “He boasts of the bloodthirstiness he showed in wars, takes revenge on his offenders with extreme cruelty, is not too picky about his means, is rude, harsh in words, in other words, he is quite reminiscent of historical “barbarians” (Vikings, Germans from the time of the collapse of the Roman Empire, etc.).” Even in respectable publications such statements can be found, usually without any arguments, based only on popular opinion.

Barbarians, and the Vikings in particular, are credited with being extremely quarrelsome. Meanwhile, the Scandinavian sagas and the first codes of their laws (written down in the Viking Age) paint a completely different picture. So, according to both sources, the most terrible curse among them was considered to be “effeminate husband.” Another terrible insult is niding - “cursed”, “cursed”. Even modern Scandinavian languages ​​are quite poor in curse words, and then there were even fewer of them. And this is natural - when you can get an ax to the head for a crooked word, politeness becomes the key to survival. They considered a witty poem to be the most worthy response to an insult (as briefly mentioned earlier).

They also often talk about low price human life in those days. Murders were indeed treated more easily back then than they are now. But, nevertheless, not as much as it is often described. In Scandinavia, courts were already beginning to emerge, and therefore people had to answer for murder. True, there was no system for enforcing the sentence, and therefore punishments were mainly limited to a fine in favor of the family of the murdered person, or to declaring the criminal “outlaw.” This status deprived a person of any legal rights, such as the right to vote in public assemblies, as well as any legal protection. That is, just such a person could be killed without any consequences. Usually this status was imposed temporarily. In Iceland, it was possible to be cleared before the deadline by killing three of the same exiles. Thus, crime eliminated itself, and citizens received a good incentive to live in peace.

Naturally, murder in self-defense was not punished. Just like killing a person who has caused a serious insult, if the killer could prove it. There are cases in cinema and literature when an offended Viking immediately rushes to take revenge on the offender. But the sagas say that revenge in the heat of the moment is unworthy of a man (especially since the offended person had every right to challenge the offender to a legal duel - holmgang). It is worthy to respond to insults with a cool head, calmly and thoughtfully. This is, of course, an idealized picture, but this ideal was generally accepted - refusal to fight was not at all considered cowardice (as it is described now). What’s also interesting is that covering up a crime was also considered shameful for the Vikings. According to the customs of that time, the killer had to immediately report his act.

An important deterrent was blood feud. The Scandinavians lived in family communities, a kind of clans. A person was considered primarily as a member of a certain family. Accordingly, responsibility for the actions of each family member fell on everyone. Sane people realized that their loved ones could suffer for their actions. It was believed that it was better to take revenge on the most worthy member of the killer’s family (which the latter, as a rule, was not). In this way, responsibility for one's actions was cultivated.

Another Viking "characteristic" trait - ruthlessness - is also controversial. According to the sagas, for example, when a blood feud reached the extreme of burning the enemy's house, the elderly, women and children were allowed to leave. Another interesting example- an archaic custom, still sometimes practiced in Viking times: before the battle, the battlefield was fenced off, and the wounded who managed to crawl beyond the fence were spared. In general, it is quite often mentioned how the wounded enemy was cured by the victors, and later joined them. Contrary to the opinion that in the Viking culture “everything is about strength, and there is no place for the weak” (and some literally glorify this way of life), historical documents tell a different story. For example, in Iceland there was a special tax (one of the few that existed there) for the maintenance of widows and orphans.

Although brutal slaughter was the norm in Viking raids, including against women, children and the elderly, such acts were never a source of pride.

Stereotype six – “women lack rights.”
The typical image of a Viking woman is a powerless, downtrodden creature playing the role of a servant. For contrast, there are Viking female warriors - hefty, pumped up, even more rude than the male Vikings. Like, only such a woman can prove herself in the cruel world of the Vikings. Again, written sources contradict this image. For example, women could inherit property (in Western Europe, for example, they could not), and having inherited, for example, an estate, a woman became a full-fledged mistress, with all the ensuing rights. It happened that a wife became a housewife even when her husband was alive. And not only estates, but also principalities(!). In such cases, their children received their "patronymic" not from the father's name, but from the mother's name (in Iceland this custom was preserved). Also, a woman could, if she wanted, easily divorce her husband (an absolute savagery in Europe at that time). At the same time, she received a third of their total property, plus her dowry. By the way, Scandinavian laws name the husband’s wearing of a “feminine” low-cut shirt as one of the possible reasons for divorce (however, the husband could demand a divorce at any time if his wife wore pants). As for female warriors, such women did exist. But given the Viking fighting style described above, they were little different from ordinary women.

Interestingly, according to their customs, before official marriage, under threat of a fine, kissing, dating, and other courtship were prohibited, not to mention anything more. However, this rule did not apply to victims of raids and slaves.

Also interesting is the Scandinavian system of slavery. Unlike the “classical” slavery of Egypt, Greece and Rome, “patriarchal” slavery was practiced in Scandinavia (and Rus'). At the same time, the slave was not considered cattle, as in classical slavery, but had equal rights to a minor child. It was believed that such a person was not able to live independently, and therefore was under the guardianship of the owner. The reason for becoming a slave could be captivity (as a manifestation of cowardice unworthy of a free person), or debts (inability to manage a household). Moreover, responsibility for this offense - the status of a slave - was inherited. According to such views, the slave had the opportunity to free himself by proving his right to freedom. For example, during major wars, slaves were also accepted into the ranks of volunteers, and by killing the enemy they gained freedom. In addition, after working his job, the slave always received free time, and could, for example, work additionally during this time, for money (even from his own master!). Having saved enough money, he could buy himself. And such a system was encouraged - a slave striving for freedom brought a lot more benefits, and after being freed he often rented land from the former owner and continued to make a profit. Also, a child from a slave and a free man was born free. However, in some regions only the child of a slave received freedom and free woman. In Sweden, the bystruk became free in both cases. And in Rus', a slave who gave birth to her master became free herself.

Naturally, the owner had the right to do whatever he wanted with the slave, even kill him. But only if there was a reason. Otherwise, it would significantly spoil his reputation, and in those days honor was very great value. Interestingly, in the least populated places, where both slaves and their masters had to work hard, slaves had much more freedom. For example, in Iceland, slaves had the right to bear arms. One of the sagas mentions a case when an owner asks (!) his (!) slave for a spear. Also in Iceland, a slave had the right to kill anyone who encroached on his wife or daughter - a free man did not have the right to kill in defense of a slave.

* – in this article, the Vikings refer to the population of Scandinavia during the Viking Age (8th-12th centuries), which is historically incorrect, but in non-professional literature it has become common practice to use the term “Viking” in this very sense. In general, “Viking” is “not living like everyone else.” “Living like everyone else” - this then meant living on a farm, surrounded by family, going once a month to visit neighbors, and once every six months to a fair. Well, or living in a town, in similar conditions. Vikings are: wandering traders, settlers, just travelers, mercenaries, pirates, robbers, racketeers... But that’s not the point. The point is that this is a profession. And the same Scandinavians did not consider it national at all. They called both the Saxon pirates and the Wends who plundered Denmark Vikings.

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HOW MANY LEGS DOES AN OCTOPUS HAVE?

MISCONCEPTION: 8
ACTUALLY: 2

With the help of two rear tentacles, it moves along the seabed, and with the other six it eats. As a result, today's marine biologists tend to classify octopuses as animals with a pair of legs and six arms.

Additionally, the octopus' tentacles contain two-thirds of the octopus's brain - about 50 million neurons - while the remaining third is shaped like a doughnut and is located in the octopus's head, or "brain cape." Each of the limbs has great independence. The severed tentacle continues to crawl and (in some species) live for several months. The arm (or leg) of an octopus lives by its own mind.

WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE - THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG?

MISCONCEPTION: CHICKEN
REALLY: AN EGG

As geneticist J. B. S. Haldane (1892-1964) noted, “The most frequently asked question is, 'Which came first, the chicken or the egg?' The fact that it is still asked suggests one of two things: either many people have never been taught the theory of evolution, or they simply do not believe in it.”

Birds evolved from reptiles, which means the first bird hatched from an egg laid by one of the reptiles.

Additionally: to find out what color egg a particular chicken will lay, look at its earrings. Hens with white earrings lay white eggs, and those with red earrings lay brown eggs. The color of a chicken egg depends solely on the breed of bird - it has nothing to do with the food.

HOW MANY STATES ARE THERE IN THE USA?

MISCONCEPTION: 50
ACTUALLY: 46

And we are being misled by Massachusetts, Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania, which are officially commonwealths.
The fact is that this status does not give them any special constitutional powers, since they themselves chose this word at the end of the War of Independence of 1775-1783. These commonwealths called themselves that to make it clear that they preferred to no longer be colonies governed by the English crown, but became states governed “by the general consent of the people.”

Virginia was one of the thirteen original American states and was the first to declare itself a commonwealth in 1776. Since then, the American national flag has had thirteen red stripes. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts soon afterwards joined as a commonwealth, and Kentucky, originally a county within Virginia, declared itself a commonwealth in 1792.

WHICH ANIMALS THAT EVER LIVED ON OUR PLANET IS THE MOST DANGEROUS?

MISCONCEPTION: COBRA, SHARK, BIG CATS
REALLY: MOSQUITOES

A good half of the people who have died in the entire history of mankind - something like 45 billion - were killed by female mosquitoes (males only bite plants).
The mosquito (or mosquito) carries more than a hundred potentially fatal diseases, including malaria, yellow fever, dengue, encephalitis, filariasis, and elephantiasis (elephantiasis). Even today, every twelve seconds this insect kills one of us. There are currently 2,500 known species of mosquitoes, 400 of which are members of the anopheles family, and 40 of which are capable of transmitting malaria.

Additionally: female mosquitoes are attracted to moisture, milk, carbon dioxide, body heat and movement. Sweaty people and pregnant women are much more likely to be bitten.

HOW MANY CRABS IS IT REQUIRED TO PRODUCE A KILOGRAM OF CRAB STICKS?

MISCONCEPTION: 10 AND MORE
IN FACT: NONE

Their recipe appeared in 1970 in Japan and has remained virtually unchanged since then.

From time immemorial, crab meat has been an integral attribute of Japanese food. national cuisine. And its number is steadily decreasing. Which, in turn, leads to higher prices for crab meat. And Japanese chefs began to intensively search for a replacement for the delicacy.

They took the Kamaboko dish as a basis. To prepare it, fillets of fish from the cod family are used; their meat is pure white. The fillets are chopped and then pounded. The result is the so-called surimi minced meat. Potatoes, soy sauce, starch, egg powder and flavorings are added to it.

The mass is formed into oblong sticks and evaporated. During this procedure, fat is removed from the meat. The process is completed by applying a strip of food coloring, which gives the sticks the characteristic crab meat character. pink. That's all, actually.

So, apart from the name, there is nothing crab in the product!

FROM WHERE DID MAN COME FROM?

MISCONCEPTION: FROM MONKEYS
IN FACT: HUMANS AND APEES HAVE A COMMON ANCESTOR

A common misconception of humanity is that man descended from monkeys, although this is far from the case. And not even from anthropoids.

The theory that man descended from apes was put forward, as you know, by Charles Darwin, who had only a church education - he was a Protestant priest, and not a biologist. Who would need to impose such a theory? The answer is simple - whoever has the desire and money for PR in newspapers.

Great ape and Homo sapiens descended from one common ancestor, but so far scientists have not been able to find it. This elusive guy lived from 8 to 5 million years ago during the Pliocene era.
Further along the chain, this creature came from the squirrel-like tupaya, one from the urchin, the other from the starfish. Recent comparisons of the genomes of humans and our closest relative, the chimpanzee, suggest that we diverged much later than initially thought. This means that before we finally diverged 5.4 million years ago, we most likely interbred and produced a hybrid species that has not been recorded anywhere and is now extinct.

Despite the fact that not a single piece of evidence existing in our time excludes the possibility that man could have originated anywhere on the planet, the African theory of the spread of the human race is still considered the most plausible.
Research by scientists at the genetic level confirms that one of the first populations outside Africa were the indigenous inhabitants of the Andaman Islands. The islanders lived in absolute isolation for 60 thousand years - longer than the aborigines of Australia.

Nowadays, there are less than 400 indigenous Andamanese left. About half of them belong to two large tribes: the Jarawa and the Sentinelese, who have virtually no contact with outside world. This group of about one hundred Sentinelese leads such a solitary life that no one has ever been able to learn their language.

Other Andamanese languages ​​form their own group - the oldest in South Asia and unrelated to any other language group. There are only five numbers in their dialect: “one”, “two”, “one more”, “a few more” and “all”. Moreover, they have as many as twelve words to describe various states of fruit ripeness, two of which simply cannot be translated.

The Andamanese are one of two tribal groups in the world that to this day have not learned to make fire (the other group is the Ake pygmies, who live in Central Africa). Instead of making fire, they have an ingenious procedure for storing and carrying smoldering logs and burning coals in clay vessels. The coals have been maintained in this state for thousands of years and most likely date back to prehistoric lightning strikes.

It may seem unusual to some, but the indigenous people of the Andaman Islands have a concept of God that is quite familiar to us. Their supreme deity Puluga is the invisible, permanent, immortal, omniscient Creator of all things except evil; he gets angry when we sin and comforts those in distress. To punish people for their sins, Pulugu sent a storm and a great flood.
In 2004, the tsunami hit the Andaman Islands with its full force, however, as we know, none of the native tribes there were practically harmed.