Blenheim, Battle. 1704. Bavaria. Marlborough’s victory in War of Spanish Succession. First French defeat in 50 years, saves Vienna.

Bligh, William. 1754-1817. English captain of Bounty. Discovered breadfruit.

Blitz. 1940-41. Popular name for Battle of Britain.

Blockade. Naval strategy preventing access to an enemy’s coast.

Blondin, Charles. 1824-97. French tightrope walker over Niagara, 1859.

Bloody Sunday. 1887. Police kill 2 Socialists in Trafalgar Square Riot. 1905. Slaughter of petitioners to Winter Palace of Nicholas II leads to Russian Revolution. 1972. 13 killed in Londonderry riot.

Bloomsbury Group. 1907-30. Agnostic English intellectuals searching for good, true, beautiful. Forster, Woolf, Keynes, Russell, Huxley, et.al.

Blow, John. 1649-1708. Westminster organist. First English opera, Venus and Adonis 1685.

Blue Laws. US laws that control Sunday activities. 1781 originals on blue paper.

Blue Stockings. 1750s French literary salon held by educated women.

Blues and Greens. 5-9C. Byzantine political factions. Nika Revolt.

Blum, Léon. 1872-1950. French Socialist Prime Minister 1936-7. 40 hr. week.

Boabdil (Mohammed XI). -1538. Last Moorish King of Spain, 1482-92.

Boccioni, Umberto. 1882-1916. Italian artist. Founded Futurism. Riot in the Gallery 1909.

Bocskay, István. 1557-1606. Hungarian rebel vs HRE Catholicism. Gained Transylvania from Rudolf II. Vienna Peace, 1606.

Bodhidharma. (Daruma). 6C Indian monk in China. Founded Ch’an Buddhism =Zen.

Bodin, Jean. 1530-96. French political philosopher. Advocated democratic monarchy.

Boeotian League. 550-335BC. Federal government formed by Thebes. Opposed Sparta in Corinthian War. Defeated by Philip of Macedonia, 338. Destroyed by Alexander the Great, 335.

Boer War. 1899-1902. British defeat Boer Republic in South Africa. Vereeniging.

Boers. 17-19C Dutch settlers in South Africa. Great Trek.

Boffrand, Germain. 1667-1754. French architect. Palais Bourbon 1710.

Bohemia. Celts. 5-6C Slavs. 9C Unified. 1061 HRE. 10C + Moravia + Silesia + Galicia. 1158 Kingdom. 1526 Hapsburg. 1918 Czechoslovakia. 1939-45 German. 1993 Czech Republic.

Böhme, Jakob. 1575-1624. German mystic. Explained world in terms of opposing elements. Aurora 1612.

Boleslav the Cruel. -967. Brother, murdered St. Wenceslaus to become Prince of Bohemia, 929.

Bolivar, Simon. 1783-1830. “Liberator of South America”. 1812- Led rebels in Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru.

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