Avernus. Crater lake, believed by Romans to be Hell’s entrance.

Avogadro, Amadeo. 1776-1856. PV=nRT. Number of molecules in a given quantity of gas 1811.

Aztec Empire. 14C-1521. Mexico. Conquered by Spanish.

Ba’al Shem-Tov. 1700-60. Polish founder of Hasidism. Holiness of ordinary existence.

Ba’ath. 1943-. Pan-Arab Socialist unity party.

Babel. Babylonian tower to heaven started by Noah’s sons.

Babeuf, François. 1760-97. French Socialist egalitarian revolutionary. “Conspiracy of Equals” vs Directory.

Babington, Anthony. 1561-86. English conspirator to murder Elizabeth I for Mary Queen of Scots. Beheaded.

Babism. 1844-50. Shi’ite mystical ascetic sect. Numerology. Number 19. Baha’ism.

Babylonia. c8000BC Tigris-Euphrates Civ’n. 1792-50BC Hammurabi’s emp. c1530 Kassite. 11C Aramaen, Assyrian. 625 Chaldean. 538 Achaemenid. 331BC Alexander.

Babylonian Captivity. 586-538BC. “70 Years” of Jewish exile by Nebuchadnezzar.

Bacon, Francis. 1561-1626. English chancellor and philosopher. First king’s counsel. Favoured inductive over deductive reasoning. Separated Science from religion. New Atlantis 1625. B. Scientific method: Novum Organum 1620. Essays 1625.

Bacon’s Rebellion. 1676. Virginia colonists under N.Bacon defeat Indians, take Jamestown.

Badoglio, Pietro. 1871-1956. Italian. Conquered Ethiopia 1936. Arranged 1943 armistice. Prime Minister 1943-44.

Badr, Battle. 624. Muhammad’s first military victory. Defeats Umayyad caravan.

Baha’ism. 1863-. Founded by Baha (1817-92), disciple of Bab. Religion advocating world peace, through unification of mankind.

Bakunin, Mikhail. 1814-76. Russian anarchist revolutionary. International movement. Advocated assassination. Dieu et l’état 1871.

Balder. Scandinavian god of peace, felled by Hoder’s mistletoe arrow.

Baldwin, Stanley. 1867-1947. British Conservative Prime Minister. 1923~37. General Strike. Opposed rearmament. “Safety First”.

Balkan Wars. 1912-13. Balkan League defeats Ottoman Empire. Turkish territory distributed. General dissatisfaction termed the “powder keg of Europe”.

Balkans. Inhabited c6000BC. 6C BC Illyria. 148BC Rome(Illyricum)(N). 285 Byzantine(E). 4-7C Goths, Avars, Huns, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Slavs, Bulgars, Serbs invade. 890 Bulgar Empire. 1159 Serbian empire. 1389 Ottoman. 1699 Austria(E,N)/Venice(S,W). 19C Eastern Question. Albania. Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bulgaria. Croatia. Greece. Macedonia. Montenegro. Romania. Serbia. Slovenia. Yugoslavia.

Baltard, Victor. 1805-74. French architect. First to employ metal girders: Les Halles. St-Augustine’s Church.

Bancroft, George. 1800-91. “Father of American history”. History of United States 1834-74.

Banda, Hastings. c1902-97. Autocratic Malawi President 1963-. 1971- “President for Life”.

Bandaranaike, Sirimavo. 1916-2000. Ceylon Prime Minister 1960~77. World’s first woman Prime Minister.

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