entry number 1066; a Good Thing

History is not what you thought.  It is what you can remember.  
(1066 and all that)

I can remember the first time I read this.  I was in my early twenties and had a vague (and subsequently abandoned) idea about training to become a history teacher.  

As well as a real passion for history, I also had the leather elbow patches for my jacket, despite being so young.  But once I started reading I knew I’d never be able to keep a straight face in any classroom.

Napoleon ought never to be confused with Nelson in spite of their hats being so alike ….  

Edward V11 smoked cigars and was addicted to entente cordials….

The Norman Conquest (1066) was a Good Thing, as from this time onwards, England stopped being conquered and thus was able to become top nation.