The Unpredictable Past

By F. N Peters

Visiting the past would be akin to visiting a foreign country; the people speak in different tongues, dress in unfamiliar garbs, and behave in an alien manner. Just like visiting a foreign country, seemingly universal truths would get shattered upon impact. Our imaginations often prove incapable of fully grasping the all-encompassing cultural aspects that are present in a foreign country.

Throughout this book, you will be guided through a foreign past to see how our modern world has been shaped by the often-unpredictable whims of fate, chance occurrences and downright luck. In each chapter, you will travel to a new region and time period, being globally guided through eras ranging from European antiquity to twentieth-century Japan.

It is often said that one only appreciates home after having been abroad. By the same token, you will increase your understanding and appreciation for the present after having delved into The Unpredictable Past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Mar 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9781035809974

F. N Peters

F.N Peters is a young financial consultant with a background in academia and a passion for history. His writing combines historical events and present-day actualities in a humorous and light-hearted manner, making it accessible for both the historical novice and the seasoned historian. Peters writes about a broad range of topics and uses his various fields of knowledge to make his stories more colourful. This is particularly so when he analyses the economic and societal pressures that created the circumstances for certain historical phenomena. In his most recent work, he light-heartedly pokes at the deterministic historians of the modern age.

Book preview

About the Author

F. N Peters is a young financial consultant with a background in academia and a passion for history. His writing combines historical events and present-day actualities in a humorous and light-hearted manner, making it accessible for both the historical novice and the seasoned historian. Peters writes about a broad range of topics and uses his various fields of knowledge to make his stories more colourful. This is particularly so when he analyses the economic and societal pressures that created the circumstances for certain historical phenomena. In his most recent work, he light-heartedly pokes at the deterministic historians of the modern age.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my grandparents. Their countless stories from the past have not only entertained me but they also instilled in me a curiosity for our species’ history.

Copyright Information ©

F. N Peters 2023

The right of F. N Peters to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035809967 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035809974 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

A book is never written alone and I too wouldn’t have been able to finish this book without the support of various people, and I’d like to take the opportunity here to thank those involved for their much needed help. First of all, I’d like to thank the fine people of Austin Macaulay Publishers who have given me the opportunity to publish my work and have helped me refine it. I’d also like to thank my friends and family for their support and inspiration for my work, in particular my older brother who has proofread all the stories before it even reached the publishers. Last but not least, I’d like to thank my girlfriend who inspired me to write this work in the first place, and without whose support I’d probably have never finished it.

Synopsis

The book The Unpredictable Past is a collection of short historical stories, which, as the overarching theme, all focus on the influence of randomness on history. These stories are set in different time periods, ranging from antiquity to modern history, and in different geographical areas. The stories were originally written as blog posts but have been adapted to better fit the book format.

The Unpredictable Past

Visiting the past would be akin to visiting a foreign country; people talk, dress and act differently. Just as when we visit a country, many long-held beliefs get shattered upon impact. Our images of the country, the people, and the culture often appear to be incapable of fully grasping the all-encompassing cultural aspects that are present in such a foreign country.

Recently, I visited Rome, and as any European will be able to tell you, it is always a delight to see American tourists. Their large and largely cultural uniform country seems to make some of these tourists oblivious to the many (often unspoken) cultural rules a country with a strong cultural heritage like Italy has. In a certain restaurant, I heard an American woman order a glass of red wine with her Pizza Salmone, which might not seem like a big deal to most of us, but in Italy, such an order would almost be an insult to the restaurant. You don’t drink wine when eating a pizza and fish on a pizza is also a big no-no over there. In another instance, I heard a man wonder whose birthday was being celebrated at a table close to us. The man seemed to be oblivious to the fact that Italians kissed each other on the cheeks when greeting. Maybe worst of all, I heard someone in Rome say that the city looked a lot like Napoli! For those not in the know, all Italian regions are fiercely proud of their own cultures and look down on the other regions, and the Rome/Napoli rivalry is an old one.

These American tourists act in such a way, because their perception of the country is skewed due to the kind of information they receive about the country. Someone who has only watched the Godfather will have a different idea than someone who has read many Italian novels; neither of them will be right and both of them will have a very different image of the country.

These misconceptions don’t just apply to foreign countries, but to the past as well. Who hasn’t seen depictions of Vikings as these bare-chested men with great horned helmets, a short Napoleon or a medieval village that looks as if it was ripped out of the prehistoric time?

Not only do we fall for these misconceptions, but we are also inclined to look at our history with a deterministic lens. Most people, many historians included, will often just focus on the X led to Y part of the story without acknowledging the many, oftentimes random, little events that led up to a momentous occasion.

When visiting Rome, I had