The bright red flower called the poinsettia has become a traditional part of American Christmas celebrations. But the flower’s common name, which, while it sounds exotic, has nothing to do with the native name for the plant, is a reference to an American diplomat of whom a 1929 edition of the Baltimore Evening Sun wrote “His Career was as flamboyantly colorful as the poinsettia, and yet he is almost forgotten.”
You’ve probably heard of the Spanish Armada, in 1588 is a famous failure - a defeat so complete that it established the English as a naval power, while it underscored Spain’s decline. But much less remembered was that the English too raised an armada, seeking to take advantage of the Spanish loss, itself ending in dismal, almost spectacular failure.
The Forgotten English Armada