Things That Are Good To Know

[danalwyn]

Questions that most Americans should know the answers to, but probably don't (those of you who don't live in the area can safely plead ignorance):

• So, today's Cinco de Mayo which, to be honest, isn't that big a deal in Mexico. You should know, of course, that this is not Mexican Independence Day, which happens later in the year. It is, however, the commemoration of a famous battle. What battle is that?


• It's pretty obvious that one side of the battle consisted of the Mexicans. Who were they fighting against?


• What conflict was this part of, and what was the eventual outcome?

To be honest, it's probably not that important to know. I wouldn't know the answers to most of them if it didn't have something to do with the dissolution of the Hapsburgs (note - if this helps you answer the above questions, then you already know far too much) and I still got the battle's name wrong by making it masculine.

But seeing as how a great many Americans (United States Americans at least) will be taking this as an excuse to go out and drink beer and tequila until they have to be mopped off the floors, you think they would at least know something about the excuse they were using. Maybe they should require a quiz at the door to get you into the bar.

(As usual, Wikipedia has the answers to everything)

Comments

[silverjackal]

I was a little surprised that Cinco de Mayo seems to be such an event in the United States, since as you say it's not much of a big deal in Mexico. I knew it was the Battle of Puebla against the French, and that it was initiated by the last French monarch, Napoleon III, but the rest of the details are fuzzy.

[danalwyn]

I think they're understandably fuzzy - not many people in Mexico probably remember.

But I get a bit frustrated with how big it is in the US, even though nobody knows what it is. Of course, now that we've stolen it, I guess it's ours, but still, that seems sort of like shoddy work.