Its A Little Bit Funny

I'm sure that everyone's thought "Wow, that was stupid" or "Why did they do that" concerning some event in history. I know I have. It is not so much that the event in and of itself is stupid or peculiar (although that may very well be the case), but more that something must have gone terribly wrong in the forming of the thought or plan that led to said event.

I have a few short words for my first example. Well, really two medium sized words and one very short word: Hannibal, Elephants, Alps. How could that plan have gone wrong? Well, to the right is the first of many illustrations to come concerning events in history (or historical legend) that just makes you scratch your head.

I would love to hear feed back on this comic and see any comics that you might like to post about events in history you think are silly, stupid, or even just "a little bit funny." More comics to come!

-Mary Ruth


As promised here are two more comics. Really these two panels are two parts of a single piece. So a bit of preface. What makes these two events "a little bit funny" to me is the fact that there seems to have been no lesson learned. The lesson, of course, is don't try to invade Russia with winter on the way.

In 1812 Napoleon began his battle with Russia, but fighting Russia (as so many have found out) is a long process. A process which often stretches into the deathly cold winter months. In his youth Napoleon studied Roman strategies on war as well as other works on the same subject, and so he became a great tactician. But trying to fight the Russians on their own territory without the proper equipment and with winter impending was foolish.

A little over a century later, in 1941 Hitler added yet another front to the wretched war he had begun only a couple years earlier. And so he attacked his erstwhile allies, for whom he had great contempt (like all those who did not fit into his twisted idea of perfection), the Russians. But just as a century before, eventually winter came. And even though the Russians had too few guns and too many men, the third reich could not hold out against the blistering cold.

The last thing I want to add is a note that these two events remind me of the oft ill quoted statement "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."

I'd also like to note that I am in no way trying to compare the moral actions of Napoleon, who I'm sure did some bad things in his life, to those of Hitler, who I personally think (and I'd wager almost no one would disagree) is basically the epitome of evil. But that's just me. Rather I am simply trying to draw a comparison between the events which might possibly be deemed "a little bit funny."

Anyway here they are, the next installment.



I hope you enjoy and I look forward to your comments and images!

-Mary Ruth