Relating to or characteristic of the playwright Bertolt Brecht, who believed that theatre should be used to make political or social comment, and who therefore refused to allow the audience to suspend their disbelief by, for example, keeping the lights on in the auditorium.
Brechtian
Fact of the Day
Some Anglo-Norman's French accents were so bad it was rumoured there was a cursed spring in Marlborough, Wiltshire. Those who drank from it would end up speaking 'Marlborough French'.
Quote of the Day
"Were this the skeleton of the oldest man, then the oldest man was a freak
"
~ Mayer on the Neanderthal, 1864.
On This Day
1429 A French force led by Joan of Arc lifted the seven-month-long Siege of Orléans.
1559 Elizabeth I gave her approval to the Acts of Uniformity and Supremacy, establishing a middle of the road Protestant faith for the whole country, banning Catholicism and enforcing church attendance, and confirming Elizabeth as the head of the Church of England.
1660 Charles II was proclaimed king of England. The British monarchy was restored after the English Civil War.
1701 Captain Kidd went on trial for murder and piracy on the high seas. He was found guilty and hanged 15 days later.
1903 French post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin died of an accidental drug overdose, aged 54.
1945 VE Day: The Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Germany, bringing an end to war in Europe.
1952 Women in Greece were granted the right to vote.