Who are these people?

[MikeL]

Yes, beyond recognizing the big three  and knowing that the pic must have been taken before 1913, because that's when George I of Greece died, the rest is from memory. So if I've got Sweden wrong, then it must be another of the kingdoms that were around in Europe at the time.

 

Since Mike is giving extra credit for being as specific as possible, we'll see if someone else can come in with more detail. And if he's grading on a curve, I'm hoping for an A- 

 

 

Very well, Podga.  A- it is. 

I would have awarded an A without the modifier, but I aim to please. 

 

Edited February 21, 2013 by MikeL

[Zombie]

By 1945 and the end of World War II, the few remaining monarchs found themselves in purely ceremonial offices. 

 

Not strictly true for Queen Elizabeth, Mike. Ceremonial is important for any head of state but the Queen's role - which is all the public get to see - is a bit more than just ceremonial. She has the constitutional right to be consulted, to advise and to warn and this takes place during her weekly meetings with the Prime Minister. We know that detailed matters of state are discussed and conversations are robust - former PMs have said so - and she also gets to see all the state papers produced each day, which include highly political, sensitive and classified documents.  PMs value these meetings - they can unburden themselves and seek advice from someone who has 60 years experience to share, knowling their discussions will never be disclosed. So it's a more active role than you might think and there are lots of other constitutional bells and whistles too such as every member of the armed forces swears allegiance to her, not to the government, and all officers get a "contract" personally signed by the Queen called a Commission

 

Edited February 21, 2013 by Zombie

[MikeL]

Not to start an argument, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Your Queen has no executive power, Zombie.  That leaves only the ceremonial.  If she serves as an experienced sounding board for the PM, then that is a worthwhile function.

 

The US has a parallel to the Queen's commissioning function.  When I joined the US Army, I swore to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."  (Some have described the Constitution as our sovereign.)  When I became an Second Lieutenant, I became "an officer and a gentleman by act of Congress", Congress having the commissioning power under the Constitution.

 

~~~~~

 

Who has another challenge for us?

Edited February 21, 2013 by MikeL

[Zombie]

Your Queen has no executive power, Zombie.  That leaves only the ceremonial.

 

Mike, sorry to return to this, but "ceremonial" is to do with "pomp", "rite", "ritual", "outward form" etc. As I said, much of what the Queen does is ceremonial [state opening of Parliament; Trooping the Colour; hosting Heads of State visits etc etc] but under the UK's constitution her role is not limited to the "purely ceremonial" - your words.  Past Prime Ministers have written after they left office confirming this.

 

You said "By 1945 ... the few remaining monarchs found themselves in purely ceremonial offices", but in 1963 the Queen used the Royal Prerogative to appoint Lord Home, the 14th Earl of Home, as Prime Minister to succeed Harold Macmillan when the government was in disarray as to who should succeed Macmillan. Her actions were criticized. That was not a "pure ceremonial" action. And there is no conflict in having a role beyond the ceremonial and not having Executive power. None at all.

 

[Yettie One]

Zombie would I not be correct in saying that after an election in the UK, the winner has to ask permission from the Queen to form a government?

Would that not suggest that she has some form of input into matters of state beyond ceremonial? I mean just as an observer, it would suggest to me that if the Queen for some weird reason were to get her knickers in a knot, she could say no to the person requesting her authority to form a government, and send us all back to the drawing board to choose more sensibly!

 

Pity she hasn't done that a few times over in recent history

[podga]

Shush, everybody, it is now MY turn 

 

[Yettie One]

Hmmmmm is that a young Albert Einstein?

[Slytherin]

Creepy guy, mean eyes ! He looks like that russian politician but the name escapes me.. sorry

[Zombie]

It's Vlad the Impaler Putin

[Slytherin]

It's Vlad the Impaler Putin

Darn !! **opens up a big bag of cheeze doodles and sulks**

[Zombie]

But the bear showed the way - so ditch those Doodles and post a pic!

[Slytherin]

Really ??!! Okay

 

 

 

 

Sorry - I can't post anything.. Someone else can try **where are my cheez doodles??**

Edited February 21, 2013 by slytherin

[Yettie One]

[MikeL]

That face is very well known here in Nashville.  She was the first African-American woman to anchor the local news in Nashville (WTVF-TV).  She went on to bigger and better things in Baltimore and Chicago.

 

Oprah Winfrey...http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Oprahs-Hairstyles_2

 

Edited February 22, 2013 by MikeL

[MikeL]

OK, here's another one.

 

Who are these people?

 

 

This is an historic composite of pictures of seven men who have something in common.  What is it?

[WhitePhoenix]

they were all passengers on the Titanic?

[Zombie]

Weren't these the Titanic musicians? But I thought there were eight. If it's right WhitePhoenix should go next as I'm away for a few days and she showed the way

[MikeL]

Zombie is correct.  They were members of the Titanic orchestra, all of whom died in the disaster.  The bottom right picture contains a big clue.  I don't know how many musicians there were; the composite may not contain all.  The movies usually show a larger orchestra, but that's Hollywood.  Passenger ships tend to have rather small spaces for entertainment...other than the casino of course.

 

Have a good trip Z-man.

 

OK, White Phoenix is next to offer a challenge.

[MikeL]

OK, here's another one.

 

Who are these people?

 

[Yettie One]

Oh my Oh my Oh my

 

Louis Botha and good ol Mr Jan Smuts.

[MikeL]

Oh my Oh my Oh my

 

Louis Botha and good ol Mr Jan Smuts.

 

 

Yettie is correct.  I thought a South African would be the one to recognize two heroes of the Second Boer War.

 

Louis Botha was commanding general of the Transvaal Boers and went on to become the first Prime Minister of South Africa.

 

Winston Churchill revealed in My Early Life that General Botha was the man who captured him at the ambush of a British armored train on November 15, 1899. Churchill was not aware of the man's identity until 1902, when Botha traveled to London seeking loans to assist his country's reconstruction, and the two met at a private luncheon. The incident is also mentioned in Arthur Conan Doyle's book, The Great Boer War, published in 1902.

 

Botha served as a General commanding British Commonwealth forces during World War I and signed the Versailles treaty

 

 

 

Jan Smuts was a brilliant student who became an attorney.  He was a commando leader during the Second Boer War and later became the fourth Prime Minister of South Africa.  During World War I, he led the South African Army in capturing German South-West Africa and commanded the British Army in East Africa.  He also served as a member of the British War Cabinet.  He became a Field Marshall in the British Army in 1941, and served in the Imperial War Cabinet under Winston Churchill. He was the only person to sign the peace treaties ending both the First and Second World Wars.

 

Smuts was instrumental in establishing the League of Nations and wrote the preamble to the United Nations charter.  He was the only person to sign the charters of both the League of Nations and the UN.

 

 

                                                                                                                                 Jan Smuts, second from left, at Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference with McKenzie King (Canada),

                                                                                                                                 Winston Churchill (United Kingdom), Peter Fraser (New Zealand), John Curtain (Australia) in London,

                                                                                                                                 May 1, 1944

 

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Botha

               http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Smuts

 

 

Next?

[C J]

Just so you know, any picture you put on here I can find on Google and tell you what it is even if I've never seen it before, and I'm pretty sure most of these people can do the same thing, so I think some have been doing exactly that.

Not that I care really, but it does matter if your expecting everyone to figure it out without "cheating".

Edited February 27, 2013 by Ghostboy

[Yettie One]

What is the point of playing if you don't trust anyone? Guess it is down to each individual and how much they want to enjoy taking part ey!

 

Anyway

Next one then...

[W_L]

That was an easy one: Vladimir Lenin circa 1887, he will become the first Premier of the Soviet Union. His political and economic philosophy is considered Marxist-Leninism, but he considered himself a Marxist. His picture is usually found in many communist posters being a silhouette in the background along with Karl Marx.

Edited February 27, 2013 by W_L

[C J]

Oops...never mind....

Edited February 27, 2013 by Ghostboy