Oooh...good one! I should know this, and yet....

Nancy - who is off to work, cause she came in 2nd in the job the competition! Sigh.

Ouch!!!! Don't know if I can figure this one out, even with clues :(.

Nancy, sorry about the job, but, hopefully this means something even better will come your way.

Annette

Diese Antwort weiss ich nicht. But I'll be hoping for a clue.

A clue! A clue!
Gesundheit!

Sorry. That was just silly.

TM

Heehee, TM-I love that. Very funny.

So, I never expected to sink you with this question! Charles, who is such a great history buff knew it, so I feared it would be too easy. Well, actually, he knew one name immediately, but could not come up with the second name as quickly.

Need to check the pups-grandpuppy is here too and they are quiet, so they are up to something,-probably digging! It is a beautiful day here-in the 50s with a sky of Prussian Blue and no breeze. I expect the clouds to roll in by this evening since a wintry mix changing to snow is predicted. Why oh why couldn't this happen on a school day rather than our long holiday weekend. jeepers! I should have come up with something for Presidents' Day!

Cynthia

A battleship name popped into my head a few minutes ago. I'm not much for history, but I do remember the Johnny Horton song from decades ago.
TM

So there's one...

Odd, but I have a strange craving for beans and Franks for dinner tonight.

Cynthia

Hmmmm, was there a Heimlich von Frankenbeanler? Can't really recall that name.

I'll keep thinking.

TM

OK, just home, cats fed, pizza dough in the bread machine, now on to trivia. I'm going to try the same as last week, put in an answer, then checking in with what everyone else did today!

Pretty sure the 2nd was the First WW and the Kaiser. 1st is hard, we talked about it at work, maybe it's Charlemagne? Not sure.

Nancy.

I'm skunked again, darn it :(.

Annette

Oooh - so the 2nd is eponymous to the battleship? Is that even English?? lol. As in the the battleship was named after der herr?? Hmmm....that screws me up...

Nancy.

TM, you are accumulating stars just for making me laugh!

Okay, so put together the clues: DH Charles is great (and he knows Latin) and Franks-not as in food-as in people in Europe way back when. Or, easier, you could read Nancy's post! :)

Now, apropos of nothing...we are expected to get snow tomorrow after getting to 59 degrees today. Should I cut some of my camellia buds tonight and bring them in, so I don't lose them all? The shrub out front is covered with buds this year and I will probably end up with nothing but brown buds once the freezing air moves in. Aaarrgghh.

Cynthia

OK, here I go: you seldom refer to your DH as 'Charles', so am going with 1/ Charlemagne and 2/ Bismark.

That's my final answer, I think!!

Nancy.

Hmmmm, I did actually did think Bismark when TM mentioned a battleship, but then thought I was probably wrong LOL.

Annette

I agree with Nancy, Charles 1/Charlemagne and Chancellor Otto Von Bismark under the weak Kaiser Wilhelm 1.

Good clues though I did not need them this time.

An aside: My son's first word was Gesundheit. We were traveling with friends by car back to southern MN from a vacation in St. Louis, MO. You all know how first time parents are eagerly awaiting the child's first word. Tim made a noise and after a pause my friend turned around and said, 'Tim just said his first word, Gesundheit!" I laughed and said, "That's what I heard too but I certainly wasn't going to say it." Whether it was so or not it has become a funny story of his childhood. And perhaps it was so as he was a precocious kid.

Bobbie

**** for Nancy and Bobbie who got it all.
** for Annette and TM who get partial credit

Charlemagne's rule was the "First Reich" according to van den Bruck followed by the "Second Reich" that was, according to van den Bruck in the article in Smithsonian Magazine, resurrected by Bismark with his Prussian "blood and iron." The article goes on to say Bismark and the Second Reich were "betrayed by the 'stab in the back,' the supposed treachery of Jews and socialists on the home front that brought the noble German Army defeat just as it was on the verge of victory in November, 1918. And thus all Germany was awaiting the savior who would arise to restore, with a Third Reich, the destiny that was theirs."

Thanks for playing all. Bobbie, cute story about your son's first word. I would definitely go with "he said it." Really, what other kiddo can claim that?!

Cynthia

ps. I downloaded a star to my Picasa account, thinking I would embed the image to give you all real stars like TM and Nancy have always done, but when I went back to my account to copy it, I couldn't find it. Really, I am just so incredibly inept. Picture those asterisks as wonderful multi-colored stars. ;)

I am Cyn, I am!!! Actually I read a really great article about the 2nd WW coming out of the 1st as the war was never brought to German soil, so the Germans never felt defeated. Many believe that is why they were so crushed in the 2nd. Hmmmm....the same theory was also used to explain the 2nd Gulf War. I really would like to be a happy little peacenik, but life conspires against me.

Thanks for the fun, Cyn.

Nancy.

your son's first word was gesundheit?? I love it Bobby - save that for the wedding speech.

Nancy.