
British Expedition to Abyssinia - vinnyglennon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Expedition_to_Abyssinia
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sorokod
700 dead 1,400 wounded on Ethiopian side, 2 dead for the British. And all
because: _Theodore, imprisoned several missionaries and two representatives of
the British government in an attempt to get the attention of the British
government, which had decided against his requests for military assistance_

The good old days.

~~~
DannPuglo
"... while the native hostages had their hands and feet amputated before being
thrown over the edge of the precipice surrounding the plateau."

Good old days when governments weren't afraid to take horrible leaders head
on.

~~~
sorokod
Do you think that the British where driven by moral imperative to depose an
evil ruler?

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throw0101a
Apropos of nothing: the only other time I recall seeing the word "Abyssinia"
is in the song "Re:Definition" by Mos Def & Talib Kweli:

 _Sinking they ship, like Moby Dick to Ahab_

 _Son I 'm way past the minimum, entering millennium_

 _My raps will hold a gat to your back like Palestinians_

 _Ancient Abyssinia, sure to hold the Gideon_

 _Official b-boy gentlemen, long term, never the interim_

 _Born inside the winter, when?_

 _Day after December 10_

* [https://genius.com/Black-star-re-definition-lyrics](https://genius.com/Black-star-re-definition-lyrics)

When Mos Def gives off the rhymes (about 1m28 in) the flow is just crazy
smooth:

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr6SrRQnZv4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr6SrRQnZv4)

~~~
haasted
Even more apropos of nothing: it’s also used in a famous episode of M _A_ S*H,
“Abyssinia, Henry”.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyssinia,_Henry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyssinia,_Henry)

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kmlx
romantic glasses on. in today’s honorless world, these historical acts are
incredible. reminds me of the terrible fights against Burma, as well as the
more recent shackleton expedition during ww1, and defence of hong kong during
ww2. romantic glasses off.

these kind of acts can only happen when life is cheap. ask 10,000 people today
to go to mars knowing that at least a few, at most all, will die. i guarantee
almost no one will sign up. because we value life now like in no other period
in human history. for better or worse.

~~~
arethuza
As far as I can tell dangerous sports seem more popular than ever so I'm not
sure that is true (I've known a few people who had died in motorbike accidents
and in the mountains so I may be biased).

Also, I'd go to Mars!

~~~
rsynnott
Yeah, I think we're probably if anything more enthusiastic about elective
risking of life than ever before. Risking one's life is a leisure activity!
(Both in extreme sports, and in activities that we now know to be dangerous in
a way that we didn't really understand before; drinking, smoking, excessive
eating, etc)

However, risking _other peoples'_ lives (or at least conscious risking of
other peoples' lives; the afore-mentioned extreme sports do sometimes
incidentally risk other peoples' lives but the perpetrator isn't normally
conscious of this) is certainly frowned upon more now than at any previous
time in history, especially to no particularly good purpose (as in the link).

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zeristor
Quite bonkers, and news to me. This must have been one of the more grandiose
campaigns of the Victorians.

~~~
zatertip
The Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan was quite grandiose too.

~~~
JackFr
Winston Churchill (a lieutenant at the time) participated in the last calvary
charge by the British Army at Battle of Omdurman.

[https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1957-04-4-1](https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1957-04-4-1)

It's amazing to realize that Churchill's army commission was granted by Queen
Victoria and the last government he was in was under Queen Elizabeth II.

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gxx
A more recent similar expedition was the Falkland war of 1982 where the
British, at high cost, sent a force to retake the Falklands when they were
siezed by Argentina:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falklands_War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falklands_War)

~~~
jngreenlee
Wondering if they would do the same for Hong Kong if mainlands breaks the
pledge to not force changes until 2046? The costs would be incredible.

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zelos
[dumb joke redacted]

~~~
wtdata
It is pointed out right at the beginning of the wikipedia article that the
country was already in a state of civil war.

"By October 1862 Emperor Tewodros's position as ruler had become precarious:
much of Ethiopia was in revolt against him, except for a small area stretching
from Lake Tana east to his fortress at Magdala. "

