Newsreel cameras caught King Alexander of Yugoslavia's aftermath in Marseille in 1934, but the shots were edited

historyThe Public Domain Review1934 · Marseille, France

Newsreel cameras caught King Alexander of Yugoslavia's aftermath in Marseille in 1934, but the shots were edited

the gist

On 9 October 1934, King Alexander of Yugoslavia arrived in Marseille for a state visit to France. While his car travelled through the streets with French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou, Vlado Chernozemski, a Bulgarian member of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, stepped out and shot the king and the chauffeur. Alexander died instantly, and Barthou died later from inadequate medical treatment. The assassin was cut down by a French policeman and beaten by the crowd. Newsreel footage captured the events leading up to the killing and its aftermath, but not the shooting itself.

so what

The killing helped push the Little Entente alliance and European diplomacy toward a crisis, and it became a notable early example of a political assassination recorded on film. The later discovery that the footage had been edited shows how newsreels could be shaped to tell a more dramatic story.

Image: The Public Domain Review

source: The Public Domain Review ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗