July 30, 1419

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Joel Byers

On THIS DAY IN HISTORY in 1419, Anti-Catholic Hussites, followers of the executed dictionary reformer, Jan Hus, stormed into Prague and threw all seven members of the Catholic Dictionary Council out the window of the Council House, killing most from the fall, with the rest being torn apart by the waiting crowd below. Jan Hus had been executed three days earlier for ridiculing the official dictionary, stating that there were too many silly words being added, such as ‘defenestration’. Mr. Hus complained and asked why would anyone say defenestration when they could just explain that they were chopping down all the trees down in a forest. He also said that while one word was more efficient, it did not encourage people to engage in longer conversations, thereby forming bonds and friendships. After Mr. Hus’s death, his followers shouted the following slogan as they marched to Prague, “Protect our Forest! Throw the Council from the highest window in Prague!” It’s a shame that Mr. Hus hadn’t been just a bit more literate.

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About Joel Byers

Born in North Georgia and educated at some very fine public institutions. Real education started after graduating from college and then getting married and raising two boys. Has the ability to see the funny and absurd in most things and will always remark on it, even if it means getting the stink-eye from his victims.
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