🚀 go-pugleaf

In <DCMz20.6r3@austin.ibm.com> medcalf@ppc5.svo.dfw.ibm.com (Jeff Medcalf (214) 280-5970 IBM SDO) writes:

>In article <3vk1gj$1tj@sundog.tiac.net>, Jim Williams <williams@tiac.net> writes:
>> medcalf@ppc5.svo.dfw.ibm.com (Jeff Medcalf (214) 280-5970 IBM SDO) wrote:
>> >In article <3vcgqa$fko@panix.com>, bwu@panix.com (Bryan Wu) writes:
>> >> 
>> >> Sounds like Switzerland. :)
>> >
>> >Anyone who thinks Switzerland can't defend itself has never studied
>> >geography, military science or history.  At least one of those has
>> >to be missing to make such a statement.
>> 
>> You could probably throw in anthropology too.  I really need to go the the
>> History books sometime and find out if Roma attacked the Swiss and failed,
>> or if Ceasar had enough sense not to bother...
>
>Don't remember, although the situation was different then.  It wasn't
>until the Middle Ages that Switzerland developed their military reputation.
>I think it was some time later that all male Swiss citizens were armed
>and trained.

And Switzerland didn't exist at all until _exactly_ 704 years ago, when
(at 1st August 1291) the first three cantons united, creating the
Confoederatio Helvetica (now you know what the cryptical .ch in my
email address stands for :-)  

Yes, if you haven't already guessed, today is the Swiss 4th July :-)

Dan
--
Dan Pop
CERN, CN Division
Email: Dan.Pop@mail.cern.ch 
Mail:  CERN - PPE, Bat. 31 R-004, CH-1211 Geneve 23, Switzerland