Blandine, St. Martyr at Lyon, 177.

Blanqui, Louis. 1805-81. French militant socialist. Coined: “Dictatorship of the Proletariat”, “Industrial Revolution”, 1837. Unsuccessful uprising 1839. Commune leader. Secret societies.

Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider). 1911-14. Organization of Abstract Expressionist artists. Kandinsky. Klee.

Blavatsky, Helena. 1831-91. Founded Theosophical Society, 1875.

Bleeding Kansas. 1854-59. Antislavery vs Slavery advocates for control of Kansas. Wyandotte Constitution.

Blenheim, Battle. 1704. Bavaria. Marlborough’s victory in War of Spanish Succession. First French defeat in 50 years, saves Vienna.

Bligh, William. 1754-1817. English captain of Bounty. Discovered breadfruit.

Blitzkrieg. 1938-45. German battle tactic. Rapid, deep assault with tanks supported from air.

Blockade. Naval strategy preventing access to an enemy’s coast.

Blondin, Charles. 1824-97. French tightrope walker over Niagara, 1859.

Blood, Thomas. 1628-80. Attempted to steal British crown jewels 1671.

Blood Purge. 1934. Hitler’s murder of 74 Nazi radicals.

Bloody Assizes. 1685. Trial of Monmouth’s rebels. 320 hung. 800 deported.

Bloody Sunday. 1887. Police kill 2 Socialists in Trafalgar Square Riot. 1905. Slaughter of petitioners to Winter Palace of Nicholas II leads to Russian Revolution. 1972. 13 killed in Londonderry riot.

Bloody Week. 1871. Paris Commune toppled. 20,000 dead.

Bloomsbury Group. 1907-30. Agnostic English intellectuals searching for good, true, beautiful. Forster, Woolf, Keynes, Russell, Huxley, et.al.

Blow, John. 1649-1708. Westminster organist. First English opera, Venus and Adonis 1685.

Blücher, Gebhardt von. 1742-1819. Prussian general at Waterloo.

Blue Laws. US laws that control Sunday activities. 1781 originals on blue paper.

Blue Stockings. 1750s French literary salon held by educated women.

Bluebeard. 6C- legend of murderous husband.

Blues and Greens. 5-9C. Byzantine political factions. Nika Revolt.

Blurb, Miss. 1907. Photo appeared on novel jackets.

Boabdil (Mohammed XI). -1538. Last Moorish King of Spain, 1482-92.

Boadicea. -60. British Iceni Queen. Led rebellion vs Romans over taxes, 60.

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