Black Hole of Calcutta. 1756. Small cell in which 123 of 146 British alledgedly died after being imprisoned by Bengalis.

Black Muslims. 20C US movement to apply Islam to Black life. Malcolm X.

Black War. 1804-30. Tasmanian natives defeated by European settlers.

Blake, William. 1757-1827. English mystical poet and engraver of his own books. Marriage of Heaven and Hell 1790-3. Job 1821. Dante’s Divine Comedy 1825.

Blandine, St. Martyr at Lyon, 177.

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

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

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

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

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

Bocskay, István. 1557-1606. Hungarian rebel vs HRE Catholicism. Gained Transylvania from Rudolf II. Vienna Peace, 1606.

Bode, Johann. 1747-1826. German astronomer: Laws of planetary distances, 1766.

Bodhidharma. (Daruma). 6C Indian monk in China. Founded Ch’an Buddhism =Zen.

Bodhisattva. One who delays Buddhahood to save others. Mahayana.

Boeotian League. 550-335BC. Federal government formed by Thebes. Opposed Sparta in Corinthian War. Defeated by Philip of Macedonia, 338. Destroyed by Alexander the Great, 335.

Boethius. 475-524. Roman translator of Aristotle. Neoplatonic. Stoic. Consolation of Philosophy 523 (while imprisoned).

Boffrand, Germain. 1667-1754. French architect. Palais Bourbon 1710.

Bogart, Humphrey. 1899-1957. US film star. Maltese Falcon 1941. Casablanca 1942.

Bogomils. 9-15C. Slavic ascetic Christian cult. All matter created by the devil.

Bohemia. Celts. 5-6C Slavs. 9C Unified. 1061 HRE. 10C + Moravia + Silesia + Galicia. 1158 Kingdom. 1526 Hapsburg. 1918 Czechoslovakia. 1939-45 German. 1993 Czech Republic.

Böhme, Jakob. 1575-1624. German mystic. Explained world in terms of opposing elements. Aurora 1612.

Bolivia. Aymará. 15C Inca. 1538 Spain 1825 Independent. Bolivar.

Bollandists. 1629-. Belgian Jesuits. Update Acta Santorium, (Lives of Roman Catholic saints).

Bolsheviks. (“Majority”) 1903-52. Revolutionary faction of Social Democratic Workers Party for dictatorship of Proletariat. =Communist. Mensheviks.

Bolt, Robert. 1924-95. English dramatist. A Man for all Seasons 1960.

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