Olivares, Conde de. 1587-1645. Spanish Prime Minister 1625-43. Policies of warfare, tax caused revolt.

Olive Branch Petition. 1775. Moderate Americans attempt to avoid war. Ignored by George III.

Olympias. c175-316BC. Wife of Philip of Macedonia. Mother of Alexander the Great.

Olympics, Modern. 1896 Athens. 1900 Paris. 1904 St. Louis. 1908 London. 1912 Stockholm. 1920 Antwerp. Summer: 1924 Paris. 1928 Amsterdam. 1932 Los Angeles. 1936 Berlin. 1948 London. 1952 Helsinki. 1956 Melbourne. 1960 Rome. 1964 Tokyo. 1968 Mexico City. 1972 Munich. 1976 Montreal. 1980 Moscow. 1984 Los Angeles. 1988 Seoul. 1992 Barcelona. 1996 Atlanta. 2000 Sydney. 2004 Athens. 2008 Beijing. Winter: 1924 Chamonix. 1928 St Moritz. 1932 Lake Placid. 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen. 1948 St Moritz. 1952 Oslo. 1956 Cortina d’Ampezzo. 1960 Squaw Valley. 1964 Innsbruck. 1968 Grenoble 1972 Sapporo. 1976 Innsbruck. 1980 Lake Placid. 1984 Sarajevo. 1988 Calgary. 1992 Albertville. 1994 Lillehammer. 1998 Nagano. 2002 Salt Lake City. 2006 Torino. Olympia.

Omnibus. 1829 London. 1904 Double decker. 1911 Last horse drawn bus.

Oñate, Juan de. -1630. Spanish explorer of southwest US.

O’Neill, Eugene. 1888-1953. US playwright: Iceman Cometh 1946. Long Day’s Journey into Night 1956.

Open Door. 1900-39. US policy of equal trade rights with China.

Opium Wars. 1839-42 Hong Kong ceded to Britain. 1856-60. French, British force China to open trade, legalize opium. Demonstrated European weapon superiority. Nanking Treaty.

Oradour-sur-Glane. 1944. Germans kill residents, burn town. 10 survivors of 652.

Orange, House of. French dynasty influential in Netherlands. William I. William III.

Orange Free State. 1820 Boer colony. 1848 British. 1854 Independent. 1900 British. 1910 Union of South Africa. Boer War.

Oranges, War of. 1801. France and Spain defeat and divide Portugal.

Orcus. Roman god of underworld and dead. = Hades.

Orff, Carl. 1895-1982. Modern German composer. Straightforward. Carmina Burana 1936.

Oriental Canon Law. 880. Ecclesiastical laws of Eastern Christian churches.

Orléans, Charles, duc d’. 1394-1465. Fought with Armagnacs vs Burgundians. Captured at Agincourt 1415. Ransomed 1440. Last courtly poet of France.

Orléans, Philippe II, duc d’. 1674-1723. French soldier Wars of Grand Alliance, Spanish Succession. Regent for Louis XV.

Orléans, Siege. 1428-9. 8 month English siege ended by Joan of Arc. Turning point of 100 Years War.

Ormonde, Duke of. 1610-88. Irish Stuart supporter during Civil War.

Orpheus. Mythical Greek poet. Tamed animals with lyre. Music charmed underworld gods in bid to free wife.

Orthodox Church, Eastern. 1054-. Autonomous Christian churches of Middle East, Eastern Europe, Russia using Byzantine rite. East-West Schism.

Orwell, George. 1903-50. English satirical novelist and social critic: Animal Farm 1945, 1984 1948.

Osama bin Laden. 1957-. Wahabi Saudi Arabian construction magnate turned terrorist. World Trade Center. Taliban. al-Qaeda.

Osborne, John. 1929-94. ‘Angry’ English playwright. Entertainer 1951. Look Back in Anger 1956.

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