The ancient Greeks and Romans had Gods for nearly everything. One of the most famous now, and most popular in those days, was Dionysus, or Bacchus in Roman. Less well known is his loyal sidekick Silenus. A shame because this old drunkard was the one who taught the God of Wine and Partying how to…
Many old civilizations had Gods for just about everything: the sun, the sea, lightning and often quite a few for alcohol related matters. The Aztecs were no exception. Even though they had very strict laws on alcohol use and abuse, no other tribe or culture had as many ‘Booze Gods’ as the ancient habitants of Mexico. The…
For centuries alcohol has always played an important, and sometimes decisive, role in warfare. As it brought the troups moral and courage in many armies the intake of booze was allowed or even stimulated. Other commanders believed it was best to keep their troops as sober as possible, so they wouldn’t go out of control.…
Although Norway has quite an absurd alcohol policy these days, the country has an amazing history where it comes to booze. Of course the drinking sessions of the Vikings are legendary but that’s not all. The most interesting drink is a version of the national strong drink aquavit that goes by the name linie aquavit. For…
If there was ever a functioning drunkard it must have been Mark Twain (1835-1910). In our list of historical drunks there are some examples of troubled minds, but that was absolutely not the case for this American author. Fellow writer and heavy drinker William Faulkner would describe Twain as ‘The Father of American Literature’. His…
Long before Alexander the Great succesfully annexed the Persian Empire there was a first Greek invasion in the year 401 B.C. Although the mission of the Greek mercenaries to help Cyrus the Younger on the Persian throne failed, since he was killed in a battle, the adventure was documented by the Greek general Xenophon. In…
When we are discussing inspiring people of the 20th century we usually hear names like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. That last one can be erased from the list as soon as possible, as far as we are concerned. Sure, his nonviolent fight for the civil rights of Indians was impressive, but how…
It’s kind of hard to pick a prominent person from the days of the Roman Empire who wasn’t a fan of drunken orgies. For these bacchanalia were an important part of everyday life. Still there are people like Julius Caesar who were known for their moderation, and there were some who were constantly the talk of…
Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) is one of the most legendary figures in the history of the United States of America. As a general he basically won the American Civil War for the Union against the Confederacy. Later Grant would become the 18th president of the United States. While historians rank him as one of the…
Getting drunk has always been an important part of human history. That’s why there are so many words in every language to describe this phenomenon. The University of Glasgow Scotland came up with a list of all the words in the English language to describe when you’re tap-shackled, foxed, shot in the neck or cock-eyed. From…
Lords of the Drinks 