1 September: Edgar Rice Burroughs quotes:

On the anniversary of his birth, ten Edgar Rice-Burroughs quotes:

1. If I had followed my better judgment always, my life would have been a very dull one.
2. If you write one story, it may be bad; if you write a hundred, you have the odds in your favour.
3. You are here for but an instant, and you mustn't take yourself too seriously.
4. It is a characteristic of the weak and criminal to attribute to others the misfortunes that are the result of their own wickedness.
5. Imagination is but another name for super intelligence.
6. I have discovered that the world over, unusual weather prevails at all times of the year.
7. For myself, I always assume that a lion is ferocious, and so I am never caught off my guard.
8. I have ever been prone to seek adventure and to investigate and experiment where wiser men would have left well enough alone.
9. This was a new menace that threatened them, something that they couldn’t explain; and so, naturally, it aroused within them superstitious fear.
10. The more one listens to ordinary conversations the more apparent it becomes that the reasoning faculties of the brain take little part in the direction of the vocal organs.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

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31 August: 243

31 August is the 243th day of the year so here are 10 facts about the number 243:

1. The 243 was a common year starting on Sunday. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Arrianus and Papus. The Battle of Resaena took place in this year. A Roman army under Timesitheus defeated the Persians at Resaena (Syria). King Shapur I fled to the Euphrates.
2. 243 is the only three digit number that is a fifth power – the fifth power of three.
3. It's the telephone dialling code for the Democratic Republic of Congo.
4. 243.0 MHz is an emergency frequency used by military aircraft.
5. The A243 road in England runs from Leatherhead in Surrey to Surbiton in the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames, Greater London.
6. The .243 Winchester is a popular sporting rifle cartridge used to hunt medium and small game.
7. 243 Ida is an asteroid discovered in 1884 by Johann Palisa at Vienna Observatory and named after a nymph from Greek mythology.
8. It takes 243 Earth days for the planet Venus to rotate, the length of a Venusian day.
9. The Roman numeral for 243 is CCXLIII and in binary it's 11110011.
10. In numerology the number 243 resonates with the entire human population of the planet. It represents humanitarianism, compassion, kindness and generosity. People affected by the number will support organisations which do good for humanity and are optimistic by nature.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

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30 August: Thoth

10 things you didn't know about the Egyptian god Thoth:

1. Thoth is the Egyptian god of writing, magic, wisdom, the Moon, judgment, balance and the dead.
2. Not only was he said to have made the calculations for the creation of the heavens and Earth and everything in them, but according to one myth, he even created himself. Another myth says he was born from the forehead of Set and still another says he was born from the lips of Ra.
3. His name means “He Who is Like the Ibis”. He is often pictured with the head of an ibis. The ibis was a sacred bird in Egypt associated with wisdom. Its curved beak, in addition, resembles the curve of a crescent moon. Sometimes, he's pictured with a baboon's head, instead. both ibises and baboons were mummified in his honour.
4. The ancient Egyptians believed that Thoth invented the written word and gave it to mankind as a gift. Thoth also made good use of the written word himself. Not only did he keep records about everything that happened in the world, and therefore gets the credit for inventing the calendar, but he was a prolific author as well. He is believed to have written 42 books which between them contain... wait for it... the answers to Life, the Universe, and Everything. Two of his books were “Books of the Dead” and the “Book of Breathings”. The latter was a book with all the spells the Egyptians used. “The Book of Thoth” is said to contain the answers to all the mysteries of gods and men and all the secrets of the universe. Anyone who reads it will become the most powerful sorcerer in the universe. However, a bit like eating the Apple in the Garden of Eden, all this knowledge comes at a price, and is cursed. However, if you're not put off by that, the book is said to be hidden in a secret chamber in the Great Pyramid.
5. Scribes in ancient Egypt would pour out one drop of ink in honour of Thoth before they started their work.
6. Because Thoth was believed to be the scribe, interpreter and messenger of the gods, the Greeks associated him with their own messenger god, Hermes. They called him Hermes Trismesgistos (“Thoth, the thrice great”) and declared that as well as reading and writing, he was the inventor of astronomy, Astrology, mathematics, geometry, surveying, medicine, botany, theology, civilized government, the alphabet and oratory.
7. When Ra, fearful of his throne being taken from him, declared that his daughter Nut could not give birth on any day of the year, Thoth made a bargain with the moon for the equivalent of five days of moonlight. This allowed Nut to give birth to five children, namely Osiris, Isis, Horus the Elder, Set and Nephthys. While you might expect Ra to be furious, he actually commended Thoth for his wisdom in beating the curse. He's also the one who helped Isis recover the body parts of her murdered consort Osiris and was the referee in the fight between Set and Horus for the throne of Egypt.
8. In another myth called The Myth of the Distant Goddess, Ra's daughter, known as the Eye of Ra, has an argument with her father and flounces off in a huff. Ra actually needed her with him as the personification of his power and tried to force her to return, without success. Ra then asked Thoth to use his wisdom and way with words to persuade her. It was a challenge even for him – it's said he had to ask her 1077 times before she finally agreed.
9. Three different goddesses are said, in various myths, to have been the consort of Thoth. The Goddess Nehemetawy “She Who Embraces Those In Need”, a protector goddess, was said to have been his reward from Ra for persuading his daughter to come back. Seshat, goddess goddess of writing, keeper of books and patron goddess of libraries and librarians is another. She is said to have played a part in bringing reading and writing to mankind. Then there is the goddess Ma’at, who is the Goddess of truth, balance, order, law, justice and mortality, also said to have been the wife of Thoth.
10. Thoth is said to assist Ma'at in the judgement of souls in the afterlife. He also presides over the Mansion of Thoth where souls rest before starting their journey to the afterlife. There, they learn spells to help them defeat the demons they will encounter on the way.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

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29 August: Chop Suey

According to foodie legend, on this date in 1896 chop suey was invented in New York by the chef to visiting Chinese Ambassador Li Hung-chang.

1. There are different versions of the story. Some say that Chang refused to eat American food and so his chefs made chop suey. Others say that he wandered into a local Chinese restaurant after the kitchen had closed. The chef hastily threw together a new dish using the leftovers. However, there is no firm evidence that Chang ever ate chop suey on his travels in the US.
2. Whether or not any of that is true, Li Hung-chang was a popular visitor to the US with crowds lining the streets to catch a glimpse of him and the Yellow jacket he always wore. The New York Journal took advantage of Li Hung Chang's popularity to claim in an advertising poster, "Li Hung Chang Never Misses the Sunday Journal." Perhaps the same thing was happening with chop suey, claiming Chang loved the dish to get more people to try Chinese food.
3. There are other tales of the dish's origin that don't involve Ambassador Li Hung-Chang at all. Some say it was invented by Chinese American cooks working on the transcontinental railroad in the 19th century.
4. Another myth is that, in the 1860s, a Chinese restaurant cook in San Francisco had to find something to serve to drunken miners after hours, when he had no fresh food. The miners were belligerent and threatening to beat him up if he didn't feed them. So the cook threw leftovers in a wok and served it to the miners, who loved it.
5. So what is it? Chop suey consists of small pieces of meat (usually chicken, fish, beef, shrimp, or pork) stir fried with Eggs and various other ingredients which might include Celery, Onions, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, Mushrooms and Cabbage. It is typically served with Rice or Noodles.
6. While many say the dish was invented in America to suit American tastes, and was ‘no more Chinese than pork and beans’, there is evidence that recipes for chop suey existed in China before this, especially in the Toisan region.
7. Written tsa sui (Mandarin) or tsap seui (Cantonese), the name means something like ‘odds and ends’ or 'miscellaneous leftovers'.
8. It didn't always get good press. Liang Qichao, a Canton native who travelled in the US, wrote in his travel journal that there was a food item called chop suey served by Chinese restaurateurs, but the local Chinese people wouldn't eat it, because the cooking technique was "really awful". A description written in 1888 read: "staple dish for the Chinese gourmand is chow chop svey [sic], a mixture of chickens' livers and gizzards, fungi, bamboo buds, pigs' tripe, and bean sprouts stewed with spices." In The Detectress (1919), chop suey was described as "a foul concoction of dead dragonflies, shoe leather and a puppy".
9. A chef named Lem Sen from San Francisco claimed to have invented the dish and that American chefs had stolen it. He tried to sue the American chefs and force them to stop serving chop suey, or pay him for the privilege of making it. He gave up in the end and dropped the suit.
10. Chinese restaurants serving chop suey experienced a boost during prohibition. They'd never served alcohol, only tea, and so nothing changed for them. Making the most of their new found popularity some started offering singing, dancing and prostitutes, and opium. The 1930 film East is West depicts chop suey joints as dens of unspeakable vice.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

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28 August: 240

Today is the 240th day of the year. 10 facts about the number 240:

1. There were 240 pence in a pound in British old Money.
2. The Roman numeral for 240 is CCXL.
3. 240 is written 11110000 in binary.
4. The London bus route 240 runs between Golders Green Station and Edgware Station.
5. The Soma cube is a solid dissection puzzle invented by Piet Hein in 1933 during a lecture on quantum mechanics conducted by Werner Heisenberg. Its name derived from the fictitious drug soma consumed in Aldous Huxley's dystopic novel Brave New World. There are 240 distinct solutions to the Soma cube puzzle.
6. The American sketch comedy group The State have a famous sketch entitled "$240 Worth of Pudding".
7. The year 240 was a leap year starting on a Wednesday known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Sabinus and Venustus.
8. 240 Vanadis is a fairly large main-belt asteroid discovered by A. Borrelly in 1884, and named for Freyja (Vanadis), the Norse fertility goddess.
9. The A240 road starts in Burgh Heath (Reigate and Banstead); and ends in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.
10. In numerology the number 240 is all about family and activities done as a family. People affected by the number nurture their family and seek to provide a secure and comfortable home.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

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27 August: Man Ray Quotes

On his birthday, 10 quotes from the artist Man Ray:

1. I never knew what I was doing until I was done.
2. When I saw I was under attack from all sides, I knew I was on the right track.
3. Lipstick is the red badge of courage.
4. If the affairs of the world were put in the hands of the screwball artists, it couldn’t be in a worse state than it is now!
5. A creator needs only one enthusiast to justify him.
6. Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information.
7. The tricks of today are the truths of tomorrow.
8. One of the satisfactions of a genius is his will-power and obstinacy.
9. l paint what cannot be photographed, and l photograph what l do not wish to paint.
10. I have been accused of being a joker. But the most successful art to me involves humour.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

Check out my books page.

26 August: 238

On the 238th day of the year, here are 10 facts about the number 238:

1. +238 is the telephone dialling code for Cape Verde.
2. The London bus route 238 runs between Stratford Bus Station and Barking Station.
3. The year 238 was a common year starting on Monday, known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Pius and Pontianus. The Battle of Carthage took place in this year.
4. The A238 mine is a large open pit mine located in the western part of Mauritania. It's one of the largest Uranium reserves in Mauritania. Uranium-238 (238U or U-238) is the most common isotope of uranium found in nature.
5. Plutonium-238 is a radioactive isotope of Plutonium that has a half-life of 87.7 years.
6. 238 Hypatia is a large main-belt asteroid discovered by Viktor Knorre in 1884, the third of the four asteroids he discovered. It was named after the philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria.
7. The A238 road runs between Kingston upon Thames and Colliers Wood.
8. The BV 238 is a German bomber, the largest aircraft produced during World War II by an Axis power, weighing in at 110 tons (220,000 lb or 99,790 kg) Although it was slow-moving and even slower manoeuvring it made up for that with gunner positions in the nose, dorsal turret, tail and one rear-facing turret mid-wing on each wing, so getting close to it was a very dangerous manoeuvre.
9. The Roman numeral for 238 is CCXXXVIII and in Binary it's 11101110.
10. In numerology the energy of the number 238 is one of getting things done. It's businesslike and pragmatic. It's persistent, methodical and will co-operate with others to achieve the goal. 238 is mindful of any agreements it enters into.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

Check out my books page.

25 August: Martin Amis Quotes

American author Martin Amis was born on this date in 1949, so here are some words of wisdom from him:

1. Addictions do come in handy sometimes: at least you have to get out of bed for them.
2. The first thing that distinguishes a writer is that he is most alive when alone.
3. Laughter always forgives.
4. The true manipulator never has a reputation for manipulating.
5. When we read, we are doing more than delectating words on a page stories, characters, images, notions. We are communing with the mind of the author.
6. Only in art will the lion lie down with the lamb, and the rose grow without thorn.
7. If God existed, and if He cared for humankind, He would never have given us religion.
8. Every 10 years you're a different person, and the really great books evolve with you as you get older. They're full of new rewards.
9. The first thing that distinguishes a writer is that he is most alive when alone.
10. Weapons are like money; no one knows the meaning of enough.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

Check out my books page.

24 August: Can Opener Day

Can Opener Day celebrates the first known use of a can opener. 10 things you didn't know about can openers:

1. They're also known as tin openers.
2. Can openers weren't invented for 48 years after food was first put in cans.
3. So did people really have to wait nearly 50 years to get at the food in the cans? No – they opened them using a hammer and chisel. In fact, that was the manufacturers recommended instruction. Cans in those days were so thick a can opener wouldn't have worked on them anyway. They were made of wrought Iron and lined with Tin.
4. The first can opener was invented by one Ezra J. Warner in the USA in the 1850s. At this point, cans had ceased to be a novelty or purely for military use, transporting supplies for armies. Not only that but they'd started making them out of thinner metals, like steel. His invention was a claw shaped blade which the opener used to saw around the lid. It wasn't a great hit with the general public as it was actually quite dangerous to use. Often the staff at the grocery store would open cans for people before they took them home. British surgical instrument maker Robert Yeates invented a slightly more user friendly version at around the same time, with a hand operated tool to move the blade around the lid.
5. The twist-key can-opener was patented by J. Osterhoudt in 1866. That's the type you still find on tins of sardines and corned beef. Each can came with its own opener.
6. The more familiar design of a can opener with a rotating wheel was invented in 1870 by William Lyman from Connecticut.
7. The electric can opener was invented in 1931 but didn't catch on until about 1956 when they were re-designed.
8. Soldiers still used pretty basic can openers called P-38 and P-51. They were known as "John Waynes" because the actor appeared in a training video using one.
9. Can openers could well become museum pieces in the future as most cans now have a ring pull so the lid can just be peeled off. However, it's worth having a can opener in the house in case the ring pull breaks off.
10. "Assume a can opener" is a phrase used to mock economists and theorists who base their conclusions on assumptions. It started as a joke in a bout 1970: A physicist, a chemist, and an economist are stranded on a desert island a can of food but no tools with which to open it. The physicist and the chemist devised ingenious mechanisms for opening the can, but the economist merely said, "Assume we have a can opener".

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

Check out my books page.

23 August: 235

Today is the 235th day of the year. 10 facts about the number 235:

1. 235 Carolina is an asteroid discovered by Johann Palisa in 1883. It was named after Caroline Island, now part of Kiribati.
2. London Buses route 235 runs between North Brentford Quarter and Sunbury Village.
3. The Roman numeral for 235 is CCXXXV.
4. U-235 is the fissile isotope of Uranium used in the first atomic bombs.
5. The A235 is a road in England which runs between Purley and Thornton Heath Pond. It is in two sections since the middle section was the main shopping street of Croydon (North End), which is now pedestrianised.
6. The year 235 is said to mark the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire. It was a common year starting on Thursday known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Quintianus. Also in this year, Pope Pontian became the first pope to abdicate.
7. 235 is written as 11101011 in Binary.
8. 235 Van Buren is a high-rise residential building in Chicago's Loop neighbourhood, near the Willis Tower.
9. 235 is the smallest number where the first two digits are prime numbers and add up to the third digit.
10. The number 235 resonates with self-sufficiency and independence, but also with companionship. People affected by the number prefer to be independent but will appreciate the benefits of teamwork. They are adventurous, optimistic, and creative.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

Check out my books page.

22 August: Ray Bradbury Quotes

Sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury was born on this date in 1920. He's the one who wrote Fahrenheit 451. 10 quotes from him:

1. You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.
2. Life is trying things to see if they work.
3. Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down.
4. I’ve learned that by doing things, things get done.
5. Television is very dangerous. Because it repeats and repeats and repeats our disasters, instead of our triumphs.
6. You can't try to do things; you simply must do them.
7. Good to evil seems evil.
8. You've been put on the world to love the act of being alive.
9. If you have to ask yourself whether or not you love a girl or you love a boy, forget it. You don't.
10. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

Check out my books page.

21 August: 233

Today is the 233rd day of the year. 10 things you might not know about the number 233:

1. If Ray Bradbury had used the metric system, his famous novel would have been called "Celsius 233."
2. +233 is the telephone country code for Ghana.
3. The address of the Willis Tower in Chicago is 233 South Wacker Drive.
4. The 233 Spanish Martyrs, also known as The Martyrs of Valencia or Jose Aparico Sanz and 232 Companions, were a group of martyrs from the Spanish Civil War, beatified in March 2001 by Pope John Paul II. This was the largest number of persons to be beatified at once up to that time.
5. 233 Asterope is a large main-belt asteroid, discovered in 1883 by Alphonse Borrelly and named after Asterope, one of the Pleiades.
6. The Train from Nowhere by Michel Thaler, said to be the first book with no verbs, has 233 pages.
7. The last chapter of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is 233. The book doesn't actually have that many chapters; the author used prime numbers for all the chapters.
8. The year 233 was a common year starting on a Tuesday, known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Claudius and Paternus.
9. The Roman numeral for 233 is CCXXXIII and in Binary it's 1110100.
10. In numerology, 233 is business oriented, creative and co-operative. People affected by the number tend to be efficient, optimistic, inspiring and focussed on building things of benefit which will last a long time.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

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20 August: The 1812 Overture

On this date in 1882 the 1812 Overture was first performed. 10 things you might not know about this piece of music:

1. The 1812 Overture was composed in 1880 and is said to have taken Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky six weeks to complete. Its full title is The Year 1812 Solemn Overture, Op. 49, and it's a concert overture in E♭ major.
2. The piece is often used as an accompaniment to Firework displays, especially on American Independence Day, so Americans might be forgiven for connecting it with the War of 1812 between the United States and the British, but it actually has nothing to do with that at all. It was to commemorate the successful Russian defence against Napoleon's invading Grande Armée in the same year.
3. The venue for the first performance was a tent beside the almost completed Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, which had been commissioned in 1812 by Tsar Alexander I to commemorate the aforementioned Russian victory. An All-Russia Arts and Industry Exhibition was being planned for Moscow in 1882. Tchaikovsky's friend and mentor Nikolai Rubinstein had suggested that he write a grand commemorative piece for the festivities.
4. Although the Overture was a massive hit and remains so to this day, Tchaikovsky actually hated it. Never a fan of big patriotic displays at the best of times, he said it was “very loud” and “noisy” and thought it lacked artistic merit. Even though it was his own idea to use actual cannon fire and to arrange for neighbouring churches to ring their bells as part of the performance. The conductor for this performance was Ippolit Al'tani.
5. The music incorporates Russian folk tunes and the French National Anthem. The piece begins with a simple Russian song known as O Lord, Save Thy People played by four cellos and two violas. This represents the Russian people praying to be saved from the French invasion. La Marseillaise represents the French army and the two tunes seem to compete with each other, representing the fighting. The Battle of Borodino is represented by five cannon shots and La Marseillaise is dominant at this point with the French apparently winning. After this, a long descending run represents the French army retreating out of Moscow as the freezing winter takes its toll on them. Then the hymn that opens the piece is repeated – the people's prayers have been answered. The climax of the grand finale is eleven more cannon shots and the melody of God Save the Tsar!.
6. There's some artistic licence on Tchaikovsky's part here as in 1812, La Marseillaise had been banned by Napoleon and wouldn't have been played during the actual campaign. It was reinstated as the French Anthem in 1879, the year before the Overture was written.
7. Want to stage a performance of the 1812 Overture? Here's what you will need: A brass band, 1 piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 1 cor anglais, 2 Clarinets in B♭ and 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 cornets in B♭, 2 trumpets in E♭, 3 trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass) and 1 tuba, timpani, orchestral bass Drum, snare drum, cymbals, tambourine, triangle, carillon, Violins I & II, violas, cellos, double basses. Finally, one battery of cannon, or ceremonial field artillery with a well trained crew to operate them because safety and skill is paramount in getting the timing right. In fact, it would be almost impossible to achieve with the artillery available in the 1800s. So you might want to use a bass drum and gong/tam-tam instead, especially if the performance is going to be indoors.
8. The earliest known recording of the Overture dates back to 1916 and was by the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra conducted by Landon Ronald, issued by His Master's Voice on 12-inch 78-rpm records. It omits the cannon fire.
9. Malcolm Arnold parodied the piece in A Grand, Grand Overture. His version features 4 rifles, three Vacuum cleaners (two uprights in B♭and one horizontal with detachable sucker in C), and an electric floor polisher in E♭. It is dedicated to President Hoover.
10. The piece has inspired many other works including the opening and ending scenes of the film V for Vendetta; the melody of Dan Fogelberg's Same Old Lang Syne was inspired by the leitmotif representing the Russian forces; the riff of The Move's Night of Fear; Canadian progressive rock band Rush used the brass theme in their suite 2112, from their album of the same name. The piece itself was used in an episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot, when Hercule Poirot plays a recording of the Overture to cover up the sounds of him breaking into his own safe.

My Books:

If you like stories about:

• Superheroes
• Psychic detectives
• Romance
• Alternative dimensions
• Time travel 
• Secrets
• Friendship
• Family relationships
• Ghosts
• Adventure
• Crime

If you want to read about superheroes who aren't the usual Marvel/DC staples, who don't all live in the USA.

If you like quirky tales.

If you like to support independent self published authors.

Check out my books page.