A very interesting historic fact is that the Dutch were crucial in shaping modern Russian navy, as Russians basically learned the know-how from the Dutch in late 17th century. Peter the Great personally went to Netherlands to work with Dutch shipbuilders. Russia had almost no professional navy or shipbuilding tradition beforehand. Because of this the famous Tsar Peter the Great recruited large numbers of Dutch shipwrights, carpenters, sailors, and officers, ordered ships from Dutch yards. The Russians also imported Dutch practical methods and terminology, to the point where many Dutch nautical terms are still in use in Russian today. But regarding the photo posted by Liz, it's funny that Peter the Great actually hated ceremonies like this and preferred to work with Dutch shipbuilders as one of the regular carpenters, so that he would learn from them, even traveling incognito and introducing himself simply as Peter Mikhailov. Peter the Great was exceptionally tall (over 2 meters or roughly 6'7"-6'8"), so him pretending he was someone else was more to have an excuse to skip ceremonies rather than to actually try to fool people.

A depiction of a 17th century Russian strelets armed with a musket and a bardiche for close combat fighting. These troops were initially formed around 1550 by Ivan the Terrible as an elite Russian professional firearm infantry. By 17th century streltsy became a larger hereditary military caste as service became lifelong and passed down in families. They lived in special settlements (slobody) and received pay or land. However due to meager means of living they started combining their military life with trade, crafts, and farming to survive. This dual civilian-military life gradually decreased their military effectiveness and their importance declined in 17th century as Western-style regiments expanded and took over most campaign roles, while the streltsy increasingly served as garrison and police forces. The discontent streltsy revolted twice over pay and status, and after their second revolt in 1698, Peter the Great essentially crushed them, executing and deporting many of them. Streltsy can ultimately be seen as a transition of Russian military into early modern age. Troops with a very interesting aesthetic that eventually outlived their purpose.

The first parachute descent from a balloon was performed in Paris on October 22, 1797. The thought of a parachute apparently came to André-Jacques Garnerin while he was held by the Austrians as a prisoner of war, as one potential way to escape. His 7 m-wide parachute had rigid ribs, folded up like an umbrella, and had a basket beneath it. More ⬇️

🇫🇷 Chers visiteurs, en raison d’un mouvement social étudiant, le musée est fermé pour le moment. Nous vous prions de nous excuser de la gêne occasionnée. 🌍Dear visitors, due to student strikes the museum is currently closed. We apologise for the inconvenience.

This enormous mortar, one of the largest ever made, was bombarding the citadel of Antwerp in December 1832. Known as the "Monster Mortar" (or "Leopold"), it had a caliber of 610 mm and fired mortar bombs weighing about 500 kg (1100 lb). It was designed by the French artillery officer and military engineer Henri-Joseph Paixhans and cast at the Belgian Royal Cannon Foundry in Liège. Despite its limited rate of fire, it caused considerable damage during the siege. The mortar later burst during a test firing in 1833.