Another side to the history

Somethings you just never really think about. Like, what happened to hanson ? or why to animals tend to have an even number of legs?
One of the things that I had never considered until today has to do with the Industrial Revolution in england. Now sure, this sure of technology had some grand implications for the world, we sure as hell had this drummed into us as school. But did you ever stop to think how a land mass of the physical size of england had the quantity of raw materials required for this leap?
Apparently a whole bunch of it came from south america, bought with fabric that I am sure that the english were trading from india and china. This in itself is interesting, because as I recall the chinese generally accepted silver for silk, and there was a lot of silver coming out of the mines in Peru. This means that the english were making a hell of a profit in the exchange, enough to buy enough copper (coming from salta in northern argentina) to line the hulls of their fleets. This turned out to be the military advantage that allowed Admiral Nelson to flank and destroy most of the Spanish armarda.

A little ironic really. Had the spanish kept better track oftheir colonies and not taxed the production of the mines quite so heavily, they might not have lost their fleet in the battle that Napolean pushed them into.

Some of these links are drawing a longish bow, but it does make you think. If you hadn't guessed I have started attending seminars on the history of Colombia, in regards to a number of different topics including politics and econimics. Doesn't sound that interesting, but it is because Colombia has had an interesting time of it. So yes, 4 hours of seminar and debate on the complicated past of this country given by a number of top professors and researchers, then to spanish classes in the morning to discuss the Chicken that laid golden eggs.

My life has developed an interesting dichotomy.