Talk about a Flash from the past huh? Here are some flash games that may just bring you back to Middle School computer's class:

Indestructotank: http://armorgames.com/play/24/indestructotank

QWOP: http://www.foddy.net/Athletics.html

Territory War: http://armorgames.com/play/279/territory-war

Bow Man 2: http://www.addictinggames.com/shooting-games/bowman2.jsp

Raft Wars: http://www.addictinggames.com/shooting-games/raftwars.jsp

Sniper Assassin 2: http://www.addictinggames.com/shooting-games/sniperassassin2.jsp

A lot of people have been obsessing over A Song of Ice and Fire (or, Game of Thrones), and with good reason (don't worry, no spoilers). The characters are three dimensional, the stories riveting, and, of course, the entire series is constantly coated with a fresh layer of hot, red blood. Characters are crazy and willing to do anything to get power.

History has its figures like this as well. Real actual people who existed! It's crazy!

One of these people was Theoderic the Great. Theoderic lived in the 5th century and was the leader of the Ostrogoths, a Germanic tribe that, at the time, was settled in the Byzantine empire. The Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, who's name escapes me, was having issues with a man named Odoacer, another leader of another Germanic tribe that had taken over Italy in 476, and was calling himself the King of Italy. Hoping to remove this threat, the Emperor asked Theoderic to lead an army into Italy and take it over for the Empire. Theoderic agreed, and marched out with his army.

However, Theoderic saw an opportunity. Instead of attacking Odoacer, he made a peace treaty with him. To honor their peace treaty, Odoacer threw a huge feast. At the feast, Theoderic up and stabs Odoacer to death, claiming himself to be King of Italy. He solidified his reign, but died a few years later. It wasn't the Emperor, however, who had him killed. Sometime during his reign, Theoderic had forced his wife to drink wine from the hollowed out skull of her father and subjected her to many cruelties. She, having had enough, hired an assassin and let him into Theoderic's chambers as he slept., and that was the end of Theoderic.

So, Theoderic has a crazy story, and there are tons more crazy happenings in history! What are some of your favorites?

On my previous post to /t/history, a user asked if anyone could recommend good history books for this user to read.

I think it would be fun to create a list of book recommendations within the comments of this post for any user on /t/history who is interested in picking up a new book. I know I would love to hear some recommendations as well! So I ask you, Snapzu, can you recommend any good history reads? They can be biographies, memoirs, or even historical fictions (though please mark the fictions as such). If you want to include documentaries or films that's cool as well!

I just finished a read of Robert K. Massie's Peter the Great: His Life and World and highly recommend it for anyone interested in seventeenth and eighteenth century Russia and it's continuous attempts to either avoid or adopt Western European culture. It reads like a novel and, although may seem bland, is really quite gripping.

As a History and Medieval Studies major, I get asked a lot about why I study History and if it is a "worth while" major. I have created this answer for myself:

Humans are a creature with a lust for storytelling. In many ways, our world is built on stories. Lessons are taught to children with stories, news anchors tell the latest stories, family members and friends sit around a table and tell stories during dinner. These stories are about a lot of things from Grandpa's crazy experiences growing up during the Second World War to that terrible outfit that kid at school wore to prom. In life, we try our best to find stories, tell stories, and to impress with our stories. We try to make people think, we try to make people laugh, and we shape our stories to achieve these goals.

History is the study of human stories, which I believe to be at the heart of culture and society. It is the study of stories that have shaped nations and changed the lives of everyone. By studying these stories, lessons can be learn, tears can be shed, and some laughs can be had. These stories can teach us what it means to be human and what it means to tell stories. People achieve immortality through their stories, and Historians are hear to keep those stories alive. I want to become a storyteller.

Why do you have an interest in History?