On this day in 1930, Constantinople officially became Istanbul. It had been the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, the Latin Empire and then the Ottoman Empire, but before all that, as the capital of the Byzantine Empire, it was Byzantium. Situated bang in the middle between Europe and Asia, location equaled destiny for what is now the largest and perhaps busiest city in Europe. The name change was the subject of a pop hit circa 1990 by They Might Be Giants and in 1953 by The Four Lads. The song’s called “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)”, but for a woman of my acquaintance, it was a nightmare.
© 2024 John Oliver
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