Every 4 June it's 1920 Again.

K. and I live close to the Magyar Haus, which is the exclusive domain of Toronto-area Hungarians, except when the Colombians, Brazilians, and Mexicans in the area rent it out for Saturday-night dances. Our first year here we walked by it on 4 June and saw a black flag flying, a group of irate Hungarians, and several maps of Hungary. We walked on and wondered what was going on because, although I had done some fairly intensive work in Romanian history the year before, I had forgotten about the Treaty of Trianon. Actually, I hadn't really forgotten about it, I just never realized that Hungarians were still upset about it. The territory they lost in the treaty did contain large communities of irredenta and back then it was all about the nation-state, they did lose the war, and they aren't ever going to get it back.

So, before walking home from the subway, 4 June was just a Friday but now it's 1920 all over again. -Zh.