Florida Accountant a Genghis Khan Descendant
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James Joyner | Wednesday, June 7, 2006 |
A Florida accountant is apparently a direct descendant of Genghis Khan
Tom Robinson had long wondered about his family tree. He never suspected its roots might lie in the Mongolian steppe.
The Florida accountant knew that his great, great-grandfather had come to the United States from England — but beyond that his research drew a blank. So he turned to the burgeoning field of “bioarchaeology,” having his DNA tested to see what it revealed about his origins.
He was in for a surprise. According to a British geneticist who pioneered the research, Robinson appears to be a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, the Mongol warrior who conquered vast tracts of Asia and Europe in the 13th century. Robinson said he was startled when he received a call from the firm Oxford Ancestors about a surprising ancestor uncovered by his DNA tests.
“My first impression was, ‘Oh no, who is it’ — imagining it was Adolf Hitler or something like that,” said Robinson, 48. “So I was actually pleasantly surprised.”
One might even say he was reminiscent of Genghis Khan. Although he looks a lot like David Ogden Stiers.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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It says something about general ignorance of history that anyone is "pleasantly surprised" to be descended from Genghis Khan rather than Hitler.
At least he's not kin to Ann Coulter.
Anderson:
Yes, quite. I'd say old GK was quite high on the list of historic bad guys.
Of course, writing in the middle of the night because I couldn't sleep, the John Kerry thing amused me to no end.
From the story: "How this chromosome came to be so prominent was that when he conquered new territory Genghis Khan would kill the men and routinely inseminate all the women."
I think most would call that rape, wouldn't they?
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