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weird medieval guys
The Medieval Monks Who Lived on Top of Giant Pillars A history of the monastic high life
over a year ago
History Today Feed
‘Saudi Arabia: A Modern History’ by David Commins review ‘Saudi Arabia: A Modern History’ by David Commins review JamesHoare Wed, 07/09/2025 - 08:54
3 weeks ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Essential Greeks Starts Tomorrow!
a year ago
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, November 15, 2024 Hey folks, Fireside this week! For the musing this week, I want to talk about, at least for a...
8 months ago
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8 months ago
Hey folks, Fireside this week! For the musing this week, I want to talk about, at least for a humanities field, what ‘research support’ from a university means and why it is valuable, but before we get to that, I just want to make a note going forward. In particular, there have...
Flashbak
Once Upon a Time in Brick Lane: 1970s East London Before Gentrification Brick Lane in London’s East End is in area of flux. From the road where they used mark bricks and...
a year ago
50
a year ago
Brick Lane in London’s East End is in area of flux. From the road where they used mark bricks and brew beer, the place has been sanctuary to immigrants for centuries and is now home to a large Bangladeshi community. In the 17th century, French Huguenots arrived and brought with...
African History...
Guns and Spears: a military history of the Zulu kingdom. Popular history of Africa before the colonial era often divides the continent’s military systems...
a year ago
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a year ago
Popular history of Africa before the colonial era often divides the continent’s military systems into two broad categories —the relatively modern armies along the Atlantic coast which used firearms, versus the 'traditional' armies in the interior that fought with arrows and...
Flashbak
Soviet Caviar Harvest by Carl Mydans, Astrakhan 1960 “The cream and hot butter mingled and overflowed separating each glucose bead of caviar from its...
3 months ago
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3 months ago
“The cream and hot butter mingled and overflowed separating each glucose bead of caviar from its fellows, capping it in white and gold.” — Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited     In 1960, American photographer Carl Mydans (May 20, 1907 – August 16, 2004) journeyed behind the Iron...
Wrong Side of...
Our philanthropists and their oligarchs Some foreign billionaires seem to be welcome in British politics
6 months ago
TheCollector
Deadly Earthquake Unearths Forgotten Monument in Myanmar A major earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28, 2025, claiming thousands of lives and causing...
3 months ago
23
3 months ago
A major earthquake struck central Myanmar on March 28, 2025, claiming thousands of lives and causing extensive damage across the Southeast Asian nation. Amidst the devastation, new fissures in the earth revealed long-buried ruins near Inwa, where the Burmese imperial capital of...
TheCollector
Which Is the “Better” Sword? Katana vs Longsword Among martial arts enthusiasts and certain internet circles, a fierce debate rages: between the...
3 weeks ago
14
3 weeks ago
Among martial arts enthusiasts and certain internet circles, a fierce debate rages: between the knightly longsword and the Japanese katana, which is the better sword? Both two-handed swords were used by a warrior-noble class as their sidearm, both depicted at various times as the...
TheCollector
Was Lilith Adam’s First Wife? Learn About This Biblical Myth The Lilith myth holds that Eve was not Adam’s first wife. His first wife, Lilith, had some issues...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
The Lilith myth holds that Eve was not Adam’s first wife. His first wife, Lilith, had some issues with Adam’s patriarchal tendencies and refused to be dominated by him. The contention between them resulted in Lilith leaving Eden and settling in a remote, desert environment that...
Classical Wisdom
How Can We Prepare for the Worst? Without living forever in fear and worry?
a year ago
Flashbak
It’s About Time: The Forgotten Song That Made The Beach Boys Cool Again The Beach Boys were no longer a hit band when Bob Burchman sat in his car in early July 1970,...
12 months ago
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12 months ago
The Beach Boys were no longer a hit band when Bob Burchman sat in his car in early July 1970, listening to a tape that Dennis Wilson had given him. Bob wasn’t a Beach Boys fan — he preferred Sly Stone or Marvin Gaye or Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell or The Beatles  —  but Dennis, an...
TheCollector
What Was Chivalry in the Middle Ages? The idea of chivalry has gone from the stereotypical image of a knight in shining armor rescuing a...
3 weeks ago
10
3 weeks ago
The idea of chivalry has gone from the stereotypical image of a knight in shining armor rescuing a maiden who has been imprisoned in some evil man’s castle in the Middle Ages (like in many fairytales), to the notion of a modern-day man holding a door open for a woman. But...
TheCollector
The Unique History of Wales (From the Stone Age) Many people are confused and think that Wales, in the United Kingdom, is a part of England,...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Many people are confused and think that Wales, in the United Kingdom, is a part of England, something that angers most Welsh people due to the turbulent history between the two countries. Wales has a long and fascinating history, all of its own, characterized by consistent...
The Universe of...
Reflector grids Around here, these metal things are commonly found on streetside utility poles, attached maybe a...
7 months ago
17
7 months ago
Around here, these metal things are commonly found on streetside utility poles, attached maybe a meter off the ground. .image-group { display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-self: center; justify-content: center; gap: 4em; } .image-group .image { ...
TheCollector
The History of Faro, Portugal: A Guide for Visitors Explore Faro Old Town “Vila Adentro” to unravel the remains of the Phoenician, Roman, and Moorish...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Explore Faro Old Town “Vila Adentro” to unravel the remains of the Phoenician, Roman, and Moorish occupations. The stunning historical landmarks, narrow cobbled streets, and impressive plazas will make you travel back in time. As you wander around the city, you will be impressed...
TheCollector
The 13 Original Colonies: History, Map, and Facts Achieving independence as the United States of America was a lengthy and unlikely struggle for the...
2 months ago
26
2 months ago
Achieving independence as the United States of America was a lengthy and unlikely struggle for the 13 original colonies. Over the centuries, the territory of the 13 colonies was contested by several European powers before the British established control of the Atlantic coast of...
Classical Wisdom
Can We Find the Real Ithaka? In Search of Homer and the meeting of like minds
a month ago
TheCollector
Nochlin’s “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?”: A Summary When art dealer Richard Feigen asked Linda Nochlin in 1970, “Why are there no great women artists?”...
2 months ago
9
2 months ago
When art dealer Richard Feigen asked Linda Nochlin in 1970, “Why are there no great women artists?” he inspired her groundbreaking essay with a similar title published in ARTnews in January 1971. Were women not capable of artistic greatness? Were there, in fact, great women...
Trying to Understand...
Teach Your Children .... Not to be afraid of moral relativism.
over a year ago
Open Culture
Read J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Letter From Father Christmas” To His Young Children (1925) J.R.R. Tolkien is best known for the sweeping fantasy landscapes of Lord of The Rings and The...
7 months ago
104
7 months ago
J.R.R. Tolkien is best known for the sweeping fantasy landscapes of Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit. Apart from being a celebrated author, the Oxford University professor of Anglo-Saxon was also a devoted father who doted on his children. In 1920, a few short years after Tolkien...
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for June 2023 Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects and apps during the...
over a year ago
16
over a year ago
Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects and apps during the month of June. We'll also be reporting in our on position in the world, and on our future plans. Summary Of Changes 100r.co, added propeller maintenance, Maple Bay, Telegraph Cove,...
Overcoming Bias
No Meta Status Orgs In health and medicine, we have many government agencies, and private philanthropies, devoted to...
8 months ago
17
8 months ago
In health and medicine, we have many government agencies, and private philanthropies, devoted to many specific medical conditions, and also to studying and reforming medicine in general, at a meta level.
Hundred Rabbits
captain what is this After 15 days on the water, we were to get into port. It was the 27th of June, and we'd left Opua on...
over a year ago
15
over a year ago
After 15 days on the water, we were to get into port. It was the 27th of June, and we'd left Opua on the 12th. We hove-to for the night, waiting for sunrise before entering Savusavu bay. 'Entering a strange harbor at night is for morons and fools,' people told us. We didn't...
Classical Wisdom
Do You Need Children to Care About the Future? Shady Trees or Empty Branches?
11 months ago
TheCollector
The Incredible Life of Cicero, Rome’s Greatest Orator & Last Senator A novus homo, no one expected Marcus Tullius Cicero to reach not only the rank of consul, but be...
3 weeks ago
11
3 weeks ago
A novus homo, no one expected Marcus Tullius Cicero to reach not only the rank of consul, but be hailed princeps senatus, in the dying years of the Roman Republic. He championed Rome’s republican traditions while strongmen such as Pompey Magnus and Julius Caesar were dismantling...
TheCollector
What Is the History of Maritime Trade in the Indian Ocean? (Pre-European) To understand the history of the Indian Ocean trade, it is important to firstly understand its...
3 months ago
11
3 months ago
To understand the history of the Indian Ocean trade, it is important to firstly understand its location and geographical coverage. The Indian Ocean derives its name from India. The water body got its name from early European explorers who named it so due to its close proximity to...
History Today Feed
Medieval Fogge: In Defence of the Middle Ages Medieval Fogge: In Defence of the Middle Ages JamesHoare Tue, 05/20/2025 - 09:14
2 months ago
Open Culture
Why David Lynch’s Dune Went Wrong: A Comparison with Denis Villeneuve’s Hit Adaptation Denis Villeneuve’s recent film adaptation of Dune is generally considered to be superior to the late...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
Denis Villeneuve’s recent film adaptation of Dune is generally considered to be superior to the late David Lynch’s, from 1984 — though even according to many of Lynch’s fans, it could hardly have been worse. In a 1996 piece for Premiere magazine, David Foster Wallace described...
TheCollector
Bodhidharma: The Legendary Founder of Kung Fu & Zen (Myth vs Facts) Zen Buddhism’s enigmatic teachings and its masters have influenced East Asian art, philosophy, and...
5 months ago
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5 months ago
Zen Buddhism’s enigmatic teachings and its masters have influenced East Asian art, philosophy, and poetry for over a thousand years. However, the entire tradition traces itself back to one legendary man, credited not only with bringing Zen to China but also with the development...
TheCollector
Pop Art and Surrealism: What Do They Have in Common? Surrealism and Pop Art remain some of the most popular and loved art movements of the 20th century,...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
Surrealism and Pop Art remain some of the most popular and loved art movements of the 20th century, well-known even by those who are not deeply interested in the history of art. The aestheticized weirdness of Surrealist art gave birth to countless images and ideas that settled in...
TheCollector
How Did the Crusades Reintroduce the Classical Tradition to the West? Intellectual life in the modern West traces its origins to the ancient Greeks and Romans. However,...
3 months ago
29
3 months ago
Intellectual life in the modern West traces its origins to the ancient Greeks and Romans. However, by the launch of the First Crusade, Latin Christendom had lost touch with large parts of the classical tradition. During the crusading period, Western Christian nations came into...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Was Alexander Great?
11 months ago
History Today Feed
‘The Writer’s Lot’ by Robert Darnton review ‘The Writer’s Lot’ by Robert Darnton review JamesHoare Tue, 06/24/2025 - 08:09
a month ago
TheCollector
How Did the Small Kingdom of Georgia Beat the Mighty Seljuks in 1121? Decades of conflict between the Kingdom of Georgia and the Seljuk Turks culminated in a decisive...
a month ago
13
a month ago
Decades of conflict between the Kingdom of Georgia and the Seljuk Turks culminated in a decisive battle fought in 1121 CE in the Didgori mountain ranges, 40 km west of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. King David IV (reigned 1089-1125) longed to put an end to the Seljuk raids and...
Classical Wisdom
The Madness of Messalina What Sort of Woman Makes History?
4 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Monsters of Mythology Who Made the Top Ten?
9 months ago
Classical Wisdom
History as Tragedy? A Different View of Thucydides
a year ago
TheCollector
Sulla’s Brutal Siege of Athens (87-86 BCE) With the sack of Corinth in 146 BCE, Greek resistance to Roman power had been dealt a crushing blow....
a month ago
7
a month ago
With the sack of Corinth in 146 BCE, Greek resistance to Roman power had been dealt a crushing blow. After Lucius Mummius had defeated the Achaean League, there was an influx of art and loot into the Republic. These treasures profoundly shaped Roman culture, as “captive Greece...
A Collection of...
Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part V: Epilogue This is the fifth part of our four(ish) five part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb, IVc) look...
a year ago
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a year ago
This is the fifth part of our four(ish) five part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb, IVc) look at how the Roman legions were able to overcome the Macedonian sarisa phalanx in the third and second centuries BC. We have covered the decisive battles in the story, although...
Flashbak
President Johnson Orders Trousers from Joe Haggar – big enough for his ‘nuts’, ‘bunghole’ and knife On August 9 1964, President Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973) ordered a...
9 months ago
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9 months ago
On August 9 1964, President Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973) ordered a pair of trousers from Joe Haggar of the Haggar Clothing Co. based in Dallas, Texas. Not a shy man, Johnson was known for conducting official business whilst sat on the toilet and...
TheCollector
10 Must-See Historic Sites in Siena, Italy Added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, the city center of Siena is distinctive for its...
3 months ago
15
3 months ago
Added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, the city center of Siena is distinctive for its winding streets and medieval and Renaissance buildings. Located in the Chianti Valley in Tuscany, a region renowned for its wine production, Siena is famous for its biannual horse race...
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, September 1, 2023 Fireside this week! Depending on the order that things get written, we may have a few weeks of...
a year ago
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a year ago
Fireside this week! Depending on the order that things get written, we may have a few weeks of ‘break’ from our How to Roman Republic series, but do not fret: we will finish it. The one thing I am looking to ‘slot in’ as it were is a look at the armor of Baldur’s Gate … Continue...
Wrong Side of...
The Worst Year Ever The Year of the Plague #1
6 months ago
TheCollector
The Twelve Labors of Heracles: List of Tasks, Meaning, and Facts The story of the twelve labors tells the tale of Heracles’s journey from a sinful pariah to the...
2 months ago
20
2 months ago
The story of the twelve labors tells the tale of Heracles’s journey from a sinful pariah to the ancient world’s most revered hero. To atone for a crime he committed while under the curse of his stepmother Hera, Heracles undertook twelve seemingly impossible tasks from his cousin...
Flashbak
AREA: Cards and Invitations from the Fabulous New York Nightclub, 1983–1986 From 1983 to 1987, 157 Hudson Street in Manhattan, New York City, was home to Area. Frequented by he...
a year ago
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a year ago
From 1983 to 1987, 157 Hudson Street in Manhattan, New York City, was home to Area. Frequented by he great and good, the  club was known for its changing themes (every six weeks the place got a new look – an approach inspired by Zurich’s 1916 Dadaist club Cabaret Voltaire) and...
Flashbak
Arthur Rackham’s Fantastic Illustrations for The Tempest, 1926 Full fathom five thy father lies Of his bones are coral made: Those are pearls that were his eyes:...
8 months ago
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8 months ago
Full fathom five thy father lies Of his bones are coral made: Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade, But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange. – William Shakespeare, The Tempest, illustrated by Arthur Rackham 1926       Arthur...
Classical Wisdom
What is the “Mind”? And How Do We Learn?
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Shield Walls and Spacing: Hollywood Mobs and Ancient Tactics This week, we’re going to take a look at a different aspect of ancient infantry tactics: how heavy...
a year ago
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a year ago
This week, we’re going to take a look at a different aspect of ancient infantry tactics: how heavy infantry shield formations work. While I’ve framed this around ‘shield walls,’ not every kind of shielded heavy infantry fought that way and in practice the line between what is a...
TheCollector
History of Christian Missionaries: From Apostles to Modern Day Christians believe Jesus Christ came to Earth with a divine message. After the Ascension, the...
4 months ago
32
4 months ago
Christians believe Jesus Christ came to Earth with a divine message. After the Ascension, the followers of Jesus took the baton from him and picked up the task of spreading that same message. These messengers were called missionaries. This post will investigate Christian...
Flashbak
Watch TV-CBGB – A Punk Sitcom From 1981 In November 1982, Billboard reviewed a CBGB-produced cable access show to “include interviews,...
a year ago
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a year ago
In November 1982, Billboard reviewed a CBGB-produced cable access show to “include interviews, comedy skits, and live performances”. Stuart Newman, a member of the The Roustabouts, one of the groups featured on the show – along with Idiot Savant, The Hard, Jo Marshall, Shrapnel...
TheCollector
6 Developments Which Revolutionized Early Modern European Warfare The early modern period is often cited as a military revolution. Though some scholars describe an...
a month ago
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a month ago
The early modern period is often cited as a military revolution. Though some scholars describe an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary process, it is undeniable that European battlefields of the 16th and 17th centuries witnessed major changes in tactics and equipment. The...
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for November Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects and apps during the...
over a year ago
16
over a year ago
Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects and apps during the month of November. We'll also be reporting in our on position in the world, and on our future plans. Summary Of Changes Donsol, designed a donsol turnip. Uxn, wrote a file browser...
TheCollector
How Gutenberg’s Press Sparked a World-Changing Revolution The Gutenberg Press revolutionized how information was produced and disseminated, marking a...
2 weeks ago
10
2 weeks ago
The Gutenberg Press revolutionized how information was produced and disseminated, marking a milestone in the history of book production in Europe. Produced in the mid-15th century by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany, this innovative press combined the movable metal type with a screw...
TheCollector
The Artistic Inspiration Behind 10 Iconic Paintings Inspiration is a powerful force that ignites creativity. It is essential for artists striving to...
2 months ago
12
2 months ago
Inspiration is a powerful force that ignites creativity. It is essential for artists striving to create masterpieces. Every work of art originates from a unique spark influenced by various sources, such as significant historical events, personal experiences, mythology,...
TheCollector
John Smith: Champion of Jamestown or Tall-Tale Weaver? There is no denying that Captain John Smith led an extraordinary life. From humble beginnings on a...
2 months ago
13
2 months ago
There is no denying that Captain John Smith led an extraordinary life. From humble beginnings on a farm to life as a soldier and later a founding member of Jamestown’s Virginia Colony, Smith’s existence was rife with adventure and accomplishments. Contemporary accounts, then...
Trying to Understand...
I Hate My Job And I Want To Cry. Tried chopping wood and carrying water?
a year ago
TheCollector
Christie’s to Auction Basquiat Family Portrait Christie’s announced that a triple portrait by Jean-Michel Basquiat will headline the auction...
3 months ago
23
3 months ago
Christie’s announced that a triple portrait by Jean-Michel Basquiat will headline the auction house’s 21st Century Evening Sale on May 14 in New York. Painted at the height of the artist’s career, Baby Boom is poised to fetch between $20 million and $30 million.   “Family...
A Collection of...
Collections: The Strange Armor of Dragon Age: The Veilguard This week we’re going to have a bit of fun looking at some of the interesting armor choices for the...
5 months ago
67
5 months ago
This week we’re going to have a bit of fun looking at some of the interesting armor choices for the recent Dragon Age: The Veilguard. In a way, this is an extension of the post on “The Problem with Sci-Fi Body Armor,” because I think Veilguard provides a pretty exceptional...
TheCollector
A Guide to 5 Virtual Russian Museums for Art & History Lovers Vibrant, traditional, and modern, Russia’s two major cultural centers represent centuries of the...
2 months ago
16
2 months ago
Vibrant, traditional, and modern, Russia’s two major cultural centers represent centuries of the country’s rich and turbulent history. If you want to explore streets packed with museums and galleries, an online tour of Russia’s top five museums offers armchair travelers a perfect...
Classical Wisdom
What to do with Columbus? Should We Learn “Outdated” History?
9 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic 101, Part IIIa: Starting Down the Path of Honors This is the third of our planned five part series (I, II) on the structure of the Roman Republic...
a year ago
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a year ago
This is the third of our planned five part series (I, II) on the structure of the Roman Republic during the third and second centuries. Last time we discussed Rome’s popular assemblies, which at least notionally expressed the will of the people. One of the key tasks those...
Hidden History
The 1968 Utah Sheep Kill In 1968, a malfunctioning nerve gas test at the Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah killed several...
6 months ago
63
6 months ago
In 1968, a malfunctioning nerve gas test at the Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah killed several thousand sheep and provoked an outcry. In March 1968, researchers at the Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah were scheduled to perform three experiments involving a lethal nerve gas known as...
TheCollector
Don Quixote: Was the First Modern Novel Born in Captivity? First published in 1605, Don Quixote is considered by many to be the first modern novel. Because of...
5 months ago
18
5 months ago
First published in 1605, Don Quixote is considered by many to be the first modern novel. Because of this, it is still widely read and beloved over 400 years later. However, the daunting nature and outdated language of the massive text preclude many from having more than a passing...
TheCollector
What Did the Emancipation Proclamation Do? Issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, this executive order declared freedom for...
2 weeks ago
9
2 weeks ago
Issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, this executive order declared freedom for enslaved people in Confederate territories. Although its immediate impact was limited by enforcement challenges, its symbolic power redefined the nation’s purpose and the very...
African History...
a brief note on European and African perspectives in travel literature A Hausa explorer of western Europe.
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: The Siege of Eregion, Part II: What Siege Camp? This is the second part of our [your guess is as good as mine] part series looking at the Siege of...
5 months ago
51
5 months ago
This is the second part of our [your guess is as good as mine] part series looking at the Siege of Eregion from the second season of Amazon’s Rings of Power. Last week, we saw how the logistics of this sequence absolutely do not work: Adar’s army has to cover an absurd amount of...
Flashbak
Music of the Squares David Ramsay Hay and the Reinvention of Pythagorean Aesthetics Understanding the same laws to apply to both visual and aural beauty, David Ramsay Hay thought it...
8 months ago
42
8 months ago
Understanding the same laws to apply to both visual and aural beauty, David Ramsay Hay thought it possible not only to analyse such visual wonders as the Parthenon in terms of music theory, but also to identify their corresponding musical harmonies and melodies, writes Carmel...
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for October Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects and apps during the...
over a year ago
18
over a year ago
Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects and apps during the month of October. We'll also be reporting in our on position in the world, and on our future plans. Continue Reading
History Today Feed
The Otsu Incident The Otsu Incident JamesHoare Tue, 05/06/2025 - 08:56
2 months ago
Flashbak
15 Signs of the Last Judgement and End of Days: 1450 – 1470 The Livre de la vigne nostre Seigneur is an anonymous illustrated treatise on the Antichrist, Last...
4 months ago
43
4 months ago
The Livre de la vigne nostre Seigneur is an anonymous illustrated treatise on the Antichrist, Last Judgement, Hell, Heaven, Christ and Antichrist. It features 15 illustrations that mark the End of Days. What makes the series particularly interesting is its lack of human figures...
Open Culture
Flannery O’Connor: Friends Don’t Let Friends Read Ayn Rand In a letter dated May 31, 1960, Flannery O’Connor, the author best known for her classic story, “A...
5 months ago
43
5 months ago
In a letter dated May 31, 1960, Flannery O’Connor, the author best known for her classic story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (listen to her read the story here) penned a letter to her friend, the playwright Maryat Lee. It begins rather abruptly, likely because it’s responding to...
TheCollector
The Real Robin Hoods: Two Criminal Gangs in Medieval England The first written stories about Robin Hood emerged in the late 14th century, although they likely...
3 months ago
12
3 months ago
The first written stories about Robin Hood emerged in the late 14th century, although they likely stem from an older oral tradition. There are multiple theories as to where the tradition came from, but it may have been partly inspired by turmoil in the earlier part of the century...
History Today Feed
Have We Forgotten How to Listen to Lectures? Have We Forgotten How to Listen to Lectures? JamesHoare Wed, 03/26/2025 - 09:04
4 months ago
The Universe of...
The mathematical past is a foreign country A modern presentation of the Peano axioms looks like this: is a natural number If is a natural...
7 months ago
18
7 months ago
A modern presentation of the Peano axioms looks like this: is a natural number If is a natural number, then so is the result of appending an to the beginning of Nothing else is a natural number This baldly states that zero is a natural number. I think this is a 20th-century...
African History...
a brief note on the Intellectual history of Africa the Jabarti diaspora of North-Eastern Africa.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
What Government Governs Best? Is Democracy Still Our Best Bet?
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekly Wisdom Quiz Myths and History
2 months ago
Res Obscura
"He spoke of computers with some awe" Margaret Mead, John von Neumann, and the prehistory of AI
a year ago
Flashbak
Richard Teschner And His Magical World of Puppets And Dreams Richard Teschner (1879 – 1948), a graphic designer, artist and artisan in the Wiener Werkstätte...
a year ago
51
a year ago
Richard Teschner (1879 – 1948), a graphic designer, artist and artisan in the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshops), is best known for his puppetry, especially that inspired by Wayang (“shadow”), the classical Javanese puppet drama that uses the shadows thrown by puppets...
Overcoming Bias
Should I Be Clearly Conservative? A conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is...
3 months ago
28
3 months ago
A conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it. ― William F.
TheCollector
Justinian I’s Surprising Recapture of Rome: What Happened? The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I came close to uniting the former Roman Empire less than a century...
3 months ago
31
3 months ago
The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I came close to uniting the former Roman Empire less than a century after its fall. However, popular discontent, foreign war, and a plague all combined to bring his dream of reestablishing Roman glory to an end, despite remarkable successes.   Rome...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Essential Greeks
7 months ago
Classical Wisdom
[Coming Soon] The Essential Greeks Begins in Two Weeks
a year ago
Flashbak
Photos Found In Croton on Hudson from the 1970s These found photos and negatives date from the 1970s and 80s and were taken by James Mc Intyre,...
3 months ago
24
3 months ago
These found photos and negatives date from the 1970s and 80s and were taken by James Mc Intyre, Croton on Hudson in Westchester County, New York. Some of the subjects have been named. So we’ll add them here, and if you see yourself or someone you know, we’d love to hear from you....
Patterns in Humanity
Does poverty cause violent crime? An examination of the association between poverty and violent crime
a year ago
Flashbak
Why The BBC Wanted To Keep George Orwell Off The Radio “I am quite seriously worried about the situation and about the wisdom of our keeping Orwell...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
“I am quite seriously worried about the situation and about the wisdom of our keeping Orwell personally on the air.” – the BBC controller outlines his reasons for keeping George Orwell off the air     In his his lifetime, George Orwell (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was thought...
Open Culture
How Erik Satie’s ‘Furniture Music’ Was Designed to Be Ignored and Paved the Way for Ambient Music Imagine how many times someone born in the eighteen-sixties could ever expect to hear music. The...
6 months ago
42
6 months ago
Imagine how many times someone born in the eighteen-sixties could ever expect to hear music. The number would vary, of course, depending on the individual’s class and family inclinations. Suffice it to say that each chance would have been more precious than those of us in the...
TheCollector
What Do We Know About the “Missing” Books of the Bible? In the early years of Christianity, following the time of the New Testament, multiple books were...
2 weeks ago
6
2 weeks ago
In the early years of Christianity, following the time of the New Testament, multiple books were circulated around the newly formed churches. Among those books and letters, a consensus among the churches arose as to which ones were authentically written by an apostle of Jesus...
TheCollector
5 National Historic Sites to Visit in Eastern Canada Canada can be referred to as a “middle-aged” country compared to some of its global counterparts....
4 months ago
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4 months ago
Canada can be referred to as a “middle-aged” country compared to some of its global counterparts. Founded in 1867, the nation is 158 years old at present and yet, there is no shortage of interesting landmarks and designated sites for history enthusiasts to visit. There are 1004...
A Collection of...
Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part IVa: Philip V This is the first part of the fourth part of our four(ish) part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb) look...
a year ago
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a year ago
This is the first part of the fourth part of our four(ish) part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb) look at why the thing to use to beat a Macedonian sarisa phalanx is, in fact, a Roman legion in the third and second century BC. Last time, we finished our look at the third-century...
Classical Wisdom
The "New" Ancient City Discovering Kavala...
a year ago
TheCollector
Sumer vs. Indus Valley – Which Is Older? The question of the older civilization between the Sumer and the Indus Valley Civilizations is...
a week ago
4
a week ago
The question of the older civilization between the Sumer and the Indus Valley Civilizations is interesting as both are considered to be among the earliest human civilizations known to man. That said, they rose at different timelines. To determine which of them was older, it is...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Origins of Stoicism
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
The World's First Female Serial Killer? Ancient Roman True Crime
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
9 Ancient Roman Roads That Still Exist Today During Roman times, the empire stretched from Britain to the Middle East, held together by fortified...
a month ago
9
a month ago
During Roman times, the empire stretched from Britain to the Middle East, held together by fortified cities, sprawling forums, aqueducts, and military camps. Sites like Diocletian’s Palace in Split, the arena in Nîmes, the Roman theater in Cartagena, and the arches of Narbonne...
Flashbak
Woodstock Festival Comics from the 1970s In October 1970s, the 1969 Woodstock Festival was immortalised in a comic book. The romance story “I...
a year ago
48
a year ago
In October 1970s, the 1969 Woodstock Festival was immortalised in a comic book. The romance story “I Found My Love at the Woodstock Festival!” appeared in Falling in Love #118.     Comics and Woodstock were a good match. Charles M. Schulz’s didn’t name the little yellow bird and...
Flashbak
The Metamorphoses du Jour by JJ Grandville – 1829 Told in 73 coloured lithographs, Les Metamorphoses du Jour (1829) by French artist J.J. Gandville...
7 months ago
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7 months ago
Told in 73 coloured lithographs, Les Metamorphoses du Jour (1829) by French artist J.J. Gandville (born Jean-Ignace-Isidore Gérard; 1803-1847) is a satire on the bourgeois middle class of Parisian society in the Romantic period. Grandville’s characters have a human body and an...
Flashbak
Whose Streets? Our Streets! New York Protests 1980 – 2000 “Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” ― Henry David...
3 months ago
27
3 months ago
“Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” ― Henry David Thoreau,    Photographs of demonstrations in New York City between 1980 and 2000 are at the Whose Streets? Our Streets! exhibition at the Bronx Documentary Center. The show explores New...
TheCollector
Rome vs. the Alamanni at the Battle of Strasbourg (357 CE) In the mid-4th century CE, the Roman Empire found itself in a precarious position. While the emperor...
a month ago
20
a month ago
In the mid-4th century CE, the Roman Empire found itself in a precarious position. While the emperor Constantius II had been entrenched in a protracted war against the Sassanids in the East, the other Augustus, Constans, was murdered by the Germanic usurper, Magnentius. The power...
Flashbak
Lightning Strikes: William Jennings’ Early Photographs of Elusive Electricity Anglo-American photographer William Jennings (1860–1946) is best known for his aerial pictures of...
7 months ago
46
7 months ago
Anglo-American photographer William Jennings (1860–1946) is best known for his aerial pictures of his adopted city of Philadelphia and the aeronautical industry, and photographs of lightning. Setting out to prove “lightning bolts were not of the zig-zag form pictured by artists”,...
African History...
The colonial myth of 'Sub-Saharan Africa' in medieval Islamic geography: the view from Egypt and... .
a year ago
TheCollector
The 8 Artistic Periods of Pablo Picasso: Step by Step Guide Pablo Picasso had a long and incredibly prolific career. Experts believe he created more than...
2 months ago
20
2 months ago
Pablo Picasso had a long and incredibly prolific career. Experts believe he created more than 100,000 pieces of artistic work. During his lifetime, he incessantly studied art of various cultures and periods, reviving and repurposing it for his avant-garde works. Based on...
TheCollector
The Dolomites: The Mountains That Rose From the Sea Italy’s pale and towering Dolomite Mountains are an offshoot of the more extensive Alps, and are...
4 months ago
17
4 months ago
Italy’s pale and towering Dolomite Mountains are an offshoot of the more extensive Alps, and are famous for their snowy colored exterior, bounty of fossils, and rich history. These mountains used to be under the sea, and after rising up, were the backdrop to several World War I...
TheCollector
The Mitanni Kingdom: Rise & Fall of a Bronze Age Superpower Located in northern Mesopotamia, the enigmatic Mitanni Kingdom influenced the course of ancient Near...
2 months ago
18
2 months ago
Located in northern Mesopotamia, the enigmatic Mitanni Kingdom influenced the course of ancient Near Eastern history during the Late Bronze Age (c. 1550-1200 BCE). The majority of the Mitanni population was of the Hurrian ethnic group, while the elites were mainly Indo-European,...
TheCollector
What Are the Vedas? (Samhitas, Upanishads, and Influence) Today, many people in India follow the religious and cultural tenets we now call Hinduism. But where...
3 months ago
13
3 months ago
Today, many people in India follow the religious and cultural tenets we now call Hinduism. But where did the belief systems that formed modern-day Hinduism originate? Part of the answer can be located thousands of years in the past, in and around modern-day India. Much of modern...
History Today Feed
‘The Big Hop’ by David Rooney review ‘The Big Hop’ by David Rooney review JamesHoare Mon, 06/30/2025 - 08:00
a month ago
TheCollector
Is Capitalism Reliant on Fossil Fuels? Energy-dense ‘fossil fuels’ – such as coal, oil, and natural gas – are derived from fossilized...
4 months ago
27
4 months ago
Energy-dense ‘fossil fuels’ – such as coal, oil, and natural gas – are derived from fossilized organic matter. However, their combustion releases large amounts of carbon dioxide, fuelling global warming on an industrial scale. Indeed, since the Industrial Revolution, the...
TheCollector
New Banksy Mural Confirmed in South of France Yesterday, after a six-month hiatus, Banksy’s official Instagram account unveiled a new public...
2 months ago
14
2 months ago
Yesterday, after a six-month hiatus, Banksy’s official Instagram account unveiled a new public mural: a small lighthouse on a beige building facade. The mystery of the mural’s location has since been solved. Its intended meaning, however, is still up for debate.   Banksy Unveils...
Flashbak
Far Out Images from Johann Zahn’s Oculus Artificialis (1685) “A complete treatment of the construction and use of lensed optical instruments. Presented in three...
6 months ago
66
6 months ago
“A complete treatment of the construction and use of lensed optical instruments. Presented in three fundamentals, that is, bases: the physical, the mathematical, and the practical or mechanical” – Oculus Artificialis Teledioptricus sive Telescopium     The German student of light...
Global Inequality...
Freedom to be “wrong”: the only real advantage of democracy Why the liberal project will fail
a year ago
Open Culture
A 1933 Profile of Frida Kahlo: “Wife of the Master Mural Painter Gleefully Dabbles in Works of Art” Walter Keane—supposed painter of “Big Eyed Children” and subject of a 2014 Tim Burton film—made a...
6 months ago
56
6 months ago
Walter Keane—supposed painter of “Big Eyed Children” and subject of a 2014 Tim Burton film—made a killing, attaining almost Thomas Kinkade-like status in the middlebrow art market of the 1950s and 60s. As it turns out, his wife, Margaret was in fact the artist, “painting 16 hours...
TheCollector
Archaeologists May Have Found Second Pharaonic Tomb in Egypt The recent discovery of King Thutmose II’s long-lost royal tomb has been touted as Egypt’s most...
5 months ago
26
5 months ago
The recent discovery of King Thutmose II’s long-lost royal tomb has been touted as Egypt’s most impressive archaeological find since King Tut. Now, just days later, the same archaeologists say there is a yet-undiscovered second tomb of Thutmose II located nearby.   The Royal...
CrimethInc.
“This Hotel Is a Detention Center” : An Account from the Front Lines of the Fight against... This account picks up where our previous article about the Anti-Deportation Collective left off,...
3 months ago
49
3 months ago
This account picks up where our previous article about the Anti-Deportation Collective left off, chronicling scenes from the movement against deportations in Paris in the late 1990s. As Donald Trump attempts to put $45 billion towards expanding the gulag system of immigrant...
The Universe of...
Genealogy of the House of Reuss A couple of years ago I lamented the difficulty I had in verifying what appeared to be a simple...
8 months ago
16
8 months ago
A couple of years ago I lamented the difficulty I had in verifying what appeared to be a simple statement of fact: [Abdullah bin Abdul-Rahman] was the seventh son of the Emir of the Second Saudi State, Abdul Rahman bin Faisal. The essential problem is that Saudi princes have at...
Res Obscura
When the Sackler Brothers studied LSD One of the stranger episodes from the 1950s golden age of psychedelic therapy, and what it tells us...
6 months ago
49
6 months ago
One of the stranger episodes from the 1950s golden age of psychedelic therapy, and what it tells us about the history of technology
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, February 14, 2025 (On Grant Funding) Hey folks! Happy Valentine’s Day. Fireside this week and then hopefully next week we’ll start into...
5 months ago
47
5 months ago
Hey folks! Happy Valentine’s Day. Fireside this week and then hopefully next week we’ll start into our look at the Siege of Eregion in Season 2 of Rings of Power and also the larger Tolkien legendarium. I confess, watching the show, my suspension of disbelief fell much faster...
Overcoming Bias
Futarchy And Self-Dealing Governance Compared to divided government, a more central government has stronger incentives to help the polity...
5 months ago
34
5 months ago
Compared to divided government, a more central government has stronger incentives to help the polity as a whole.
TheCollector
Motherhood Through the Ages: Depictions of Breastfeeding in Art Breastfeeding has been depicted in art throughout the centuries, forming a visual representation of...
2 months ago
19
2 months ago
Breastfeeding has been depicted in art throughout the centuries, forming a visual representation of women’s lived experiences concerning religion and societal expectations. Ancient civilizations focused on motherhood through the symbolic use of religious figures, such as Isis in...
Dr Alun Withey
To Tip or Not To Tip: A Victorian Traveller’s Perspective Like it or not, tipping is a big part of hospitality and the service industry. Debates about how...
6 months ago
79
6 months ago
Like it or not, tipping is a big part of hospitality and the service industry. Debates about how much/whether to tip rumble on, but they are not new. Even in the 18th and 19th centuries, travellers were complaining about the amount of unwanted or unexpected extras they had to pay...
Trying to Understand...
Being Non-Transactional. Beyond "What's in it for me?"
4 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Should We Follow Silly Laws? And what happens when we don’t?
over a year ago
TheCollector
4 Infamous Rulers of the Neo-Assyrian Empire The Neo-Assyrian Empire dominated the landscape of the ancient Near East from 911 BCE until its fall...
3 weeks ago
11
3 weeks ago
The Neo-Assyrian Empire dominated the landscape of the ancient Near East from 911 BCE until its fall in 609 BCE. The Old Assyrian period saw the Assyrian city-state become somewhat independent around 2025 BCE, and it gradually increased in strength until its penultimate period,...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Plato on Political Polarization
9 months ago
TheCollector
5 Important Schools of Philosophy in Ancient Rome Roman philosophy generally shared an interest in studying the art of living. Ancient Roman schools...
a month ago
13
a month ago
Roman philosophy generally shared an interest in studying the art of living. Ancient Roman schools of philosophy often wanted to answer the question: how does one live best? And they all proposed answers, albeit with important differences, on how the individual is to achieve...
Open Culture
The Complete History of the Music Video: From the 1890s to Today If you want to understand the history of music videos, you must consider a lot of things that are...
7 months ago
56
7 months ago
If you want to understand the history of music videos, you must consider a lot of things that are not obviously music videos. The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the first selection of MTV’s inaugural broadcast, must surely count as a music video — but then, it was...
CrimethInc.
The Eye of Every Storm : Anarchist Response to Hurricane Helene At the end of September 2024, western North Carolina and the surrounding states experienced 30...
8 months ago
24
8 months ago
At the end of September 2024, western North Carolina and the surrounding states experienced 30 inches of rainfall over two days when an unnamed storm collided with Hurricane Helene over the mountains of Southern Appalachia. The resulting catastrophe laid waste to the entire...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Life of Plato
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Ancient Greek Art Through the Ages
10 months ago
TheCollector
How Ancient Assyria Used Religion to Become a Superpower Religious policies have been utilized by monarchies and governments for political gains since the...
a month ago
10
a month ago
Religious policies have been utilized by monarchies and governments for political gains since the beginning of civilization. Few have done so as successfully as the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The kings of both the Old and Middle Assyrian periods provided their successors with the...
Classical Wisdom
Xenophon Hemingway of the Ancient World?
3 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triumph, Part IVb: Antiochus III This is the second part of the fourth part of our four(ish) part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IVa)...
a year ago
79
a year ago
This is the second part of the fourth part of our four(ish) part (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, IIIa, IIIb, IVa) look at the context between the Roman military system based on the manipular legion and the Hellenistic military system structured around the Macedonian sarisa phalanx in the...
TheCollector
Why H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” Is a Timely Warning to the World In his first published work of fiction, the British writer and futurist Herbert George Wells...
2 months ago
19
2 months ago
In his first published work of fiction, the British writer and futurist Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) shot to literary fame, marking the beginning of a career that would rival his celebrated French predecessor, author Jules Verne. Their popular works would practically corner...
TheCollector
Napoleon’s Rise, Fall, and Legacy in History Born on the island of Corsica in 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte came to prominence as a brilliant military...
2 months ago
119
2 months ago
Born on the island of Corsica in 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte came to prominence as a brilliant military commander during the French Revolution. After taking power in Paris in November 1799, Napoleon made himself emperor in 1804. He led a series of victorious campaigns to dominate...
TheCollector
How to Read the Books of the Prophets in the Bible Most people who have picked up a Bible have at some time thought: “Well… this makes no sense!” The...
a week ago
9
a week ago
Most people who have picked up a Bible have at some time thought: “Well… this makes no sense!” The Bible is a dense collection of writings that was written over centuries. It is no wonder that it does not always make for easy reading. Many modern Christians are hesitant to dive...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Early Years of Jesus
a year ago
TheCollector
The Battle of Shiloh: A Battle in Two Parts The Battle of Shiloh was a complex two-day struggle in the early Spring of 1862 on the banks of the...
5 months ago
19
5 months ago
The Battle of Shiloh was a complex two-day struggle in the early Spring of 1862 on the banks of the Tennessee River near Savannah, Tennessee, in Hardin County. The movements, engagements, first-hand accounts, and secondary source material have been heavily studied since the...
TheCollector
The Evolution of Still Life From Baroque Art to Modern Minimalism Although still life painting as a representational form has existed since antiquity, it only began...
a month ago
12
a month ago
Although still life painting as a representational form has existed since antiquity, it only began to take a form familiar to us in the 16th century during the Baroque era. Still life painting was fairly popular among women artists as it did not require studying nude human...
Flashbak
Cool in the Shade: One Man’s Photographs with the Stars Shade Rupe is a writer, filmmaker and actor. He has written for various film and culture magazines....
a year ago
21
a year ago
Shade Rupe is a writer, filmmaker and actor. He has written for various film and culture magazines. A collection of his interviews, with the likes of Udo Kier, Divine, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Tura Satana, was published in the volume Dark Stars Rising: Conversations from the...
The Universe of...
Proof by insufficient information Content warning: rambly Given the coordinates of the three vertices of a triangle, can we find the...
5 months ago
13
5 months ago
Content warning: rambly Given the coordinates of the three vertices of a triangle, can we find the area? Yes. If by no other method, we can use the Pythagorean theorem to find the lengths of the edges, and then Heron's formula to compute the area from that. Now, given the...
Flashbak
Käthe Kollwitz Self Portraits “I have no trouble with the idea of my art serving a purpose. I want to have an impact at a time...
a year ago
41
a year ago
“I have no trouble with the idea of my art serving a purpose. I want to have an impact at a time when people are so baffled, so in need of help.” – Käthe Kollwitz diary entry, December 1922   Käthe Kollwitz (8 July 1867 – 22 April 1945) made over 100 self-portraits of her …...
TheCollector
Alix of Hesse, the Tragic German Princess Who Became the Last Tsarina Princess Alexandra led a privileged childhood in the German Empire, close to her cousins in the...
a month ago
15
a month ago
Princess Alexandra led a privileged childhood in the German Empire, close to her cousins in the British royal family. Her charmed upbringing led to a teenage romance with the future tsar of Russia, Nicholas Romanov. She became the empress of the Russian Empire when her husband...
A Collection of...
Collections: Ancient Greek and Phoenician Colonization Davis senatum consuluit a.d. III Idus Octobris apud aedem Patreontis; de colonis Graecis et Punicis...
a year ago
88
a year ago
Davis senatum consuluit a.d. III Idus Octobris apud aedem Patreontis; de colonis Graecis et Punicis verba fecit… This week we’re taking a brief look, by ACOUP Senate request, at Greek and Phoenician colonization in the ancient Mediterranean. In particular, the focus requested was...
Trying to Understand...
So Where Do We Go From Here? That's a good question.
a year ago
Flashbak
When Gilbert Shelton’s Fabulous Furry Freaks And Poddy Ruled The World! Gilbert Shelton (born May 31, 1940) is an American cartoonist and a key member of the underground...
a year ago
54
a year ago
Gilbert Shelton (born May 31, 1940) is an American cartoonist and a key member of the underground comix movement. He is the creator of the characters The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and Fat Freddy’s Cat, and a co-founder of Rip Off Press in San Francisco in 1969.   Shelton...
TheCollector
Catherine Parr: The Wife King Henry Loved Most? Catherine Parr is now best remembered for being the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII....
4 months ago
17
4 months ago
Catherine Parr is now best remembered for being the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII. “Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded — survived.” Catherine was the fortunate wife who survived him, narrowly escaping divorce or execution. But did she really get away lightly...
Trying to Understand...
Let's Hear It For The "Underlying Causes." Here's the answer. What was the question again?
over a year ago
Wrong Side of...
The 2020ers The Transition #4
3 months ago
Open Culture
The Nature of Human Stupidity Explained by The 48 Laws of Power Author Robert Greene It’s practically guaranteed that we now have more stupid people on the planet than ever before. Of...
6 months ago
35
6 months ago
It’s practically guaranteed that we now have more stupid people on the planet than ever before. Of course, we might be tempted to think; just look at how many of them disagree with my politics. But this unprecedented stupidity is primarily, if not entirely, a function of an...
TheCollector
The 9 Largest Cities of the Medieval World The Medieval Period, which lasted roughly 1,000 years between the 470s CE and 1400- 1450 CE was a...
a month ago
24
a month ago
The Medieval Period, which lasted roughly 1,000 years between the 470s CE and 1400- 1450 CE was a period of cultural evolution and religious power. Growing populations gave way to major urban developments and became symbols of power that benefited the ruling class through the...
Flashbak
People of the Twentieth Century: the Ideal German, the Nazi and the Persecuted Jew “If we can create portraits of subjects that are true, we thereby in effect create a mirror of the...
a year ago
52
a year ago
“If we can create portraits of subjects that are true, we thereby in effect create a mirror of the times.” – August Sander, creator of Menschen des 20 Jahrhunderts (People of The 20th Century)   What you see above is a picture of Arnold Katz and Benjamin (Benno) Katz being...
Flashbak
Émile-Allain Séguy’s Insectes, 1925 – A Hymn To Nature In 20 Beautiful Illustrated Plates “Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no...
5 months ago
40
5 months ago
“Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect, as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible...
Classical Wisdom
How to Give a Speech Secrets from Cicero
11 months ago
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic, Part IIIc: Ten Tribunes, Two Censors and Twenty-Six Guys This is the third section of the third part of our our planned five part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb)...
a year ago
29
a year ago
This is the third section of the third part of our our planned five part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb) on the structure of the Roman Republic during the third and second centuries, the ‘Middle’ Republic.’ Last time we looked at the top of the Roman political career in the republic,...
Classical Wisdom
Sophocles' Swansong Oedipus at Colonus
a year ago
TheCollector
Artemis and Her Sacred Animals: The Goddess’s Mythological Pets Artemis didn’t just have an affinity for animals—she was the huntress who held dominion when it came...
2 months ago
21
2 months ago
Artemis didn’t just have an affinity for animals—she was the huntress who held dominion when it came to wildlife, including both prey animals and predators. Goddess of the hunt, queen of the wilderness, and the administrator of all things untamed, she made no apologies to those...
Flashbak
Lee Balterman’s Chicago in the 1950s Lee Balterman (1920 – March 16, 2012) was born in Chicago, took night classes in drawing and...
a year ago
46
a year ago
Lee Balterman (1920 – March 16, 2012) was born in Chicago, took night classes in drawing and painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago – the only formal training of his career – and until his death lived and photographed almost daily in Chicago for newspapers,...
TheCollector
When Did Baseball’s Negro Leagues Occur? 19th-century America regularly enforced segregation, especially after the American Civil War. This...
4 months ago
31
4 months ago
19th-century America regularly enforced segregation, especially after the American Civil War. This also included baseball, the rapidly growing sport dubbed “America’s Pastime.” Black teams formed before the American Civil War, playing white, integrated, or other black teams. But...
TheCollector
10 Oldest Museums in the U.S. Museums have long been places of curiosity and wonder, housing objects that tell the stories of...
5 months ago
31
5 months ago
Museums have long been places of curiosity and wonder, housing objects that tell the stories of civilizations past. The idea of collecting and displaying artifacts for public study dates back centuries. Consider the Mouseion of Alexandria, an ancient Greek institution devoted to...
Flashbak
John Martin’s Thrilling Illustrations for Paradise Lost (1827) “Of Man’s First Disobedience, and the Fruit Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste Brought Death...
7 months ago
53
7 months ago
“Of Man’s First Disobedience, and the Fruit Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste Brought Death into the World, and all our woe” – The opening lines to Paradise Lost by John Milton, illustrated by John Martin     John Milton’s (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) epic poem...
Dreams of Space -...
Santa and The Space Men It has been a while but here is a strange Christmas post for you.  Something about Santa and Flying...
7 months ago
20
7 months ago
It has been a while but here is a strange Christmas post for you.  Something about Santa and Flying Saucers seems to go together like White wine and Cracker Jack. Sort of sweet and tangy and gets your attention. Santa and the Space Men is a play for children about how Santa is...
Flashbak
12 Perfect Christmas Gifts From Dianne B, A Postcard Set from 1983 In 1983, photographer Peter Hujar (1934–87) created Twelve Perfect Christmas Gifts from Dianne B, a...
8 months ago
39
8 months ago
In 1983, photographer Peter Hujar (1934–87) created Twelve Perfect Christmas Gifts from Dianne B, a mini-portfolio of 12 postcards. Eight are by Huja, plus four in colour by Neil Winokur and a sleeve by Ken Tisa. The postcards for maverick boutique owner Dianne Benson are lovely...
TheCollector
Why Did René Descartes Say “I Think, Therefore I Am”? “Cogito, ergo sum”, Latin for “I think, therefore I am”, is René Descartes’ most celebrated and...
a month ago
19
a month ago
“Cogito, ergo sum”, Latin for “I think, therefore I am”, is René Descartes’ most celebrated and influential contribution to humanity. The statement was the prized conclusion of his famous journey of radical skepticism, one that served as the solid foundation of his philosophy. In...
TheCollector
Why Is There So Much Blood in Mesoamerican Mythology? In the Aztec mythos, Huitzilopotchli sought revenge on his sister Coyolxauhqui for attacking their...
5 months ago
20
5 months ago
In the Aztec mythos, Huitzilopotchli sought revenge on his sister Coyolxauhqui for attacking their mother, throwing her head into the sky to become the moon watching over. In the Maya mythos, Buluc-Chabta wore a necklace made of human eyes. Brutality and war were often the way of...
History Today Feed
Did Charles I Have to Die? Did Charles I Have to Die? JamesHoare Thu, 03/27/2025 - 09:06
4 months ago
Trying to Understand...
Let's Be Enemies Since it seems to be the fashion these days.
over a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Tolkien and the Classics Plato, Cicero... Bilbo?
a year ago
TheCollector
6 Iconic Artworks by Wassily Kandinsky Before the 19th century, art was centered around naturalistic depictions designed to create a...
a month ago
13
a month ago
Before the 19th century, art was centered around naturalistic depictions designed to create a realistic window onto the world. Artists were inspired by history, mythology, and the Bible, with Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and Vermeer representing the pinnacle of artistic expression....
TheCollector
Scotland’s Viking Isles: A History Lover’s Voyage to Orkney & Shetland On the Wednesday following the last Tuesday in January, Shetland shuts down. It is the only place in...
3 months ago
16
3 months ago
On the Wednesday following the last Tuesday in January, Shetland shuts down. It is the only place in Scotland to have an extra public holiday. The reason is simply because everyone is exhausted. They’ve been up all night burning a Viking galley.   In neighboring Orkney, they’re a...
TheCollector
Escaping the Void: What Is the Human Paradox? The intellect has crowned the human being at the summit of the animal kingdom. With their...
3 months ago
25
3 months ago
The intellect has crowned the human being at the summit of the animal kingdom. With their unprecedently refined ability to rationalize, analyze, and self-reflect, humans could manipulate and control their environment like no other species. However, such an extraordinary gift of...
Open Culture
The Engineering of the Strandbeest: How the Magnificent Mechanical Creatures Have Technologically... Life evolves, but machines are invented: this dichotomy hardly conflicts with what most of us have...
7 months ago
76
7 months ago
Life evolves, but machines are invented: this dichotomy hardly conflicts with what most of us have learned about biology and technology. But certain specimens roaming around in the world can blur that line — and in the curious case of the Strandbeesten, they really are roaming...
Patterns in Humanity
Racial Homicide Disparities Since 1910 Drawing from uniform crime reports since 1933 and vital statistics since 1910, I document the...
over a year ago
29
over a year ago
Drawing from uniform crime reports since 1933 and vital statistics since 1910, I document the evolution of black-white homicide disparities in the United States since the early 20th century.
Flashbak
London’s World West: Harlesden in 1997 Harlesden was once a Saxon settlement. The Domesday Book calls it “Hervlvestvne”. In 1997, Harlesden...
2 weeks ago
13
2 weeks ago
Harlesden was once a Saxon settlement. The Domesday Book calls it “Hervlvestvne”. In 1997, Harlesden was in the London borough of Brent, as it remains today. It’s when Peter Marshall was walking around the place taking pictures. Bordered by the north-west London -dens of Neasden...
TheCollector
The Unknown Artworks of Kahlil Gibran Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) is one of the most widely read and translated writers of the 20th century....
3 weeks ago
10
3 weeks ago
Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) is one of the most widely read and translated writers of the 20th century. His visual art work was an inextricable part of his life and literary career, but is often overlooked. Described as mystical and ethereal, Gibran’s artworks give form to the...
CrimethInc.
Cop City Is Everywhere : Learning from the Movement to Defend the Forest The movement to stop Cop City and defend Weelaunee Forest was one of the most important social...
4 months ago
28
4 months ago
The movement to stop Cop City and defend Weelaunee Forest was one of the most important social struggles of the Biden era. Its trajectory tells us a lot about the challenges we confront today under Donald Trump. In the final chapter of our chronology, we trace the movement’s...
Patterns in Humanity
Out-of-Europe: History of Migrations to the United States Following the Renaissance period, a transition started occurring in West Europe, with rapid...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Following the Renaissance period, a transition started occurring in West Europe, with rapid advancements in science and technology happening in the 1400s. With improvements in cartography, ship and other maritime technology, and an increased desire to understand and discover...
Flashbak
New York City In Kodachrome – Color Photos Found In A Trashcan From the 1950s and 1960s One day, Jan Wein found some photographs.”For those of you who may not know the back story,”  he...
a year ago
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a year ago
One day, Jan Wein found some photographs.”For those of you who may not know the back story,”  he tells us, “I lived in Manhattan in the 1980s when Ed Koch was mayor, before decamping to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I remain to this day.At that time you could find many...
TheCollector
4 Ways that Magical Realism Rewrites History In a particularly striking scene from Gabriel García Márquez’s Nobel prize-winning novel One Hundred...
a week ago
8
a week ago
In a particularly striking scene from Gabriel García Márquez’s Nobel prize-winning novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, a trickle of blood takes on a life of its own, flowing from room to room, going around the carpets, crossing terraces, and climbing over curbs as it makes its...
Tjaart’s Substack
The curious case of the missing period When Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is not simple
a year ago
Flashbak
I’m Not a Look-Alike: François Brunelle’s Doppelgänger Photos doppelganger (n.) Wraith. literally: double-goer. Apparition of a living person, 1826 (from 1824 as...
8 months ago
43
8 months ago
doppelganger (n.) Wraith. literally: double-goer. Apparition of a living person, 1826 (from 1824 as a German word in English). – OED     We are more alike than many of us hope. Photographer François Brunelle has spent years tracking down real-life doppelgängers — people who are...
Classical Wisdom
The Life of Terence Slave turned Playwright
11 months ago
Trying to Understand...
No End Of A Lesson. If we can only learn it.
10 months ago
TheCollector
What Is The Jungian Model of The Psyche? Carl Jung’s greatest contribution to psychology was his intricate understanding of the human mind....
a month ago
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a month ago
Carl Jung’s greatest contribution to psychology was his intricate understanding of the human mind. His model of the psyche is a holistic and dynamic representation of our inner architecture, with all the seemingly contradictory layers that make us who we are. Decoding the Jungian...
Flashbak
Eating At The Montreal Restaurant ‘Famous for Its Little Pig’ – 1938-1972 For nearly four decades from 1938, Jean-Paul Cuerrier (1918-1997) took pictures of diners feeding a...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
For nearly four decades from 1938, Jean-Paul Cuerrier (1918-1997) took pictures of diners feeding a pig at the table at Au Lutin Qui Bouffe restaurant in Montreal, Canada. Patrons would take home the photo as a souvenir. The typical posse was for one diner to feed the piglet milk...
TheCollector
The Puzzling Origins & Meaning of the Nazca Lines The Nazca Lines in southern Peru fascinate history enthusiasts worldwide. Since these glyphs first...
a month ago
6
a month ago
The Nazca Lines in southern Peru fascinate history enthusiasts worldwide. Since these glyphs first began to be studied in the early 20th century, the theories for their origin and purpose have ranged from astronomical markers to representations of the Nazca people’s mythology and...
Flashbak
Ulissi Aldrovandi’s Monstrorum Historia: Dragons And Other Real Monsters “I have never described any thing without first having seen it with my eyes” – Ulissi Aldrovandi,...
2 weeks ago
13
2 weeks ago
“I have never described any thing without first having seen it with my eyes” – Ulissi Aldrovandi, who shows us dragons and other monsters in his Monstrorum Historia     Ulissi Aldrovandi’s Monstrorum Historia is a huge 13-volume encyclopaedia of life on Earth. The books cover...
Hidden History
The Fantasy Game of Tak The board game Tak (pronounced to rhyme with “back”) originally appeared as a prop in the...
5 months ago
41
5 months ago
The board game Tak (pronounced to rhyme with “back”) originally appeared as a prop in the fantasy/scifi book series The Kingkiller Chronicle, and was then brought to life in the real world. History In 1994, aspiring author Patrick Rothfuss began work on his first book,...
TheCollector
What Did Socrates Really Mean When He Said “Know Thyself”? Inscribed at the Delphic temple of Apollo was the famous maxim, ‘know thyself’, a charge that...
a month ago
11
a month ago
Inscribed at the Delphic temple of Apollo was the famous maxim, ‘know thyself’, a charge that Socrates continuously invoked in numerous Platonic dialogues. Self-knowledge was the essence of Socrates’ philosophical project, not in the modern sense of self-discovery, but in the...
TheCollector
The Evolution of the Samurai (From the Kamakura to the Edo Period) The samurai of feudal Japan are well known in popular culture, yet the popular image of a samurai is...
3 weeks ago
12
3 weeks ago
The samurai of feudal Japan are well known in popular culture, yet the popular image of a samurai is merely a snapshot of centuries of evolution for this mighty warrior class. Here we will explore how the samurai developed from the beginning of their rule in the Kamakura Period....
TheCollector
Beyond the Diagnosis: 3 Theories of Autism & What They Get Wrong How far back do you think autism research goes? There have almost undoubtedly been autistic people...
3 months ago
10
3 months ago
How far back do you think autism research goes? There have almost undoubtedly been autistic people as long as there have been people, but surprisingly, it was not until the 1940s that autism was discussed as its own psychiatric entity. Since then, many theories have tried to...
Classical Wisdom
Can Any Good Come From War? The Tragedy of the Trenches
a year ago
TheCollector
Science in Ancient Egypt: Mathematics, Astronomy, Engineering, and Medicine There is a common perception that science is a modern invention with roots in the ancient Greek...
2 months ago
16
2 months ago
There is a common perception that science is a modern invention with roots in the ancient Greek world. While the Greeks pioneered the kind of theoretical thinking that characterizes modern science, before the Greeks, people used practical science. The ancient Egyptians developed...
Patterns in Humanity
The rise of life expectancy Illustrated and explained
a month ago
African History...
Africa and Europe during the age of mutual exploration: a Swahili traveler's description of 19th... The late modern period that began in the early 19th century was the height of mutual exploration on...
10 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup History and Myth
a year ago
TheCollector
What Is the Origin of the Calendar? A calendar is an important tool for organizing daily life, scheduling events, and observing public...
2 months ago
13
2 months ago
A calendar is an important tool for organizing daily life, scheduling events, and observing public ceremonies. Today, it is an invaluable instrument when it comes to record-keeping and marking historical events. The term calendar originates from the Latin word calendarium,...
TheCollector
How Henry VII Took the English Throne & Founded the Tudors Henry VII often slips through the cracks of history, being sandwiched between the controversial...
4 weeks ago
11
4 weeks ago
Henry VII often slips through the cracks of history, being sandwiched between the controversial Richard III, a Renaissance Machiavellian prince, and Henry VIII, an impossibly charismatic and epoch-shaping monarch. But without Henry VII, there would be no Henry VIII. It was Henry...
TheCollector
A Guide to the Best Historic Sites in South Korea Though many visit South Korea for its K-Dramas and K-Pop, the peninsula and islands also feature...
3 months ago
39
3 months ago
Though many visit South Korea for its K-Dramas and K-Pop, the peninsula and islands also feature numerous cultural charms and historic sites as well. South Korea has an expansive history, and tales of monks, soldiers, indigenous peoples, and royalty linger in these locations....
TheCollector
Where Was the Battle of Camlann? King Arthur’s Legendary Final Battle According to the Arthurian legends, King Arthur was mortally wounded at the infamous Battle of...
a month ago
11
a month ago
According to the Arthurian legends, King Arthur was mortally wounded at the infamous Battle of Camlann. This was the culmination of a civil war between Arthur and his nephew, Mordred. The historicity of this legendary account is seriously questioned by modern scholars....
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Quiz Plus Roundup of Resources
5 months ago
Res Obscura
Why did clothing become boring? An investigation into when, how, and why everyone started dressing the same — and what it was like...
8 months ago
88
8 months ago
An investigation into when, how, and why everyone started dressing the same — and what it was like when they didn't
TheCollector
Why Did Genghis Khan’s Empire Decline? Genghis Khan died in 1227 fighting in China. Upon his successor’s death in 1259, squabbles over...
3 months ago
22
3 months ago
Genghis Khan died in 1227 fighting in China. Upon his successor’s death in 1259, squabbles over succession led to the Mongol Empire being split into four khanates, each ruled by a son or grandson. These included the Yuan Dynasty in China, the European Golden Horde, Persia’s...
TheCollector
How the Janissaries Became the Most Powerful Force in Ottoman History Formed in 1363 by Sultan Murad I, the Janissary Corps was a group of elite fighters who, as the...
4 weeks ago
7
4 weeks ago
Formed in 1363 by Sultan Murad I, the Janissary Corps was a group of elite fighters who, as the ruler’s property, owed complete loyalty and allegiance to the Sultan. This group would go on to influence politics until their dismemberment in 1839. For centuries, the Janissaries...
Trying to Understand...
Ukraine: A Further Guide for the Perplexed. They didn't know. But they know now.
a year ago
Flashbak
Show Us Your Knickers: Vintage Snapshots Of People And Their Underwear Underwear. Comfy apple catchers, snaggy thongs or reassuring Y-fronts? In this gallery from Robert...
2 months ago
21
2 months ago
Underwear. Comfy apple catchers, snaggy thongs or reassuring Y-fronts? In this gallery from Robert E. Jackson’s photograph collection, we see some of the vast range of undies – those designed to be seen and other ‘unmentionables’ Victoria really should keep secret.    “Made you...
African History...
A history of the Massina empire (1818-1862) the sucessor of Songhai
over a year ago
TheCollector
The Forgotten Claudian Heirs Who Shaped Imperial Rome The Julio-Claudians were the first dynasty of imperial Rome, descended from the Julian gens through...
a week ago
6
a week ago
The Julio-Claudians were the first dynasty of imperial Rome, descended from the Julian gens through Julius Caesar and Augustus. The Claudian side came through the empress Livia, herself a Claudian, and her ex-husband Tiberius Claudius Nero, whose name is preserved by three of...
TheCollector
What Was the Temple in Ancient Judaism? (Purpose & Significance) The Temple in Jerusalem was the structure that replaced the Tabernacle the Israelites traveled...
3 weeks ago
10
3 weeks ago
The Temple in Jerusalem was the structure that replaced the Tabernacle the Israelites traveled around with throughout their sojourn in the desert. For 40 years, and even after that, from when the Israelites conquered the promised land until their third king was crowned, the tent...
Global Inequality...
The order of inequality Review of Tongdong Bai’s “Against political equality: The Confucian case"
a year ago
TheCollector
Everything You Need to Know About Orthodox Christian Art Orthodox Christian art has almost nothing in common with its Catholic and Protestant counterparts...
a month ago
14
a month ago
Orthodox Christian art has almost nothing in common with its Catholic and Protestant counterparts despite the shared foundation found in the Holy Scripture. It was initially based on the Byzantine tradition of painting and mosaic-making. Highly stylized, dark, and strict toward...
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, May 30, 2025 (On Professional Military Education) Hey all, we’re doing a Fireside this week! For this week’s musing, I thought it might be worthwhile...
2 months ago
29
2 months ago
Hey all, we’re doing a Fireside this week! For this week’s musing, I thought it might be worthwhile – this being a frequent space for military history – to offer a brief outline of professional military education (PME) in the United States, which is to say the various stages by...
TheCollector
Trove of 100 Napoleon Artifacts Heads to Auction A vast and varied collection of artifacts—all related to the life and legacy of Napoleon...
2 months ago
15
2 months ago
A vast and varied collection of artifacts—all related to the life and legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte—is heading to the auction block at Sotheby’s Paris next month. According to Marine de Cenival, head of sales at Sotheby’s Paris, “Few collections have succeeded so well in capturing...
TheCollector
What Is the “Gospel of Luke” All About? Luke, a physician, played a significant role in the early church but was not an eyewitness to the...
a month ago
7
a month ago
Luke, a physician, played a significant role in the early church but was not an eyewitness to the life and ministry of Jesus. He nevertheless compiled his account of the gospel after careful research to produce a reliable, orderly account of what Jesus had said and done during...
Trying to Understand...
Another Of My Essays in French And some bits and pieces.
11 months ago
weird medieval guys
Why is medieval art so weird? Listen now (73 min) | In this inaugural episode of the Weird Medieval Guys podcast, Olivia and Aran...
over a year ago
79
over a year ago
Listen now (73 min) | In this inaugural episode of the Weird Medieval Guys podcast, Olivia and Aran discuss why medieval art is so intriguing to modern viewers and what makes so much of it so weird. Also discussed are Galaxy Quest, Mel Gibson's crimes against the Middle Ages, and...
TheCollector
What Were the Lyles Station Radiation Experiments? There is a painful history embedded in the southern part of Indiana, where the horrific Lyles...
4 months ago
11
4 months ago
There is a painful history embedded in the southern part of Indiana, where the horrific Lyles radiation experiments took place. A handful of students from the Lyles Consolidated School were picked out at random and subjected to unusually high levels of radiation, under the...
Open Culture
Who Really Built the Egyptian Pyramids—And How Did They Do It? Although it’s certainly more plausible than hypotheses like ancient aliens or lizard people, the...
3 months ago
60
3 months ago
Although it’s certainly more plausible than hypotheses like ancient aliens or lizard people, the idea that slaves built the Egyptian pyramids is no more true. It derives from creative readings of Old Testament stories and technicolor Cecil B. Demille spectacles, and was a classic...
Flashbak
Les Malheurs des immortels, 1922: Max Ernst and Paul Éluard’s Surreal Collaboration Misfortunes of the Immortals (Les Malheurs des immortels) is an early illustrated book by...
9 months ago
51
9 months ago
Misfortunes of the Immortals (Les Malheurs des immortels) is an early illustrated book by German-American-French artist and founder of the Dada movement Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976). The book, which marks the beginning of his close friendship with French poet Paul...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Secret of the Stoics
10 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Final Call Class Begins Tomorrow
a year ago
African History...
Roads and wheeled transport in African history. Why the kingdoms of Kush and Dahomey used wheels while Asante did not.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Does Marcus Matter? Was the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius a serious philosopher... or just a glorified diarist?
a year ago
Flashbak
42 Various Apocalyptic Scenes from Raphael’s Prophetic Messenger of Astrology (1827–61) The future is portrayed as dramatic, dangerous and dynamic in these visions published in the...
7 months ago
53
7 months ago
The future is portrayed as dramatic, dangerous and dynamic in these visions published in the astrological magazine The Prophetic Messenger (1827 to 1861). More commonly known as Raphael’s Almanac in a nod to the Jewish archangel Raphael, the name was used a nom de plume by a...
Flashbak
American: Robin de Puy’s Portraits of People of Notice “You can’t lump all Americans together,” she points out. “The project emerged from this thought. Who...
a month ago
18
a month ago
“You can’t lump all Americans together,” she points out. “The project emerged from this thought. Who lives in America? Who are we talking about when we refer to ‘the American’?” – Robin de Puys   In 2015, Dutch photographer Robin de Puy drove 8,000 miles across the US on a Harley...
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for October 2024 Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects during the month of...
9 months ago
22
9 months ago
Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects during the month of October. Summary Of Changes 100r.co, added Rabbit Waves and Logbooks. Updated woodstove installation, no windlass with 1 photo, mini dodger and Victoria to Sitka logbook with Week 3...
TheCollector
Preacher & Religious Author: Who Was John Bunyan? Among the written works which came out of the Protestant Reformation, probably the most surprising...
4 months ago
28
4 months ago
Among the written works which came out of the Protestant Reformation, probably the most surprising is the widely popular work The Pilgrim’s Progress, a work of fiction from an untrained preacher called John Bunyan. His book was not any sort of treatise of theology; instead, it...
Wrong Side of...
The Tears of Strangers are only water On the limits of empathy
9 months ago
Flashbak
Beatrix Potter’s Illustrated Peter Rabbit Letters The Peter Rabbit letters were written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter on 4th September 1893. What...
3 months ago
32
3 months ago
The Peter Rabbit letters were written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter on 4th September 1893. What would become The Tale of Peter Rabbit was first told in a letter to Noel Moore, the five-year-old son of Beatrix’s former governess Annie Moore (née Carter). Noel was ill in bed...
African History...
**a Brief note on Africa's intellectual history plus; the Yoruba intellectual culture ca. 1000-1900.
a year ago
CrimethInc.
Eight Things You Can Do to Stop ICE The Trump administration is paving the way for mass deportations by building new prison camps and...
5 months ago
46
5 months ago
The Trump administration is paving the way for mass deportations by building new prison camps and invoking the Alien Enemies Act, which was used to justify the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Motivated by nativism and white nationalism, Steven Miller and...
Classical Wisdom
Oops! I did it again... Getting our events straight...
a year ago
TheCollector
Puebla: Where Mesoamerican and Spanish History Collide In a region packed with historically important cities, few can claim to have played such a long and...
3 months ago
29
3 months ago
In a region packed with historically important cities, few can claim to have played such a long and pivotal role as Puebla. Long before the Aztec, it was the Vatican of Mesoamerica, where priests and pilgrims flocked to the largest pyramid in the world. It was the site of one of...
Open Culture
Kate Bush, Annie Lennox and 1,000 Musicians Protest AI with a New Silent Album The good news is that an album has just been released by Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn of...
5 months ago
26
5 months ago
The good news is that an album has just been released by Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn of Gorillaz, The Clash, Tori Amos, Hans Zimmer, Pet Shop Boys, Jamiroquai, and Yusuf (previously known as Cat Stevens), Billy Ocean, and many other musicians besides, most of them...
Flashbak
Theory of Colours: James Sowerby’s ‘A New Elucidation’ (1809) These illustrations are from Theory of Colours: James Sowerby’s ‘A New Elucidation’ (1809). Sowerby...
a year ago
51
a year ago
These illustrations are from Theory of Colours: James Sowerby’s ‘A New Elucidation’ (1809). Sowerby (21 March 1757 – 25 October 1822) was an English naturalist and Royal Academy-trained illustrator who specialised in drawing plants and minerals. The full title of his illustrated...
TheCollector
Who Was Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Übermensch”? As one of the most influential early 20th-century philosophers, Friedrich Nietzsche comes burdened...
2 months ago
22
2 months ago
As one of the most influential early 20th-century philosophers, Friedrich Nietzsche comes burdened with a controversial legacy. His elitist and anti-democratic ideas were adopted, and distorted, by figures such as Adolf Hitler. Indeed, few thinkers in history have so utterly...
The Universe of...
Claude and Merle Miller let me down Claude My relationship with Claude has its ups and downs, and I'm still trying to figure out what to...
7 months ago
21
7 months ago
Claude My relationship with Claude has its ups and downs, and I'm still trying to figure out what to use it for and what not. It's great at rewriting my job application cover letters to sound less like an awkward nerd. Last week I was in the supermarket and decided to try asking...
TheCollector
10 Masterpieces of Ottoman Architecture In its early years, the Ottoman Empire was inspired by Persio-Islamic and Byzantine culture. This...
a month ago
13
a month ago
In its early years, the Ottoman Empire was inspired by Persio-Islamic and Byzantine culture. This affected the style of Ottoman architecture, and Mosques, madrasas, hospitals, bazaars, and palaces reflected this rich cultural blend. Learn about ten architectural marvels from the...
TheCollector
Belief Bias: How Old Beliefs Shape and Determine Your Reasoning? Hidden in every attempt at gaining knowledge is an array of old beliefs ensconced at the corner of...
2 months ago
12
2 months ago
Hidden in every attempt at gaining knowledge is an array of old beliefs ensconced at the corner of your mind, ready to ambush your reasoning at any moment and jump to a conclusion when you least expect it. Belief bias refers to these moments when the old haunts the new, molding...
Patterns in Humanity
Are women better at jigsaw puzzles? An analysis of the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship
6 months ago
TheCollector
Was Lancelot Really a French Invention? The Arthurian Legend Explained In the Arthurian legends, Lancelot is one of the most famous and popular characters. He was one of...
3 months ago
31
3 months ago
In the Arthurian legends, Lancelot is one of the most famous and popular characters. He was one of Arthur’s best and most powerful knights. However, despite his initial loyalty, he eventually turned on Arthur, engaging in an affair with the king’s wife, Guinevere. This dramatic...
History Today Feed
The Hidden Diary of Samuel Pepys The Hidden Diary of Samuel Pepys JamesHoare Mon, 05/19/2025 - 08:44
2 months ago
Overcoming Bias
Our Authoritarian Default Many intellectuals, and intellectual wannabes, would, if pressed accept that UFOs seem sufficiently...
9 months ago
16
9 months ago
Many intellectuals, and intellectual wannabes, would, if pressed accept that UFOs seem sufficiently puzzling to justify more careful study.
TheCollector
How Bellerophon and Pegasus Took Down the Fire Breathing Chimera The heroic tale of Bellerophon and Pegasus is an inspiring story of perseverance and triumph in the...
a month ago
12
a month ago
The heroic tale of Bellerophon and Pegasus is an inspiring story of perseverance and triumph in the face of insurmountable challenges. Despite facing misfortune initially, Bellerophon refused to let fate dictate his destiny. He accomplished the seemingly impossible by defeating...
Flashbak
A Walk Around Leeds in The 1970s We’re shopping in 1970s Leeds as Eric Miles shows us around the city centre. We mooch past Austicks’...
6 months ago
60
6 months ago
We’re shopping in 1970s Leeds as Eric Miles shows us around the city centre. We mooch past Austicks’ Bookshop, where as a teenager writer Alan Bennett worked part-time job. We pop into the County Arcade, walking amid the mahogany shop fronts, pink marble columns, and cast iron...
Flashbak
Dust And Decadence In Weimar Berlin: Gustav Wunderwald’s Paintings Of Another City Weimar Berlin wasn’t all cabaret, sex, drugs and lots of fun. The set designer and artist Gustav...
11 months ago
46
11 months ago
Weimar Berlin wasn’t all cabaret, sex, drugs and lots of fun. The set designer and artist Gustav Wunderwald (1 January 1882 – 24 June 1945) liked to look at the other side of life in Germany’s biggest city. He avoided the decadence and any obvious comment and conspicuous...
History Today Feed
Politicising Abortion in the United States Politicising Abortion in the United States JamesHoare Tue, 05/27/2025 - 09:01
2 months ago
Classical Wisdom
[Video] Roundtable Discussion with Mary Naples Watch now (60 min) | Cult of the Capture Bride: How Ancient Women Took Power
over a year ago
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, May 9, 2025 (On Lighter Bows) Fireside this week! First off, it seems like last week’s post on the Hollywood myth of archery...
2 months ago
31
2 months ago
Fireside this week! First off, it seems like last week’s post on the Hollywood myth of archery volley fire really got out there, so if you are a new reader just joining us, welcome! If you are in to discussions of historical tactics with an eye towards correcting common myths in...
TheCollector
What Were the Sociocultural Effects of the Iran-Iraq War? After the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the start of the Iran Hostage Crisis, Iran fought its...
4 months ago
23
4 months ago
After the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the start of the Iran Hostage Crisis, Iran fought its neighbor Iraq for eight years. This war—the largest industrialized war since World War II—demonstrated the tenacity and radicalism of Iran’s Islamist regime. In battle, it used...
TheCollector
Iron Age Necropolis Discovered in Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced that the first major Iron...
3 months ago
33
3 months ago
Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced that the first major Iron Age necropolis in the United Arab Emirates has been unearthed in the Al Ain region of Abu Dhabi. According to archaeologists, the discovery offers rare insights into the region’s...
Overcoming Bias
Who You Are Vs. What You Control If people can't think clearly about anything that has become part of their identity, then all other...
9 months ago
17
9 months ago
If people can't think clearly about anything that has become part of their identity, then all other things being equal, the best plan is to let as few things into your identity as possible.
Patterns in Humanity
Why controlling for variables is insufficient On the pervasiveness of residual confounding in the social sciences, how to think about it, and what...
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Teaching Paradox, Imperator, Part IIIb: This is the second half of the third and final part of our three-part (I, IIa, IIb, IIIa) look at...
11 months ago
58
11 months ago
This is the second half of the third and final part of our three-part (I, IIa, IIb, IIIa) look at Paradox Interactives ancient grand strategy game, Imperator: Rome, which covers (inter alia) the period of the collapse of the Roman Republic, which we generally call the Late...
Dr Alun Withey
The ‘Celebrated Inventions’ of Alexander Ross. One thing that has continually fascinated me throughout all of my research on medical practitioners,...
over a year ago
48
over a year ago
One thing that has continually fascinated me throughout all of my research on medical practitioners, barbers and retailers in the long eighteenth century, is the extent of what historians call ‘occupational diversity’. Rather than having one occupation, people might have...
TheCollector
Who Were the Notorious Barbary Pirates? (History & Wars) Upon the mention of pirates, most people envision the swashbuckling brigands who terrorized the seas...
2 months ago
22
2 months ago
Upon the mention of pirates, most people envision the swashbuckling brigands who terrorized the seas of the Caribbean. However, the calmer waters of the Mediterranean would also suffer the scourge of piracy. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, pirates from the Barbary States of...
TheCollector
The Symbols and Strange Stories Behind Rembrandt’s Night Watch The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn is one of the most analyzed paintings in the history of art....
a week ago
6
a week ago
The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn is one of the most analyzed paintings in the history of art. This fascinating artwork has survived many wars, three attacks by vandals, and years of extensive research and attempts to decode its meaning and complex composition. Let’s explore...
African History...
A social history of the Lamu city-state (1370-1885) Journal of African cities chapter 5
over a year ago
African History...
a brief note on Madagascar's position in African history plus, early industrialization in the Merina kingdom.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Have We Become Anti-Human? Is this a problem? And Can/Should it be Helped?
a year ago
Patterns in Humanity
Mental Health and Social Stratification In this post I summarize some research on the importance of mental health for social outcomes and...
over a year ago
18
over a year ago
In this post I summarize some research on the importance of mental health for social outcomes and discuss some of the implications for social stratification.
Classical Wisdom
Io Saturnalia! Celebrate the “Best of Days”
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
[Ebook] The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius The Meditations (or Things to One’s Self) of Marcus Aurelius...
over a year ago
62
over a year ago
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius The Meditations (or Things to One’s Self) of Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) gives you a prescribed way in which you can actually reduce genuine suffering in your life because Rome’s great “philosopher king” lays out a very compelling, very...
TheCollector
Picasso’s 12 Most Famous Works: Iconic Pieces to Know Pablo Picasso had a long and prolific career that lasted more than seventy years. He manipulated...
2 months ago
41
2 months ago
Pablo Picasso had a long and prolific career that lasted more than seventy years. He manipulated mediums, forms, and genres, never seizing his experimentations and never settling in one style for too long. From traditional realistic painting, he moved to Post-Impressionism and...
Classical Wisdom
The Spider's Web An Overlooked Myth
3 months ago
Wrong Side of...
Your favourite half-British president We could win bigly by courting Donald Trump
8 months ago
Trying to Understand...
The Water Is Rising. But slowly ...
9 months ago
Trying to Understand...
A Swan-song For Europe It didn't have to be this way.
4 months ago
Flashbak
Frank Film: Watch the Oscar-Winning Animation That Peers Inside Your Head, 1973 Frank Film is a 1973 American animated short by husband-and-wife animators Caroline and Frank...
a year ago
40
a year ago
Frank Film is a 1973 American animated short by husband-and-wife animators Caroline and Frank Mouris. The film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1996. It’s an autobiographical narrative – Mouris narrates his path...
TheCollector
An Overview of the Three Kingdoms, Jin, Northern & Southern Chinese Dynasties The final years of the Han Dynasty witnessed the emergence of powerful warlords who consolidated...
2 months ago
15
2 months ago
The final years of the Han Dynasty witnessed the emergence of powerful warlords who consolidated into three major powers at the formal dissolution of the Han Dynasty in 220 CE: Cao Wei in the north, Eastern Wu in the southeast, and Shu Han in the southwest. Shortly after...
TheCollector
The Metaphysics of Stoicism: 4 Key Tenets One of the most fundamental questions examined by most philosophical schools of thought is the...
a month ago
12
a month ago
One of the most fundamental questions examined by most philosophical schools of thought is the nature of existence. According to Stoicism, everything in the universe is matter, created, animated, destroyed, and recreated by divine fire, logos. Consequently, everything is...
TheCollector
Unearthing the Mysteries of Inca Architecture: A Fascinating Overview A visit to the former Inca Empire reveals epic feats of construction and engineering that have...
4 months ago
13
4 months ago
A visit to the former Inca Empire reveals epic feats of construction and engineering that have withstood the test of time, all made without iron tools or draft animals. Over the course of several hundred years, building on practices inherited from previous cultures, the Inca...
Classical Wisdom
What is Love? With Armand D’Angour A recording from Classical Wisdom's live video
5 months ago
TheCollector
The Mind-Body Problem & Consciousness: Dualism vs. Materialism Dualism is the idea that while the body is made of physical material, the mind is made of something...
5 months ago
34
5 months ago
Dualism is the idea that while the body is made of physical material, the mind is made of something immaterial. The counterpart to this is materialism, which posits that both the mind and body are composed of the same material, physical substance. There is much more to each...
Flashbak
Manhattan in 1990 – NYC Before the Clean-Up At the start of the 1990s, New York City was tired and rough By the decade’s end it had lost of some...
a year ago
64
a year ago
At the start of the 1990s, New York City was tired and rough By the decade’s end it had lost of some of its edge – and maybe a little of its spark – but was cleaner, safer and more tourist friendly. These photograph of the city – via Watchman – show us Manhattan in … Continue...
TheCollector
The 10 Museums With the Largest Ancient Egyptian Collections Egyptian artifacts are showcased at international museums across the Western world. If anyone was...
5 months ago
44
5 months ago
Egyptian artifacts are showcased at international museums across the Western world. If anyone was determined to see every great collection of ancient Egyptian art, they would need to travel across three continents. The museums on this list have tens of thousands of Egyptian...
TheCollector
What Was the Cause of Henry VIII’s Fertility Issues? Henry VIII’s reign is often remembered for his many marriages and his relentless pursuit of a...
3 months ago
9
3 months ago
Henry VIII’s reign is often remembered for his many marriages and his relentless pursuit of a legitimate heir. While his marital antics have become the stuff of legend, less attention is paid to the potential medical reasons behind his inability to ensure the Tudor hold on power....
Flashbak
Bernhard Leitner’s Soundcube, 1969 – The Art of Seeing Sound And Hearing With Your Whole Body In 1969 Bernhard Leitner (born 1938) created his Soundcube, an experiment into how sound moves in a...
a year ago
29
a year ago
In 1969 Bernhard Leitner (born 1938) created his Soundcube, an experiment into how sound moves in a defined space and its effects on the human body. The Soundcube, a “sound-space object”, is a room of 64 loudspeakers in which the sound becomes a form of architecture. For Leitner,...
TheCollector
10 Must-See UNESCO Heritage Sites in India UNESCO World Heritage Sites are globally recognized landmarks celebrated for their cultural,...
4 months ago
26
4 months ago
UNESCO World Heritage Sites are globally recognized landmarks celebrated for their cultural, historical, artistic, or environmental significance. From ancient cities and architectural wonders to biodiversity hotspots, these sites are legally protected to preserve their legacy for...
TheCollector
How the Plantation of Ulster Transformed Irish Society The Plantation of Ulster was a major colonial enterprise that transformed a formerly rebellious...
3 weeks ago
13
3 weeks ago
The Plantation of Ulster was a major colonial enterprise that transformed a formerly rebellious province into a stronghold for the British Crown in Ireland. The process of how Ulster became Protestant saw the native Gaelic Irish population being evicted in favor of English and...
TheCollector
The Celts & Celtic Mythology in Popular Culture Historic cultures often inspire modern artists and are reimagined for consumption as popular...
3 weeks ago
11
3 weeks ago
Historic cultures often inspire modern artists and are reimagined for consumption as popular culture. The Celts are no exception. While attempts at genuine historical portrayals of Celtic history and culture are rare, the recent television series Brittania being a notable...
TheCollector
Is the Sign of Jonah a Contradiction in the Bible? The Gospel of Matthew refers to the sign of Jonah on two occasions and the Gospel of Luke, once...
3 months ago
14
3 months ago
The Gospel of Matthew refers to the sign of Jonah on two occasions and the Gospel of Luke, once (Matthew 12:39-41; Matthew 16:4; Luke 11:29-30). Matthew 12:39-41 specifies a detail that the other two do not. In the minds of many, this detail results in a contradiction in the...
TheCollector
10 Myths About the Greek Goddess Artemis Artemis is one of the twelve Olympian gods in Greek myth, the daughter of Leto and Zeus. Unlike her...
5 months ago
28
5 months ago
Artemis is one of the twelve Olympian gods in Greek myth, the daughter of Leto and Zeus. Unlike her twin brother, Apollo, who represented civilization and order, Artemis represented the untamed wilderness. Depicted as a young maiden, the goddess was very protective of her...
A Collection of...
Collections: Alexander Goes West (A Silly Counterfactual) This week we’re going to do something a bit silly, in part because I have to prepare for and travel...
2 months ago
39
2 months ago
This week we’re going to do something a bit silly, in part because I have to prepare for and travel to an invited workshop/talk event later this week and so don’t have quite the time for a more normal ‘full’ post and in part because it is fun to be silly sometimes (and we might …...
Flashbak
1970s Graffiti in Dirty Old Boston British bands were big in 1970s Boston. Fans of X-Ray Secs, Billy Idol, Sham 69 and the Buzzcocks...
a year ago
23
a year ago
British bands were big in 1970s Boston. Fans of X-Ray Secs, Billy Idol, Sham 69 and the Buzzcocks sprayed the bands’ names on the city’s walls. The stories behind other graffiti photographed by Meredith Jacobson Marciano is less obvious. Were the Lesbian Turds a band? The New...
TheCollector
The Story of Cleisthenes:, the Founder of Democracy in Ancient Athens The Athenians were generous when it came to commemorating the founders of their democracy. The...
a month ago
10
a month ago
The Athenians were generous when it came to commemorating the founders of their democracy. The 6th-century reformer Solon was held in high regard, as were the two assassins of Hipparchus, Harmodius and Aristogeiton. Even the mythological king Theseus was venerated. Oddly, the one...
Open Culture
Watch the Surrealist Glass Harmonica, the Only Animated Film Ever Banned by Soviet Censors (1968) The Soviet Union’s repressive state censorship went to absurd lengths to control what its citizens...
7 months ago
75
7 months ago
The Soviet Union’s repressive state censorship went to absurd lengths to control what its citizens read, viewed, and listened to, such as the almost comical removal of purged former comrades from photographs during Stalin’s reign. When it came to aesthetics, Stalinism mostly...
Flashbak
Looking For Tibet And A Llama At England’s Pestalozzi Children’s Village – 1959 – 1965 We love to hear from our readers and earlier this year got a call from Len Clarke who told us about...
a year ago
32
a year ago
We love to hear from our readers and earlier this year got a call from Len Clarke who told us about his memories of the Pestalozzi Children’s Village in East Sussex, England, in the 1960s. Len had seen an image on Flashback of a group of Tibetan children playing ball at the...
TheCollector
How Did Geographical Discoveries Shape Johannes Vermeer’s Artworks? Only around 35 paintings by Johannes Vermeer survive today, but they still captivate viewers of all...
2 weeks ago
12
2 weeks ago
Only around 35 paintings by Johannes Vermeer survive today, but they still captivate viewers of all ages and backgrounds. This is evident from the ocean of merchandise featuring his masterpieces and the fame of the Girl with a Pearl Earring, which appears in pop culture almost as...
Classical Wisdom
The Great Debate: Free Will VS Determinism Heraclitus against Parmenides
10 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Love and Death
a year ago
African History...
a brief note on Africa in 16th century global history. the international relations and manuscripts of Kongo
a year ago
Flashbak
The Handwriting of 12 Famous Authors “My spelling is Wobbly. It’s good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places.”...
6 months ago
67
6 months ago
“My spelling is Wobbly. It’s good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh   In The Handwriting of 12 Famous Authors we look at writers who communicated in long hand, and sometimes wrote their books in the same manner. For...
Flashbak
Women Smoking Snapshots – Touching The Sublime “Cigarettes are bad for you; that is why they are so good” – Richard Klein, Cigarettes Are Sublime  ...
a year ago
28
a year ago
“Cigarettes are bad for you; that is why they are so good” – Richard Klein, Cigarettes Are Sublime     Richard Klein, Professor of French at Cornell University and editor of Diacritics, quit smoking while writing Cigarettes Are Sublime and has been nicotine-free ever since. So do...
Flashbak
Living The Outlaw Life in Suburban America: ‘Once the needle goes in, it never comes out’ ‘There weren’t supposed to be drugs back then. It was supposed to be mom’s apple pie and white...
5 months ago
35
5 months ago
‘There weren’t supposed to be drugs back then. It was supposed to be mom’s apple pie and white picket fences.” – Larry Clark on drugs, outsiders and “a record of his secret teenage life.” in suburban America     When director and photographer Larry Clark (born January 19, 1943) ...
TheCollector
New Study Challenges Origin Story of Sutton Hoo Helmet Where did the Sutton Hoo helmet come from? Archaeologists have long agreed that the iconic...
4 months ago
22
4 months ago
Where did the Sutton Hoo helmet come from? Archaeologists have long agreed that the iconic Anglo-Saxon artifact was likely made in Sweden. But new research—along with a “strikingly” similar archaeological discovery in Denmark—is casting some doubt on the long-held assumption.  ...
Wrong Side of...
The Phantom of Polarisation Do people actually disagree that much?
9 months ago
Open Culture
The Skeleton Dance, Voted the 18th Best Cartoon of All Time, Is Now in the Public Domain (1929) The July 17, 1929 issue of Variety carried a notice about a laugh-filled new short film in which...
6 months ago
46
6 months ago
The July 17, 1929 issue of Variety carried a notice about a laugh-filled new short film in which “skeletons hoof and frolic,” the peak of whose hilarity “is reached when one skeleton plays the spine of another in xylophone fashion, using a pair of thigh bones as hammers.” The...
Trying to Understand...
A Wasting Asset? Europe turns away from America.
8 months ago
Flashbak
On The Streets of America in the Early 1980s : Relaxing WIth Cigarettes And No AC ‘These photographs were made between 1979 and 1985 in a pre-digital, largely non-air-conditioned...
a year ago
22
a year ago
‘These photographs were made between 1979 and 1985 in a pre-digital, largely non-air-conditioned era, when people fled the heat of their houses to hang out in their yards and on the street. I notice a kind of relaxed sensuality in many of the pictures. Time moved more slowly;...