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TheCollector
Agatha Christie: Discover the Woman Behind the Mystery Known as the “Queen of Crime,” Agatha Christie was a prolific novelist and playwright from England....
3 weeks ago
11
3 weeks ago
Known as the “Queen of Crime,” Agatha Christie was a prolific novelist and playwright from England. Some of her most-known works include books like And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express. She invented beloved fictional detectives like the iconic Hercule Poirot...
Open Culture
Watch Alfred Hitchcock’s Groundbreaking, Six-Minute Trailer for Psycho (1960) The early trailer for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho above describes the film as “the picture you MUST...
a month ago
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a month ago
The early trailer for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho above describes the film as “the picture you MUST see from the beginning… or not at all!” That’s good advice, given how early in the film its first big twist arrives. But it was also a policy: “Every theatre manager, everywhere, has...
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...
a week ago
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a week 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...
Global Inequality...
The world according to Garegnani I have not thought of this until I had lunch with Anwar Shaikh today. I have personally known Anwar...
a year ago
28
a year ago
I have not thought of this until I had lunch with Anwar Shaikh today. I have personally known Anwar for at least ten years. But only today it struck me that I was meeting a hero of my early intellectual life, although the difference in age between Anwar and me is not that great....
Flashbak
Have A Weird Christmas With Our Album Of Vintage Photo Oddities There’s a weird vibe running through this album of Christmas images. Harvested from Robert E....
4 months ago
47
4 months ago
There’s a weird vibe running through this album of Christmas images. Harvested from Robert E. Jackson’s phenomenal collection of snapshots we see all kinds of unusual goings on. One Christmas card features a photo of the sender covered in rats; on another a man canoodles a...
Classical Wisdom
Introducing....Classical Wisdom Books! Plus... Merch!
a year ago
Flashbak
Murder is My Business: Marty Margaret McBride Interviews Weegee, 1945 “When you go out on a story, you don’t go back for another sitting. You gotta get it.” – Weegee   On...
2 weeks ago
1
2 weeks ago
“When you go out on a story, you don’t go back for another sitting. You gotta get it.” – Weegee   On July 11, 1945 the photographer Weegee sat down with journalist Mary Margaret McBride (November 16, 1899 – April 7, 1976) for an interview broadcast on New York’s WEAF radio....
TheCollector
The Shocking Truth About Salvador Dali The king of Surrealism, the revolutionary filmmaker, and one of the greatest businessmen of his...
a month ago
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a month ago
The king of Surrealism, the revolutionary filmmaker, and one of the greatest businessmen of his era—these titles all righteously belong to Salvador Dali. But there are also other characteristics: domestic abuser, violent narcissist, fascist, and a terrible friend. These bold...
The Universe of...
A puzzle about balancing test tubes in a centrifuge Suppose a centrifuge has slots, arranged in a circle around the center, and we have test tubes we...
3 months ago
2
3 months ago
Suppose a centrifuge has slots, arranged in a circle around the center, and we have test tubes we wish to place into the slots. If the tubes are not arranged symmetrically around the center, the centrifuge will explode. (By "arranged symmetrically around the center, I mean that...
African History...
The forgotten ruins of Botswana: stone towns at the desert's edge. At its height in the 17th century, the stone towns of the ‘zimbabwe culture’ encompassed an area the...
11 months ago
75
11 months ago
At its height in the 17th century, the stone towns of the ‘zimbabwe culture’ encompassed an area the size of France. The hundreds of ruins spread across three countries in south-eastern Africa are among the continent’s best-preserved historical monuments and have been the subject...
Wrong Side of...
Reflections on the Turquoise Revolution in England Wrong Side of History Newsletter #62
20 hours ago
TheCollector
Was the Spanish Inquisition Really That Harsh? (Truths & Myths) When most people think of the Spanish Inquisition, they picture horrific scenes of torture and...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
When most people think of the Spanish Inquisition, they picture horrific scenes of torture and cruelty, thousands of people burning at the stake, and a tyrannical religious regime with too much power. What led to these misconceptions and propaganda surrounding the Inquisition,...
TheCollector
Can Science Change How Humanity Views Itself? Our understanding of who we are, our place in the world, and the very nature of our being is an...
4 days ago
2
4 days ago
Our understanding of who we are, our place in the world, and the very nature of our being is an intricate tapestry woven from the threads of knowledge, culture, and personal experience. Yet, throughout history, perhaps the most transformative influence on this ever-evolving...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Epics Collection
10 months ago
African History...
A history of Women's political power and matriliny in the kingdom of Kongo. In the 19th century, anthropologists were fascinated by the concept of matrilineal descent in which...
a year ago
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a year ago
In the 19th century, anthropologists were fascinated by the concept of matrilineal descent in which kinship is traced through the female line. Matriliny was often confounded with matriarchy as a supposedly earlier stage of social evolution than patriarchy. Matriliny thus became a...
TheCollector
10 Top Tourist Destinations in Japan It is undeniable that Japan is a land with many things that make it unique. From its history to its...
a month ago
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a month ago
It is undeniable that Japan is a land with many things that make it unique. From its history to its culture to its magnificent natural beauty, Japan has been enticing tourists for centuries. It is one of the world’s most visited countries, and for good reason!   Packed into...
TheCollector
What Was the Domesday Book & How Was It Produced? The Domesday Book is a record of landholding in England from the reign of the Conqueror, surviving...
3 weeks ago
7
3 weeks ago
The Domesday Book is a record of landholding in England from the reign of the Conqueror, surviving in its original manuscript and kept at the National Archives. The manuscript as we have it, as well as several of its antecedents, give insight into an extraordinary process of...
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for January 2025 Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects during the month of...
3 months ago
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3 months ago
Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects during the month of January. Summary Of Changes 100r.co, added a new page: tote. Added Week 8 and Week 9 of the Victoria to Sitka logbook. Tote, released the project on itch.io. Grimgrains, added a new...
Classical Wisdom
Would You Kill the Fat Man? Ethical Philosophy for Fun
5 months ago
Wrong Side of...
The Great Madman Theory of History vindicated Has Nigel Farage just ended his chance of victory?
2 months ago
Open Culture
Hear the Jazz-Funk Musical Adaptation of Dune by David Matthews (1977) Even if you’ve never read Frank Herbert’s Dune, you may well have encountered its adaptations to a...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Even if you’ve never read Frank Herbert’s Dune, you may well have encountered its adaptations to a variety of other media: comic books, video games, board games, television series, and of course films, David Lynch’s 1984 version and Denis Villeneuve’s two-parter earlier this...
Classical Wisdom
6 Ancient Greek and Roman Classics Everyone Should Read What is missing?
3 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Anya, Joel and Frida at the End of the World!
4 months ago
Open Culture
NYU Professor Answers Your Burning Questions About Authoritarianism From WIRED comes this: NYU professor and “authoritarianism scholar Ruth Ben-Ghiat joins WIRED to...
a month ago
19
a month ago
From WIRED comes this: NYU professor and “authoritarianism scholar Ruth Ben-Ghiat joins WIRED to answer the internet’s burning questions about dictators and fascism. Why do people support dictators? How do dictators come to power? What’s the difference between a dictatorship, an...
Flashbak
A Prisoner of War Stitched A Secret Message To The Nazis: God Save the King – Fu*k Hitler! At the prisoner of war camp in Spangenberg castle, Germany, Major Alexis Casdagli began to stitch....
3 weeks ago
12
3 weeks ago
At the prisoner of war camp in Spangenberg castle, Germany, Major Alexis Casdagli began to stitch. Using a piece of canvas handed to him by a fellow inmate, thread from an old jumper and a hidden needle, Casdagli created a border of dots and dashes around a frame of swastikas and...
TheCollector
Excavations at Pompeii Reveal Rare Life-Sized Statues An ongoing excavation at the ancient Roman city of Pompeii yielded an unusual pair of marble...
a month ago
14
a month ago
An ongoing excavation at the ancient Roman city of Pompeii yielded an unusual pair of marble funerary statues. The figures depict a man in a toga and a bejeweled woman, who experts believe may have been a Pompeiian priestess.   Statues Found at Pompeii’s Porta Sarno Necropolis  ...
TheCollector
What Do Christian Baptists Believe? Contrary to popular belief, Baptists did not come from the 16th-century Anabaptist Movement. Rather,...
a week ago
1
a week ago
Contrary to popular belief, Baptists did not come from the 16th-century Anabaptist Movement. Rather, they grew from Puritanism in the Netherlands and England. As their name suggests, a key aspect of their faith is that baptism takes the form of immersion and only those capable of...
Flashbak
British Punks in the 1980s by Shirley Baker British photographer Shirley Baker captured these fabulous portraits of punks on the streets of...
10 months ago
42
10 months ago
British photographer Shirley Baker captured these fabulous portraits of punks on the streets of Manchester, Stockport and London’s Camden Town in the early 1980s. Shirley’s daughter, Nan Levy, spoke to the Museum of of Youth Culture about her mother’s work as part of an...
Trying to Understand...
You And Whose Army? NATO would do well to stay out of Ukraine.
over a year ago
Flashbak
Got Live If You Want It: John Scott’s Concert Photographs of Alice Cooper, Bryan Ferry, John Lydon... Never let go of your dreams because nobody else is going to make them happen. When John Scott was a...
11 months ago
39
11 months ago
Never let go of your dreams because nobody else is going to make them happen. When John Scott was a child he harboured dreams of becoming a photographer. He roamed around his parents’ home and snapped pictures in his head. He had a talent for it which he thought of turning into a...
Flashbak
Clubbers And Youth Tribes in Post-Punk London : 1978-1986 “As a photographer, I go as the casual observer and stand in the shadows. When I first went to those...
a year ago
46
a year ago
“As a photographer, I go as the casual observer and stand in the shadows. When I first went to those Tuesday nights at Billy’s [1978] it was like walking into a Hieronymous Bosch painting – furtive but lively, very decadent reflecting what they were into, and yet with a sense of...
Open Culture
Watch Jazz ‘Hot’, the Rare 1938 Short Film With Jazz Legend Django Reinhardt Here’s a remarkable short film of the great jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, violinist Stéphane...
a month ago
24
a month ago
Here’s a remarkable short film of the great jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, violinist Stéphane Grappelli and their band the Quintette du Hot Club de France performing on a movie set in 1938. The film was hastily organized by the band’s British agent Lew Grade as a way to...
Hidden History
A Tale of Kale (And Cabbage, and Brussels Sprouts, and Broccoli, and Cauliflower…) These vegetables (and Kohlrabi, and Collard Greens, and Gai Lan, and Bok Choy, and Red Cabbage) may...
6 months ago
16
6 months ago
These vegetables (and Kohlrabi, and Collard Greens, and Gai Lan, and Bok Choy, and Red Cabbage) may be familiar in the kitchen, but they do not exist anywhere in nature—and they are all the same species of plant. The Brassica is a very large and diverse family of plants, with...
Overcoming Bias
Can Systems Stop Culture Drift? Compared to before writing, religions that had sacred texts were better able to resist changes to...
2 months ago
20
2 months ago
Compared to before writing, religions that had sacred texts were better able to resist changes to their religious dogmas and dogma-enforce social rules.
Global Inequality...
The order of inequality Review of Tongdong Bai’s “Against political equality: The Confucian case"
a year ago
History Today Feed
‘Epic of the Earth’ by Edith Hall review ‘Epic of the Earth’ by Edith Hall review JamesHoare Wed, 04/23/2025 - 09:52
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
3,700-Year-Old Tomb of Unknown Pharaoh Found in Egypt Excavations at an ancient Egyptian necropolis in Abydos recently revealed the royal tomb of an...
a month ago
5
a month ago
Excavations at an ancient Egyptian necropolis in Abydos recently revealed the royal tomb of an unknown pharaoh. The discovery may offer new insights into the enigmatic Abydos Dynasty—the existence of which has long been debated.   Royal Tomb Belongs to the Second Intermediate...
Flashbak
Marvels of the Universe, 1912 – Curious Scientific Illustrations From A Compendium of Life First published in 1912, readers could learn all things about everything in Marvels of the Universe...
2 months ago
22
2 months ago
First published in 1912, readers could learn all things about everything in Marvels of the Universe : a popular work on the marvels of the heavens, the earth, plant life, animal life, the mighty deep. It was published as a periodical in London by Hutchinson and Company, founded...
Flashbak
Bierpfaff’s Alphabet of Organic Type (c. 1650) These lively prints are from the series Libellus Novus Elementorum Latinorum by Polish goldsmith Jan...
a month ago
15
a month ago
These lively prints are from the series Libellus Novus Elementorum Latinorum by Polish goldsmith Jan Christian Bierpfaff (1600-ca.1690) and engraved by Jeremias Falck (1610–1677). These hugely imaginative, abstract and fluid prints come to life on the page. Bierpfaff worked as an...
Classical Wisdom
Empress Theodora Saint or Sinner?
7 months ago
History Today Feed
James VI and I: Spinning the English Succession James VI and I: Spinning the English Succession JamesHoare Fri, 03/21/2025 - 08:24
a month ago
African History...
The ancient city of Meroe: the capital of Kush (ca. 950 BC-350 CE) Journal of African cities: chapter 15
7 months ago
Open Culture
When The Twilight Zone Imagined Fascism in America in a 1963 Episode Starring Dennis Hopper Watch through The Twilight Zone, and you’ll find yourself spotting no end of familiar faces: Julie...
a month ago
20
a month ago
Watch through The Twilight Zone, and you’ll find yourself spotting no end of familiar faces: Julie Newmar, Burt Reynolds, Robert Redford, Elizabeth Montgomery, William Shatner, even Buster Keaton. The 1963 episode “He’s Alive” is at least doubly notable in that respect, featuring...
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, March 22, 2024 Fireside this week! The ACOUP schedule might end up being a little unstable for the next few weeks...
a year ago
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a year ago
Fireside this week! The ACOUP schedule might end up being a little unstable for the next few weeks as the coincidence of illness, the dense part of the teaching semester and unexpected travel are playing havoc on my schedule. I can only promise that we will finish the series on...
Overcoming Bias
Futarchy and the Transfer Problem I recently tweeted on the ineffectiveness of Medicine, and thus on waste we could cut by cutting...
2 months ago
23
2 months ago
I recently tweeted on the ineffectiveness of Medicine, and thus on waste we could cut by cutting back on it.
Global Inequality...
Universities as factories I have seen, and read about, of many instances when the police would clear universities of students...
a year ago
36
a year ago
I have seen, and read about, of many instances when the police would clear universities of students who were demonstrating. The police would come in on the orders of the authorities unhappy with student-created oases of freedom. It would come, armed, beat up students, and end the...
Flashbak
The Devil’s Dictionary: The 50-ish Best Descriptions From The Cynic’s Word Book, 1906 Written by American journalist Ambrose Bierce (24 June 1842 – c.1914), The Devil’s Dictionary, aka...
10 months ago
37
10 months ago
Written by American journalist Ambrose Bierce (24 June 1842 – c.1914), The Devil’s Dictionary, aka The Cynic’s Word Book, consists of common words followed by humorous and satirical definitions. The book was a compilation of Bierce’s columns for The Wasp (1881–1860 plus) and The...
Classical Wisdom
How to Save Democracy The Importance of the Civic Bargain
a year ago
Overcoming Bias
Elite Confidence Rob Henderson has a great essay summarizing the expert vs elite distinction I discussed in 6 prior...
6 days ago
3
6 days ago
Rob Henderson has a great essay summarizing the expert vs elite distinction I discussed in 6 prior posts (1 2 3 4 5 6):
Classical Wisdom
The Dark Side of Love Euripides' Epic Battle between Love and Law
2 months ago
Flashbak
Cars of Britain in the 1970s In the 1970s, David Rostance was photographing life in the UK. Inevitably, his pictures of...
6 months ago
33
6 months ago
In the 1970s, David Rostance was photographing life in the UK. Inevitably, his pictures of Birmingham, The Black Country, London and Wolverhampton included cars. He took the above picture of the Ford Cortina Mk.1 parked on the roadside on 5th February 1978. It could be seen a...
Flashbak
Photos of New York City Stores in 1997 New Yorker Meredith Jacobson Marciano has amassed archive of 35mm film shots, Polaroids and early...
a year ago
25
a year ago
New Yorker Meredith Jacobson Marciano has amassed archive of 35mm film shots, Polaroids and early digital photographs in NYC from the mid to late 1970s through the early aughts, “when the city still seemed kind of old”. Much like with Peter Marshall’s pictures of London, Meredith...
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...
3 months ago
39
3 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...
Flashbak
Street Scenes of NYC in the 1970s We’re back to New York City in the q970. Stories of that time in the city are legend. Copper Gangs...
a year ago
50
a year ago
We’re back to New York City in the q970. Stories of that time in the city are legend. Copper Gangs and truants, playing on the streets of Brooklyn, big cars, tight-knit neighborhoods on the Lower East Side, subterranean fury, police on the furious beat, music and dancing with...
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, September 29, 2023 (On Academic Hiring) Fireside this week! I know we’re all anxious to get to the last part of our look at the Roman...
a year ago
33
a year ago
Fireside this week! I know we’re all anxious to get to the last part of our look at the Roman Republic – a discussion of Roman courts and the legal system – but academic job season is upon us and I needed to take a week to focus on getting some of those applications out. …...
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 days ago
3
2 days 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...
Classical Wisdom
How Can We Prevent Character Assassination? Corruption in the Ancient World
a year ago
TheCollector
Agatha Christie: Queen of…Theater? Renowned as the “Queen of Crime” for her iconic detectives such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple,...
3 days ago
2
3 days ago
Renowned as the “Queen of Crime” for her iconic detectives such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, many readers never learn that Christie was also an avid fan of theater and quite the playwright herself. Lovers of Christie’s work are missing a significant aspect of the author’s...
TheCollector
Who Won the Battle of Fort Donelson? Initial Union attempts to storm the nearby Confederate capital city of Richmond, Virginia had been...
2 months ago
18
2 months ago
Initial Union attempts to storm the nearby Confederate capital city of Richmond, Virginia had been unsuccessful in 1861. Thus, the Union began the process of retaking Confederate territory in the Western Theater west of Virginia. The first target was Tennessee, the “top” of the...
Wrong Side of...
Do I have Trump Derangement Syndrome? The US president is going to give us a thousand years of woke
a month ago
TheCollector
The Dark Side of Picasso: Unraveling the Secrets of the Cubist Master Pablo Picasso’s contributions to the development of art in the 20th century cannot be understated....
a week ago
1
a week ago
Pablo Picasso’s contributions to the development of art in the 20th century cannot be understated. However, in the last few decades, his treatment of women in his life has raised questions about his suitability as a revered historical figure. There is a large debate on whether we...
TheCollector
What Is the Theory of the Four Humors? Developed by ancient Greek thinkers in the 5th century BCE, the theory of the four humors continued...
a month ago
9
a month ago
Developed by ancient Greek thinkers in the 5th century BCE, the theory of the four humors continued to develop during the Medieval Period. This theory explains precisely how the body works, including how illness, pain, and even personality, form inside a person.   Only falling...
Patterns in Humanity
Immigration and crime: Norway Are immigrants overrepresented in crime in Norway? And why?
3 months ago
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...
4 months ago
65
4 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...
Patterns in Humanity
Historical Accounts of African Cannibalism A short chronology of references to cannibalism in Africa
a year ago
Hundred Rabbits
where is the turtle farm Pino spent a long time in Savusavu, but by then, we were growing tired of this scenery, not of the...
over a year ago
14
over a year ago
Pino spent a long time in Savusavu, but by then, we were growing tired of this scenery, not of the market, or of the company to be found here, but just of having that same view every morning. We love this city, but when it's time to go, it's time to go! We left our mooring at...
Classical Wisdom
Can you REALLY be offended on behalf of someone else?? Lessons from Borat
a year ago
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...
3 months ago
48
3 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...
Trying to Understand...
Little People With Agency. No, not that Agency.
7 months ago
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, November 17, 2023 Hey folks! Fireside this week! I was hoping to have a post on Roman infantry tactics this week, in...
a year ago
35
a year ago
Hey folks! Fireside this week! I was hoping to have a post on Roman infantry tactics this week, in particular the oddity of the Romans not using spear-and-shield infantry (much), but it isn’t ready yet and other things have me quite busy, so fireside it is. Fortunately, we have...
Classical Wisdom
Philosophy and Children Event: THIS Saturday
a year ago
Overcoming Bias
AI Is GPT, & GPTs Go Slow Back in the dot-com boom of the late 90s, many said a new economy loomed that invalidated all the...
3 weeks ago
12
3 weeks ago
Back in the dot-com boom of the late 90s, many said a new economy loomed that invalidated all the old rules, and would soon cause big fast change.
Classical Wisdom
Stoicism and Buddhism: Two Sides of the Same Coin? New Event: Taking place July 10th with Dr. Benjamin Olshin
10 months ago
Res Obscura
There should be more cash prizes for solving historical mysteries On the Herculaneum scroll and the underrated value of historical knowledge
a year ago
Res Obscura
Why drug history? Drugs and spices play an outsized role in world history — but it's often a hidden one
a year ago
Dreams of Space -...
Undersea Base (1974) So a large change for today, instead of Outer Space books we are going to Inner Space with Undersea...
5 months ago
8
5 months ago
So a large change for today, instead of Outer Space books we are going to Inner Space with Undersea Base. I have blogged about Mae Freeman's book Space Base (1974) several times. In it she showed children visiting a space station in the future.  I recently found she had also...
Flashbak
Oscar Newman Designs For An Atomic City Beneath Manhattan, 1969 In 1969, the Canadian-born American architect Oscar Newman (30 September 1935 – 14 April 2004)...
a year ago
31
a year ago
In 1969, the Canadian-born American architect Oscar Newman (30 September 1935 – 14 April 2004) designed a nuclear bomb-proof city beneath Manhattan. In a vast spherical space itself created by a series of nuclear explosions, he’d build a city pretty much like the one above, with...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Monsters and Myths
a year ago
Flashbak
Take Your Best Shot: Vintage Fairground Shooting Gallery Photos During their first participation in Paris-Photo in 2006, Lumiere des Roses shared a series of...
5 months ago
53
5 months ago
During their first participation in Paris-Photo in 2006, Lumiere des Roses shared a series of fairground photos of men with guns at the shooting gallery. These snapshots were taken mostly in the 1920s and 1930s. Many looks remarkably fresh.   When I was just a baby my mama told...
TheCollector
Beyond Human: Supernatural Beings in Medieval England In our secular age, most of us scoff at the supernatural. Consequently, it is difficult to put...
2 weeks ago
12
2 weeks ago
In our secular age, most of us scoff at the supernatural. Consequently, it is difficult to put ourselves in the mindsets of our medieval counterparts who still lived in a world of unexplored wilderness and unexplained phenomena. God’s natural creation was potentially infinite,...
Overcoming Bias
What Culture Can You Trust? Star Wars came out when I was 17, and made a big impression on me; I loved it.
4 months ago
A Collection of...
Referenda ad Senatum: November 1, 2024: Ancient Weapons, Lost Works and Roman Spooky-Stuff! Welcome back! At last, the hiatus has ended and we are back to regular weekly posts. As we’ve done a...
6 months ago
34
6 months ago
Welcome back! At last, the hiatus has ended and we are back to regular weekly posts. As we’ve done a few times before, this week I am breaking the hiatus by taking a chance to answer a few shorter questions posed by my patrons over at Patreon who are the Patres et Matres...
African History...
The radical philosophy of the Hatata: a 17th century treatise by the Ethiopian thinker Zara Yacob the historical context of the Hatata in African philosophy.
a year ago
Patterns in Humanity
Where parents make a difference Where is the shared environment effect larger than zero?
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
The Newer World Order. But can they get their heads round it?
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
It's All About Them. But the Western Security Complex thinks it's all about Us.
a year ago
Flashbak
American Photographs: A Journey Down The Blue Highways, 1970s You see, I’ve been through The desert on a horse with no name It felt good to be out of the rain In...
6 months ago
31
6 months ago
You see, I’ve been through The desert on a horse with no name It felt good to be out of the rain In the desert you can remember your name ‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain – America, A Horse With No Name     We don’t know where British … Continue reading "American...
Dr Alun Withey
Are Beards Over? A Historical Perspective. Recently I spoke with the Guardian journalist Tim Dowling for an excellent article he was writing...
over a year ago
58
over a year ago
Recently I spoke with the Guardian journalist Tim Dowling for an excellent article he was writing (published last week) about whether beards are finally ‘over’, and I thought it would be interesting to reflect on some of this. Since re-emerging around 2014, gaining popularity...
Classical Wisdom
Celebrate MLK with 'Agape' How Dr. King was inspired by the Classics...
a year ago
Global Inequality...
Three steps to freedom Secessionism and the collapse of Communist federations
a year ago
Flashbak
The Death of A New Jersey Shopping Mall There are about 1,000 malls in the US, and it’s estimated that one in four will close in the next...
11 months ago
50
11 months ago
There are about 1,000 malls in the US, and it’s estimated that one in four will close in the next few years as vacancy rates are increasing due to the pandemic, a slowed economy and increased online shopping. Photographer Phillip Buehler captured the death of the Wayne Hills mall...
Wrong Side of...
The War on the Countryside The Shire must be brought to heel
5 months ago
African History...
The myth of Mansa Musa's enslaved entourage "Stories about his [Mansa Musa's] journey have numerous anecdotes which are not true and which the...
a year ago
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a year ago
"Stories about his [Mansa Musa's] journey have numerous anecdotes which are not true and which the mind refuses to admit".
Flashbak
Momoyogusa (A World of Things) by Kamisaka Sekka (1909-1910) Kamisaka Sekka (Japanese 1866 – 1942) produced his woodblock print masterpiece Momoyogusa (A World...
3 months ago
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3 months ago
Kamisaka Sekka (Japanese 1866 – 1942) produced his woodblock print masterpiece Momoyogusa (A World of Things) between 1909 and 1910. The three-volume set of 60 images, commissioned by the publishing firm Unsōdō of Kyoto, borrows its name from the eighth-century poetic text...
TheCollector
Memories From the Mire: 5 Revealing Bog Bodies In prehistoric Northwest Europe, it was not uncommon for the dead to be deliberately placed in the...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
In prehistoric Northwest Europe, it was not uncommon for the dead to be deliberately placed in the watery pools of peatlands. It was not the customary burial rite at the time, and many of these people ended up in bogs after meeting a very violent end, leading archeologists to...
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for February Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects and apps during the...
over a year ago
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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 February. We'll also be reporting in our on position in the world, and on our future plans. Summary Of Changes Uxn, started working on a fantasy console called Uxn, and...
TheCollector
9 Historic Gems in Peru: From Inca Ruins to Colonial Cities Peru’s history dates back over 5,000 years, making it an intoxicating and addictive destination for...
a month ago
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a month ago
Peru’s history dates back over 5,000 years, making it an intoxicating and addictive destination for history enthusiasts. While Machu Picchu and the ancient Inca Empire may claim most of the attention, there is much more of Peru’s history to discover. As the birthplace of ancient...
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...
6 months ago
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6 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...
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The Rage of Achilles The Ultimate Hero?
2 days ago
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The Secrets of Rome’s Capuchin Crypt: Interview with Pietro Costantini The Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini (Capuchins) is one of the most fascinating...
a week ago
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a week ago
The Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini (Capuchins) is one of the most fascinating in Rome, and is best known for its incredible crypt. The underground crypt holds the remains of Capuchin monks, crafted into symbolic works of art. The site has fascinated...
Flashbak
Cats At The Grand Canyon And More Found Kodachrome Photos From the 1960s “For me, collecting found photos is a process of pulling lost, orphaned images from analog obscurity...
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a week ago
“For me, collecting found photos is a process of pulling lost, orphaned images from analog obscurity and elevating them to a digital, widely shared and accessible permanent longevity,” – Thomas Hawk   “As a photographer, I have been making photographs with my own cameras my...
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Ancient Atomists The Origins of Oppenheimer?
a year ago
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a brief note on European pirates and African states during the 'golden age of piracy.' a pirate stronghold and kingdom in 18th century Madagascar.
a year ago
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What Are the Dead Sea Scrolls (and Why Do They Matter)? Many people have doubted the accuracy of Biblical transmission over the ages. Claims that it no...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Many people have doubted the accuracy of Biblical transmission over the ages. Claims that it no longer represents a true reflection of the original texts were commonplace. With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in late 1946 or early 1947, those concerns were laid to rest....
African History...
Life and works of Africa's most famous Woman scholar: Nana Asmau (1793-1864) On the contribution of Muslim women in African history.
a year ago
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Weekend Roundup The Essential Greeks
4 months ago
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How Dave Brubeck’s Time Out Changed Jazz Music video essay maestro Polyphonic is back. What I dig about his videos is that he takes on some...
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a month ago
Music video essay maestro Polyphonic is back. What I dig about his videos is that he takes on some of the true warhorses of modern popular music and manages to find something new to say. Or at least he presents familiar stories in a new and modern way to an audience who may be...
History Today Feed
What was the Industrial Revolution? What was the Industrial Revolution? JamesHoare Thu, 04/24/2025 - 09:22
2 weeks ago
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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...
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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;...
Trying to Understand...
Out Of Control. Fear the worst, hope for the best.
7 months ago
TheCollector
The Battle of Raban, 958: The Byzantine Empire Breaks the Hamdanids In 944, Sayf al-Dawla established himself as the head of the independent Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo....
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
In 944, Sayf al-Dawla established himself as the head of the independent Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo. Sayf’s rule over his emirate and his entire reputation rested on jihad against the infidels. In his case, the Byzantine Empire with whom he shared a border. He quickly became the...
TheCollector
Who Was Jan Smuts & Why Is He Important to World History? Jan Smuts is well known in South Africa as a major historical figure. He helped establish South...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
Jan Smuts is well known in South Africa as a major historical figure. He helped establish South African autonomy while still a subject of the British crown and was vital to the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910.   His influence, however, spread far beyond the...
TheCollector
10 Must-See Historic Sites in Tennessee Tennessee’s story is built on moments that shaped the course of American history. It was the last...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
Tennessee’s story is built on moments that shaped the course of American history. It was the last state to secede and the first to rejoin the Union after the Civil War. It witnessed the birth of country music, the struggle for civil rights, and the presidency of Andrew Jackson....
Flashbak
Beatrix Potter’s Illustrated Peter Rabbit Letters The Peter Rabbit letters were written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter on 4th September 1893. What...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks 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...
Classical Wisdom
The First Stoic Zeno of Citium
10 months ago
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Educated rage American polarisation: part 2
6 months ago
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Candles and Kalshnikovs. Please help us not to understand.
5 months ago
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The 8 Biggest Cities in Africa (By Population) Despite its diminutive size on the all-too-common world maps that use Mercator projection, Africa is...
a week ago
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a week ago
Despite its diminutive size on the all-too-common world maps that use Mercator projection, Africa is the second-largest continent, second only to Asia (or Eurasia). It covers 11.7 million square miles (30.3 million square kilometers) and is home to almost 1.5 billion people,...
TheCollector
What is Purim? Exploring the Story of Esther and Jewish Resilience The most well-known Jewish holiday is probably either Passover or Hanukkah. Passover is prescribed...
a month ago
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a month ago
The most well-known Jewish holiday is probably either Passover or Hanukkah. Passover is prescribed in the Bible, while Hanukkah commemorates events that happened after the Hebrew Bible was written. These two holidays are similar, however, since they both celebrate divine...
Flashbak
High-Class Erotic Illustrations by Édouard-Henri Avril (NSFW) In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, pornography was the preserve of the well to...
9 months ago
71
9 months ago
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, pornography was the preserve of the well to do. Smut was published in  shot-run books of a couple of hundred copies. These books were full of stories and poems, but the highlights were the explicit erotic illustrations drawn...
Hidden History
Pennsylvania Dutch Shoofly Pie (A diary in honor of my native state of Pennsylvania, which may or may not decide the outcome of one...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
(A diary in honor of my native state of Pennsylvania, which may or may not decide the outcome of one of the most consequential US elections in modern history.) The story of a Pennsylvania Dutch classic dessert is as colorful as its unusual name… In 1517, Martin Luther began a...
History Today Feed
The Ghosts of Gaelic The Ghosts of Gaelic JamesHoare Thu, 04/17/2025 - 09:07
3 weeks ago
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Saul Leiter In Colour And Before – Photographs from A Centenary Special Photographer Saul Leiter (1923 –  2013) is remembered in Saul Leiter: The Centennial Retrospective,...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
Photographer Saul Leiter (1923 –  2013) is remembered in Saul Leiter: The Centennial Retrospective, a monograph from Thames and Hudson. The books features many of Leiter’s most gorgeous pictures, not least of all the street photograph above of a woman sat at a cafe in Paris in...
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Surprisingly Blind You might expect us to understand our romantic couple breakups very well.
a week ago
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Rome’s miserable fate The Year of the Plague #3
2 months ago
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2 months ago
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The Problem of Evil: What’s the Christian Perspective? The earliest statement of the problem of evil predates Christianity by about 350 years. The...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
The earliest statement of the problem of evil predates Christianity by about 350 years. The philosopher Epicurus stated what scholars refer to as the Epicurean paradox:   “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then...
Classical Wisdom
Does FIRST Matter Most? Or who holds it longest? Or most recently?
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Should We Be Afraid of Technology? Lessons from Prometheus and Frankenstein
6 months ago
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John Coltrane Draws a Picture Illustrating the Mathematics of Music Physicist and saxophonist Stephon Alexander has argued in his many public lectures and his book The...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
Physicist and saxophonist Stephon Alexander has argued in his many public lectures and his book The Jazz of Physics that Albert Einstein and John Coltrane had quite a lot in common. Alexander in particular draws our attention to the so-called “Coltrane circle,” which resembles...
TheCollector
The Philosophy of Intuition: What 6 Philosophers Think About It Intuition is an interesting thing. It has been thought about and valued for thousands of years...
a month ago
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a month ago
Intuition is an interesting thing. It has been thought about and valued for thousands of years because it can feel like a lightbulb moment that helps us know what to do or think. The philosophy of intuition wants to understand more: How important is this gut feeling when we make...
Classical Wisdom
Three Cabins Left Emperors, Conquerors, and Saints
a year ago
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Freedom to be “wrong”: the only real advantage of democracy Why the liberal project will fail
a year ago
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How Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat Met And Created Their Two-Heads, Four-Hands Art ”It was like some crazy-art world marriage and they were the odd couple. The relationship was...
a year ago
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a year ago
”It was like some crazy-art world marriage and they were the odd couple. The relationship was symbiotic. Jean-Michel thought he needed Andy’s fame, and Andy thought he needed Jean-Michel’s new blood. Jean Michel gave Andy a rebellious image again.” — Andy Warhol’s longtime studio...
Trying to Understand...
A Short Essay About A Long-Playing Record One I bought fifty years ago.
12 months ago
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Abstraction Worsens Drift My Ph.D.
a week ago
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‘Now, things are different, we must not look to the past’ Lenin in 1917 and 1922, applied to the present
a week ago
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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....
a month ago
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a month 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...
Flashbak
Browse A Fabulous Archive of England’s North-West (1885 – 1970) From 1885 to the 1970s, Edward Sankey and his sons, Raymond and Eric Sankey, photographed the...
a year ago
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a year ago
From 1885 to the 1970s, Edward Sankey and his sons, Raymond and Eric Sankey, photographed the north-west of England. Based at their studio on Duke Street, in Barrow-in-Furness, they captured everyday and extraordinary events. Their archive of more than 10,000 photographs is now...
Trying to Understand...
That's The Truth? In politics, well, it depends.
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
For the Love of the Classics Valentine's Gifts
a year ago
Patterns in Humanity
Immigration and crime: Denmark Are immigrants overrepresented in crime? If so, which immigrants? And why?
9 months ago
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Antigone Storms and Tyrants
3 months ago
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This Won’t Change: The Joy Of Northern Soul In 1993, the Face magazine asked Elaine Constantine to photograph a Northern Soul night at London’s...
6 months ago
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6 months ago
In 1993, the Face magazine asked Elaine Constantine to photograph a Northern Soul night at London’s 100 Club. Recently moved to London from Manchester, Constantine knew the scene well, having danced at all-nighters a decade earlier. At first, things seemed different. The crowd...
Flashbak
William Gedney: Watching America At Night (1960-1973) “Once upon a time there was a pretty fly. He had a pretty wife, this pretty fly. But one day she...
a year ago
42
a year ago
“Once upon a time there was a pretty fly. He had a pretty wife, this pretty fly. But one day she flew away, flew away. She had two pretty children, but one night these two pretty children flew away, flew away, into the sky, into the moon.” – Night of the Hunter, 1955     …...
Classical Wisdom
How Can We Handle Anxiety? Practicing the Stoic Skill: Premeditatio Malorum
a year ago
TheCollector
What Was the Role of Prophets in Ancient Israelite Politics? Prophets were by no means unique to ancient Israel. Indeed, non-Israelite prophets are mentioned in...
a month ago
8
a month ago
Prophets were by no means unique to ancient Israel. Indeed, non-Israelite prophets are mentioned in the Bible itself. But the Bible provides the most extensive trove of stories about prophets available from the ancient Mediterranean world. Unlike kings and priests, whose lineage...
Wrong Side of...
Why we need an insufferable liberal elite The Great Migration to Bluesky
5 months ago
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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...
6 months ago
34
6 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...
A Collection of...
Fireside Friday, March 29, 2024 (On Roman Values) Fireside this week! Apologies for having two of these in a row, but as I noted last week, I’ve had...
a year ago
46
a year ago
Fireside this week! Apologies for having two of these in a row, but as I noted last week, I’ve had some unexpected (but good) travel, which has made a bit of havoc in my schedule and I am still trying to catch back up. Nevertheless, I wanted to use this week’s fireside to muse a...
TheCollector
Maria Edgeworth’s Educational Philosophy in 5 Core Concepts Maria Edgeworth was ahead of her time in educational philosophy. She supported new teaching methods...
4 weeks ago
9
4 weeks ago
Maria Edgeworth was ahead of her time in educational philosophy. She supported new teaching methods that remain important today. Her interesting ideas included practical education, moral instruction, critical thinking skills, individualized learning, and more parental involvement...
Dreams of Space -...
Space Explorer (1960) A promotional comic from 1960 called Space Explorer. It was part of the comic series Boys’ and...
3 weeks ago
13
3 weeks ago
A promotional comic from 1960 called Space Explorer. It was part of the comic series Boys’ and Girls’ March of Comics, #202. These promotional comics were distributer to retailers who would brand them with their name and give them away to customers to attract them to shop at that...
TheCollector
Collectivization in the USSR: How Did It Work? From the 1920s onward, the Soviet Union began the process of industrialization with an aggressive...
a month ago
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a month ago
From the 1920s onward, the Soviet Union began the process of industrialization with an aggressive policy known as collectivization. However, transforming the rural economy over such a short space of time affected the lives of millions of people. To come to terms with how...
TheCollector
10 Must-Visit Historic Towns in North Carolina North Carolina has played a major role in American history, from being the first colony to call for...
a month ago
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a month ago
North Carolina has played a major role in American history, from being the first colony to call for independence with the Halifax Resolves in 1776 to its significance in the Revolutionary War and Civil War. Its early settlements shaped politics, trade, and industry, leaving...
TheCollector
Positivism: Is it Dead? While positivism was the most defining philosophy of science in the 20th century, it is now...
4 days ago
1
4 days ago
While positivism was the most defining philosophy of science in the 20th century, it is now considered dead and has primarily been used as an oppositional term, a caricature, and a strawman easily dismissed and used for propping up ideas. Despite the derision of positivism,...
TheCollector
Exploring Anselm Kiefer’s Playground: La Ribaute, Barjac, France Anselm Kiefer acquired La Ribaute—an old silk factory in Barjac, France—in 1992. The almost 100-acre...
a month ago
7
a month ago
Anselm Kiefer acquired La Ribaute—an old silk factory in Barjac, France—in 1992. The almost 100-acre estate comprises buildings, outdoor art installations, subterranean chambers, tunnels, and a five-level concrete amphitheater. The artist lived at the site until 2007, when he...
Flashbak
At Home With Candy, Andy and the Bearandas, A Terrifying Children’s Comic From 1966 In 1966, Candy and Andy lived with their parents, Mr and Mrs Bearandas above a toy shop in a typical...
11 months ago
28
11 months ago
In 1966, Candy and Andy lived with their parents, Mr and Mrs Bearandas above a toy shop in a typical English village called Riverale, going about the place in their rainbow-striped Mini. For a year, their everyday lives were documented in 154 comic books ( ‘the comic full of fun...
Flashbak
The Art of Erotic Ex Libris (NSFW) Ex Libris is a Latin phrase that translates as “from the books”. Also known as bookplates, Ex Libris...
2 months ago
26
2 months ago
Ex Libris is a Latin phrase that translates as “from the books”. Also known as bookplates, Ex Libris were first used in Germany in the 15th Century. These designs are pasted into a book’s inside cover or endpaper as a sign of ownership. The first books were highly valuable and...
Classical Wisdom
How Extra Virgin Olive Oil Got its Name The Ancient History in Your Kitchen
a month ago
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Important Notification New Cabins *NOW* Available
a year ago
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What Was Isaiah Berlin’s Political Philosophy? Isaiah Berlin had a major influence on 20th-century political philosophy that continues to be felt...
a month ago
15
a month ago
Isaiah Berlin had a major influence on 20th-century political philosophy that continues to be felt today through his essay “Two Concepts of Liberty.” In this work, Berlin examines the tension between individual freedom and collective governance. Negative liberty is about being...
Open Culture
What’s Entering the Public Domain in 2025: Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, Faulkner’s The Sound and... Each Public Domain Day seems to bring us a richer crop of copyright-liberated books, plays, films,...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
Each Public Domain Day seems to bring us a richer crop of copyright-liberated books, plays, films, musical compositions, sound recordings, works of art, and other pieces of intellectual property. This year happens to be an especially notable one for connoisseurs of Belgian...
Classical Wisdom
The First Philosopher? And the Boundless Universe
11 months ago
Overcoming Bias
Decision Selection Bias As futarchy interest and activity are way up lately, this seems a good time to elaborate on one of...
4 months ago
38
4 months ago
As futarchy interest and activity are way up lately, this seems a good time to elaborate on one of its most technical issues, one that @metaproph3t also discussed recently: decision selection bias.
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Love, love, love
a year ago
Flashbak
Cruising New York City With Video Blogger Nelson Sullivan In The 1980s “Thanks to his scrupulous attention, Nelson’s left behind a treasure trove of late-night videos...
a year ago
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a year ago
“Thanks to his scrupulous attention, Nelson’s left behind a treasure trove of late-night videos that, even more than the Warhol diaries, trenchantly capture the party years in all their gleeful decadent fun.” – Michael Musto on New York City video blogger (vlogging) Nelson...
Flashbak
The World Turned Upside Down : Bizarro Illustrations From An 18th Century Chapbook The World Turned Upside Down or The Folly of Man Exemplified in Twelve Comical Relations upon...
7 months ago
47
7 months ago
The World Turned Upside Down or The Folly of Man Exemplified in Twelve Comical Relations upon Uncommon Subjects is Illustrated with Twelve Curious Cuts Truly Adapted to Each Story. The witty woodcuts show various role reversals. A cow becomes a butcher and the butcher his meat. A...
Patterns in Humanity
Man the Hunter Are our stereotypes about hunter-gatherer societies outdated? Seems not.
a year ago
Global Inequality...
The end of the great order under the Heaven A review of Gary Gerstle’s “The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order”
8 months ago
The Scholar's Stage
Republican Debates on China: A Political Compass MANY HAVE TRIED to pin Trump to Heritage’s “Project 2025.” The Trump campaign has not only refused...
6 months ago
27
6 months ago
MANY HAVE TRIED to pin Trump to Heritage’s “Project 2025.” The Trump campaign has not only refused to endorse Project 2025—they have refused to endorse any detailed policy plan whatsoever. Trump prefers to keep his options open. One unanticipated benefit of this approach is that...
TheCollector
8 Best Places to Visit in Colombia for History Buffs Colombia is a captivating land rich in cultural heritage and ancient treasures, with countless tales...
a month ago
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a month ago
Colombia is a captivating land rich in cultural heritage and ancient treasures, with countless tales to tell. From sophisticated pre-Columbian civilizations to colonial triumphs and struggles, this country showcases its colorful history with abundant enthusiasm. Here is a guide...
Classical Wisdom
How Can We Separate History from Myth? And does it need to be true to be important?
a year ago
TheCollector
10 Must-Visit Historic Towns in Maine Maine’s story begins long before statehood, with Indigenous cultures, rugged coastlines, and early...
3 weeks ago
9
3 weeks ago
Maine’s story begins long before statehood, with Indigenous cultures, rugged coastlines, and early European settlements shaping its identity. Over the centuries, Maine has been home to shipbuilders, revolutionaries, fishermen, and artists, each leaving behind traces of their era....
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic 101, Part IIIb: Imperium This is the second section of the third part of our planned five part series (I, II, IIIa) on the...
a year ago
18
a year ago
This is the second section of the third part of our planned five part series (I, II, IIIa) on the structure of the Roman Republic during the third and second centuries, the ‘Middle’ Republic. Last week we discussed the overall structure of the ‘career path’ for a Roman politician...
Flashbak
‘Goldfish Are Wankers’: London Graffiti, 1984-1994 In 1994, the graffiti on the wall that ran along the Riverside Path in London’s Thamesmead told...
a month ago
19
a month ago
In 1994, the graffiti on the wall that ran along the Riverside Path in London’s Thamesmead told everyone that “GOLDFISH ARE WANKERS”.  We’ve seen “LESBIAN TURDS“, learned that “Cats like plain Crisps” and that you can “FREE KUWAIT WITH TIGER TOKENS“, but this is the first...
History Today Feed
‘Scholars and Their Kin’ review ‘Scholars and Their Kin’ review JamesHoare Mon, 04/14/2025 - 09:00
3 weeks ago
Flashbak
Honoré Daumier, Portraits des Célébrités du Juste-Milieu At the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, you can see these sculptured portraits of celebrities by French artist...
2 months ago
21
2 months ago
At the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, you can see these sculptured portraits of celebrities by French artist Honoré Daumier (February 26, 1808 – February 10 or 11, 1879). Created between 1832 and 1835, Les Célébrités du Juste-Milieu (The Celebrities of the Golden Mean) terracotta look...
Flashbak
Millions of Cats: Wanda Gag’s Beautifully Illustrated Children’s Book “I aim to make the illustrations for children’s books as much a work of art as anything I would send...
a year ago
18
a year ago
“I aim to make the illustrations for children’s books as much a work of art as anything I would send to an art exhibition. I strive to make them completely accurate in relation to the text. I try to make them warmly human, imaginative, or humourous — not coldly decorative — and...
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for September Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects and apps during the...
over a year ago
12
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 September. We'll also be reporting in our on position in the world, and on our future plans. Summary Of Changes Uxn, updated Playdate implementation to the latest core,...
TheCollector
Sejanus: The Praetorian Prefect With Imperial Ambitions Tiberius Caesar had the unenviable task of succeeding his stepfather Augustus. He would always be a...
2 months ago
21
2 months ago
Tiberius Caesar had the unenviable task of succeeding his stepfather Augustus. He would always be a pale shadow of the charismatic founder of the Roman Empire. Tiberius’s time in power was also scarred by the influence of Sejanus, the prefect of the emperor’s Praetorian Guard....
Classical Wisdom
Should Death Concern Us? How can we deal with the inevitable... before the inevitable deals with us?
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Roman Empire Podcasts
a year ago
Flashbak
New York City In The 1960s – A Photographer’s Love story For New Yorker Ronnie Ginnever, photography is a passion. “Fortunately, I was born in the city that...
5 months ago
32
5 months ago
For New Yorker Ronnie Ginnever, photography is a passion. “Fortunately, I was born in the city that I love – New York City,” she says. ” On a good day, I move with the rhythms of the city and feel connected to its soul, spirit and people. The camera is the tool that allows me …...
Open Culture
Watch The Insects’ Christmas from 1913: A Stop Motion Film Starring a Cast of Dead Bugs Kind Reader, Will you do us the honor of accepting our holiday invitation? Carve five minutes from...
4 months ago
68
4 months ago
Kind Reader, Will you do us the honor of accepting our holiday invitation? Carve five minutes from your holiday schedule to spend time celebrating The Insects’ Christmas, above. In addition to offering brief respite from the chaos of consumerism and modern expectations, this...
African History...
How Africans wrote their own history: Debates and dialogues between four west African historians in... Facts, myths and royal propaganda.
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Reality Would Like A Word. Paging Tom and Daisy Buchanan
a year ago
Hidden History
Sailing Ship “Star of India” The Star of India is an iron-hulled merchant sailing ship built in England in 1863. On display at...
a month ago
24
a month ago
The Star of India is an iron-hulled merchant sailing ship built in England in 1863. On display at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, she is billed as “the world’s oldest active sailing ship”. In 1863, the Gibson, McDonald & Arnold shipbuilding company, on the Isle of Man, began...
Flashbak
The Spellbinding Corrupted Photos On An Artist’s Stolen Laptop Pasedena police called photographer Melanie Willhide to tell her the good news: they’d found her...
7 months ago
53
7 months ago
Pasedena police called photographer Melanie Willhide to tell her the good news: they’d found her laptop and backup drive. They’d pulled over a car being driven by Adrian Rodriguez and spotted Willhide’s stolen possession on the back seat.  “It’s kind of like winning the lottery;...
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,...
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks 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...
Flashbak
Omega: The Last Days of the World – Camille Flammarion’s Visions of A Dying Planet (1883) ‘The most deadly pestilence would have carried far less terror to the heart than the astronomical...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
‘The most deadly pestilence would have carried far less terror to the heart than the astronomical prediction on every tongue; it would have made fewer victims, for already, from some unknown cause, the death-rate was increasing. At every instant one felt the electric shock of a...
TheCollector
Hallstatt Culture: What Do We Know About the Earliest Celtic Culture? The Hallstatt culture was the first culture of peoples that can truly be considered “Celtic.” This...
a month ago
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a month ago
The Hallstatt culture was the first culture of peoples that can truly be considered “Celtic.” This period was preceded by the Central European Urnfield and Tumulus cultures of the late and middle European Bronze Age. Neither are commonly accepted as “Celtic” cultures, but rather,...
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...
2 months ago
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2 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...
Dreams of Space -...
Rockets and Space Coloring Book (1960) Some nice space pictures (to color) for you today.  Coloring books may be one of the ultimate forms...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Some nice space pictures (to color) for you today.  Coloring books may be one of the ultimate forms of ephemera. There were meant to be used, admired? and then thrown away. Yet many children owned them and there were at least 40 issued between 1950 and 1970 on space themes. If...
TheCollector
What Is the History of Mexican Pyramids? Mexican pyramids are a key feature of ancient Mesoamerican architecture. While they share some...
2 days ago
1
2 days ago
Mexican pyramids are a key feature of ancient Mesoamerican architecture. While they share some similarities with Egyptian pyramids, these structures have flat tops, often with temples built on them, and stairways that rise along their sides. The stairways resemble ancient...
African History...
Anti-slavery laws and Abolitionist thought in pre-colonial Africa the view from Benin, Kongo, Songhai and Ethiopia.
a year ago
Open Culture
Jimi Hendrix Plays the Beatles: “Sgt. Pepper’s,” “Day Tripper,” and “Tomorrow Never Knows” Who invented rock and roll? Ask Chuck Berry, he’ll tell you. It was Chuck Berry. Or was it Bill...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Who invented rock and roll? Ask Chuck Berry, he’ll tell you. It was Chuck Berry. Or was it Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard? Muddy Waters? Robert Johnson? Maybe even Lead Belly? You didn’t, but if you asked me, I’d say that rock and roll, like country blues, came not...
Trying to Understand...
One Of My Essays In Dutch. I’m pleased to say that one of my readers in the Netherlands has been kind enough to produce and...
a year ago
19
a year ago
I’m pleased to say that one of my readers in the Netherlands has been kind enough to produce and send to me a translation into Dutch of my recent essay “What’s Left and What’s Left?” The translator has elected to remain anonymous, but I’m extremely grateful, and please join me in...
TheCollector
How Was King Louis XIV Involved in the “Affair of the Poisons?” Magic, poison, executions and King Louis XIV came together to create what is now known as the...
4 weeks ago
6
4 weeks ago
Magic, poison, executions and King Louis XIV came together to create what is now known as the ‘Affair of the Poisons’. How did one woman’s crime lead to a hunt to root out corruption at the heart of the royal court, and what role did the king come to play?   Who Was King […]
Flashbak
The Talking Parrot Tells All: When Madame Tussaud’s Caught Fire, 1925 “Criminals represented in the Chamber of Horrors, however, will have no feelings in the matter, as...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
“Criminals represented in the Chamber of Horrors, however, will have no feelings in the matter, as they are all dead” – Report on the fire as Madame Tussaud’s, London 18 March 1925   The fire that tore threw London attraction Madame Tussaud’s on 18 March 1925 melted the famous...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Battle of the Historians
a year ago
TheCollector
Connecting the Wrong Dots: What Is Apophenia? Apophenia is our tendency to find meaningful connections between unrelated things. Otherwise known...
2 months ago
13
2 months ago
Apophenia is our tendency to find meaningful connections between unrelated things. Otherwise known as patternicity, it is a common phenomenon that highlights our intrinsic need for meaning and order in our lives. Can we dismiss apophenia as a mere cognitive bias, an error of...
TheCollector
Catherine de Medici: Who Was the Real ‘Serpent Queen’? The Medici family was one of the most powerful Italian families during the Renaissance era,...
3 weeks ago
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3 weeks ago
The Medici family was one of the most powerful Italian families during the Renaissance era, particularly when Catherine de Medici married King Henry II and became the Queen of France. Now known as the Serpent Queen, she had three sons who would rule much of France. But who was...
TheCollector
6 Fascinating Facts About Niki de Saint Phalle In her multifaceted artistic career, Niki de Saint Phalle explored femininity, gender inequality,...
a month ago
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a month ago
In her multifaceted artistic career, Niki de Saint Phalle explored femininity, gender inequality, violence, and joy. She continually rejected traditional conventions in art and society, caring little for what others thought about her work. Saint Phalle created highly expressive...
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Raise a Tribal Army in Pre-Roman Europe, Part II: Government Without States This is the second part of our (planned) three part (I) look at how some ‘tribal’ or more correctly,...
11 months ago
63
11 months ago
This is the second part of our (planned) three part (I) look at how some ‘tribal’ or more correctly, non-state agrarian peoples raised armies to fight the Romans (and others) in the third through first centuries BC. Last time, we looked at the subsistence basis of these societies...
TheCollector
Why Is Whistler’s Mother So Popular? James McNeill Whistler’s most famous painting represents his mother Anna, dressed in modest dark...
2 days ago
2
2 days ago
James McNeill Whistler’s most famous painting represents his mother Anna, dressed in modest dark attire and seated next to a gray wall. Over the years, the painting became iconic and even developed an entire mythology around it, quite far removed from the circumstances of its...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup Free Will: A Fairy Tale?
4 months ago
African History...
On the spread of Traditional African religions during the pre-colonial period. Among the corpus of terracotta figurines discovered in the Greco-Egyptian city of Alexandria dating...
3 months ago
29
3 months ago
Among the corpus of terracotta figurines discovered in the Greco-Egyptian city of Alexandria dating back to the 2nd century BC is a fine clay vessel in the form of a Nubian priestess of Isis of Philae, who is depicted in a kneeling position while performing a Greek-type mortuary...
Flashbak
Toxic Clowns, Grandpa’s Underwear and Matchbox Cars: Found Kodachrome Photos from the 1970s These found Kodachrome photograph from the 1970s are the second instalment from collector Thomas...
a week ago
2
a week ago
These found Kodachrome photograph from the 1970s are the second instalment from collector Thomas Hawk. His 1960s Kodachrome pictures were a treat, and now we move on a decade. We’ve started with the above picture of a circus clown. The effect of the lurid colours, that little...
Overcoming Bias
Efficiency Is Sacred We all see some things as sacred.
3 weeks ago
A Collection of...
Collections: The Philosophy of Liberty – On Liberalism It is once again the week of July 4th and so, as is customary here, I am going to use this week’s...
10 months ago
63
10 months ago
It is once again the week of July 4th and so, as is customary here, I am going to use this week’s post to talk about the United States or more correctly this week about the political philosophy the United States was founded on: liberalism. Now an immediate clarification is...
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic, Part IV: The Senate This is the the fourth part of our our planned five part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc) on the...
a year ago
25
a year ago
This is the the fourth part of our our planned five part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc) on the structure of the Roman Republic during the third and second centuries, the ‘Middle’ Republic.’ Over the last few posts we looked at the role of Roman magistrates who carried out a...
TheCollector
Gustave Caillebotte at the Getty: 100+ Artworks Now on Display French impressionist and realist painter Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894) often painted with an...
a month ago
8
a month ago
French impressionist and realist painter Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894) often painted with an emphasis on men and the masculine. In a collaboration between the J. Paul Getty Museum, Musée d’Orsay, Paris, and Art Institute of Chicago, a curated selection of Caillebotte’s...
TheCollector
10 Must-See Ancient Monuments Around the World Ancient times refer to the period spanning from the early development of human civilizations to the...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Ancient times refer to the period spanning from the early development of human civilizations to the end of classical antiquity, roughly 3000 BCE to 500 CE. This era saw the rise of powerful empires, complex societies, and remarkable advancements in art, architecture, and...
African History...
The Nsibidi script ca. 600-1909 CE: a history of an African writing system Nsibidi is one of Africa's oldest independently invented writing systems.
3 months ago
Wrong Side of...
Hearing the language of Christ on the road to Damascus Notes on Christian Syria
4 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Socrates and the Soul And the Immortal Soul
10 months ago
Trying to Understand...
Another Of My Essays In French And some associated reflections.
6 months ago
A Collection of...
Gap Week: December 1, 2023 No blog post this week, folks, as I am both fiercely busy and – by the time this goes up – out of...
a year ago
37
a year ago
No blog post this week, folks, as I am both fiercely busy and – by the time this goes up – out of town. We’ll be back to our regular schedule next week, with the next big topic I want to tackle being what a shield wall is and how it actually functions on a … Continue reading Gap...
History Today Feed
Wool Aliens of the British Empire Wool Aliens of the British Empire JamesHoare Tue, 04/01/2025 - 09:07
a month ago
TheCollector
Why Is There So Much Blood in Mesoamerican Mythology? In the Aztec mythos, Huitzilopotchli sought revenge on his sister Coyolxauhqui for attacking their...
2 months ago
15
2 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...
Open Culture
Why Are the Names of British Towns & Cities So Hard to Pronounce?: A Humorous But Informative Primer When they make their first transoceanic voyage, more than a few Americans choose to go to England,...
2 months ago
20
2 months ago
When they make their first transoceanic voyage, more than a few Americans choose to go to England, on the assumption that, whatever culture shock they might experience, at least none of the difficulties will be linguistic. Only when it’s too late do they discover the true meaning...
TheCollector
Who Was Jan Hus? The Priest Who Defied the Pope Before Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany, before...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Before Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany, before Gutenberg’s printing press, and even before the Protestant Reformation, opposition to the theology and hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church was rare. One of the more prominent...
Classical Wisdom
Do We Need to Disagree? Cato VS Caesar
a month ago
TheCollector
Trofim Lysenko: The Controversial Scientist Who Changed the Soviet Union During the early 20th century, Trofim Lysenko was perhaps the most influential scientist within the...
a month ago
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a month ago
During the early 20th century, Trofim Lysenko was perhaps the most influential scientist within the Soviet Union. He steered Soviet biology and agriculture through the 20th century, and today he is remembered as a figure known for his controversial and dangerous theories. With...
Open Culture
Compare the “It Ain’t Me Babe” Scene from A Complete Unknown to the Real Bob Dylan & Joan Baez... A Complete Unknown, the new movie about Bob Dylan’s rise in the folk-music scene of the early...
4 months ago
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4 months ago
A Complete Unknown, the new movie about Bob Dylan’s rise in the folk-music scene of the early nineteen-sixties and subsequent electrified break with it, has been praised for not taking excessive liberties, at least by the standards of popular music biopics. Its conversion of a...
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...
4 days ago
1
4 days 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...
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...
a week ago
1
a week 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...
African History...
The forts and castles of Africa: a brief architectural history. For much of African history, the construction of fortresses and fortified structures was a mostly...
3 months ago
58
3 months ago
For much of African history, the construction of fortresses and fortified structures was a mostly urban phenomenon associated with large states.
A Collection of...
Collections: Phalanx’s Twilight, Legion’s Triump, Part IIb: Handfuls of Maniples This is the second part of the second part of the second part of our four part look at the great...
a year ago
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a year ago
This is the second part of the second part of the second part of our four part look at the great third and second century BC contest between the Romans and the heirs of Alexander, asking the question, “What can defeat a Macedonian sarisa-phalanx?” Last time, we started looking at...
Flashbak
Photos of Iggy Pop And The Stooges Playing NYC Club Ungano’s in 1970 In August 1970, American photographer Bud Lee (1940-2016) took photographs of Iggy Pop and the...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
In August 1970, American photographer Bud Lee (1940-2016) took photographs of Iggy Pop and the Stooges performing at brothers Nick and Arnie Ungano’s basement club on New York’s West 70th Street between Amsterdam and West End Avenues. The ban were celebrating the release of their...
Global Inequality...
Gold, volk and IQs Hayek’s fatal conceit
3 months ago
TheCollector
Can Your Expectations Shape Reality? Reality encompasses an infinite spectrum of possibilities. There are no limits to what we can...
a week ago
1
a week ago
Reality encompasses an infinite spectrum of possibilities. There are no limits to what we can experience. Yet we restrict reality to what we believe should and should not happen. These beliefs constitute our conscious and unconscious expectations of the past, present, and future....
TheCollector
The Arch of Titus in Rome: Iconography and Ideology The Arch of Titus is one of the most magnificent ancient monuments surviving in Rome and offers a...
a month ago
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a month ago
The Arch of Titus is one of the most magnificent ancient monuments surviving in Rome and offers a fascinating insight into one of the most volatile periods in Roman imperial history. The Flavians bridged the end of Augustus’s Julio-Claudian Dynasty, when the Romans still...
Classical Wisdom
Sophocles' Swansong Oedipus at Colonus
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
Arming Ourselves Against The Future. With a few more books and a few old ideas.
a year ago
TheCollector
10 Must-Visit Historic Small Towns in Minnesota Minnesota’s history is filled with defining moments that left a lasting imprint on the land, from...
3 weeks ago
12
3 weeks ago
Minnesota’s history is filled with defining moments that left a lasting imprint on the land, from its early Indigenous heritage and fur trading posts to the formation of the state itself in the mid-19th century. Key events such as the 1848 territorial convention in Stillwater...
Classical Wisdom
Learn Like an Ancient Egyptian Who did it better: Egypt or Greek?
4 days ago
TheCollector
The First Liberian Civil War: A Devastating Conflict Following the devastation of the Second World War, Liberia became one of the world’s fastest-growing...
a month ago
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a month ago
Following the devastation of the Second World War, Liberia became one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and a leading example of Africa’s development. However, an ambitious army officer overthrew the country’s leadership in a coup. Transforming the nation into an...
Overcoming Bias
Futarchy And Self-Dealing Governance Compared to divided government, a more central government has stronger incentives to help the polity...
2 months ago
22
2 months ago
Compared to divided government, a more central government has stronger incentives to help the polity as a whole.
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...
8 months ago
48
8 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...
History Today Feed
The Fall of Saigon The Fall of Saigon JamesHoare Wed, 04/23/2025 - 09:51
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
Preacher & Religious Author: Who Was John Bunyan? Among the written works which came out of the Protestant Reformation, probably the most surprising...
2 months ago
17
2 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...
Flashbak
The Wonder Of Soviet Bus Stops “The bus stops are disappearing so fast. If I come back a year from now, they could be gone,...
7 months ago
31
7 months ago
“The bus stops are disappearing so fast. If I come back a year from now, they could be gone, demolished, or rebuilt. These pictures may be all that’s left in the end. I want to give them some kind of immortality.” — Christopher Herwig, Photographer and Soviet Bus Stop Hunter  ...
Overcoming Bias
Unleash Capitalism Capitalism today is in chains, allowed to perform many social functions, but held back from...
a month ago
17
a month ago
Capitalism today is in chains, allowed to perform many social functions, but held back from realizing its full potential.
Classical Wisdom
Sparta and… Scotland? Laconic wit through the centuries
a year ago
Trying to Understand...
No Cheers for Authoritarianism Remind me what it was, exactly ....
over a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Teaching Paradox, Imperator, Part IIa: Pops and Chains This is the first half of the second part of our three part look at Paradox Interactive’s...
9 months ago
61
9 months ago
This is the first half of the second part of our three part look at Paradox Interactive’s Hellenistic-era grand strategy game Imperator: Rome. I had hoped to do this part in a single post, but my book writing schedule intervened and so it became necessary to split it up. Last...
Classical Wisdom
How to Steal From Homer Duplicative Language in Ancient Greece and Rome
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Events Schedule *Time Correction for Wednesday
a year ago
TheCollector
Red Gold: How Cochineal Dye Built Mexican Cities A dye extracted from crushed bugs might sound archaic, but it is surprisingly ubiquitous....
a week ago
1
a week ago
A dye extracted from crushed bugs might sound archaic, but it is surprisingly ubiquitous. Cochineal—parasitic insects that live on nopal (prickly pear) cacti across Latin America—are the key ingredients in a vivid red pigment known as carmine, which colors foods, beverages,...
Open Culture
The Junky’s Christmas: William S. Burrough’s Dark Claymation Christmas Film Produced by Francis Ford... Back in 1993, the Beat writer William S. Burroughs wrote and narrated a 21-minute claymation...
4 months ago
65
4 months ago
Back in 1993, the Beat writer William S. Burroughs wrote and narrated a 21-minute claymation Christmas film oddly produced by Francis Ford Coppola. And, as you can well imagine, it’s not your normal happy Christmas flick. Nope, this film – The Junky’s Christmas – is all about...
Classical Wisdom
What’s the Role of Education? For the Individual... and for Society?
2 months ago
Open Culture
How the Nazis Waged War on Modern Art: Inside the “Degenerate Art” Exhibition of 1937 Before his fateful entry into politics, Adolf Hitler wanted to be an artist. Even to the most...
2 months ago
19
2 months ago
Before his fateful entry into politics, Adolf Hitler wanted to be an artist. Even to the most neutral imaginable observer, the known examples of the estimated 2,000 to 3,000 paintings and other works of art he produced in his early adulthood would hardly evidence astonishing...
Classical Wisdom
Nature in Greek Myth Magical and Medicinal
a year ago
The Scholar's Stage
Patronage vs. Constituent Parties (Or Why Republican Party Leaders Matter More Than Democratic Ones) The Republican and Democratic parties are not the same: power flows differently within them. The two...
9 months ago
10
9 months ago
The Republican and Democratic parties are not the same: power flows differently within them. The two big political news items of this week—the happenings of the Republican National Convention and the desperate attempts of many Democrats to replace their candidate before their own...
Open Culture
How Do You Use AI in Your Daily Life? Share the Applications That Have Made a Big Difference Image by Jernej Furman, via Wikimedia Commons It would be difficult to imagine the last couple of...
2 months ago
24
2 months ago
Image by Jernej Furman, via Wikimedia Commons It would be difficult to imagine the last couple of years without artificial intelligence, even if you don’t use it. Can you recall the last day without some AI-related news item or social-media post — or indeed, a time when the hype...
Hidden History
The French Space Cat Felicette France joined the Space Race in the 1950s, and one of her missions was a test flight involving the...
4 months ago
70
4 months ago
France joined the Space Race in the 1950s, and one of her missions was a test flight involving the first (and so far only) cat to enter space. It did not end well for the cat. In the aftermath of the Second World War, France, under the leadership of General Charles De Gaulle, was...
Open Culture
William Faulkner’s Review of Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea (1952) Images via Wikimedia Commons In the mid-20th century, the two big dogs in the American literary...
3 weeks ago
18
3 weeks ago
Images via Wikimedia Commons In the mid-20th century, the two big dogs in the American literary scene were William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway. Both were internationally revered, both were masters of the novel and the short story, and both won Nobel Prizes. Born in Mississippi,...
Global Inequality...
Freedom by North-West The obscurantist nature of East European nationalisms
7 months ago
Flashbak
Painted Ants Scurry Over Vintage Porcelain by Evelyn Bracklow German artist Evelyn Bracklow’s porcelain cups, saucers, teapots and dinner service is covered in...
a month ago
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a month ago
German artist Evelyn Bracklow’s porcelain cups, saucers, teapots and dinner service is covered in ants. On some she’s painted a piece of food and then had her hand-painted black ants congregate around it. The effect is fascinating stuff and unsettling. We know that ants exist in...
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...
2 months ago
22
2 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) ...
African History...
When Africa discovered Europe *my article for New Lines Magazine
over a year ago
Flashbak
Rudolf Koppitz Nudes And Other Studies Photographs That Capture The Fluidity Of Nature Austrian photographer Rudolf Koppitz (4 January 1884 – 8 July 1936) was a Photo-Secessionist in...
a year ago
37
a year ago
Austrian photographer Rudolf Koppitz (4 January 1884 – 8 July 1936) was a Photo-Secessionist in Vienna, Austria, best known for his 1925 work Bewegungsstudie (“Motion Study”) and his use of the nude in natural settings. Working with Claudia Issachenko’s dance group – the troupe...
Flashbak
The Last Question: Hear Leonard Nimoy Read Isaac Asimov’s Best Short Story Isaac Asimov (January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) liked one of his stories above all others – more than...
11 months ago
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11 months ago
Isaac Asimov (January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992) liked one of his stories above all others – more than the 500 or so stories he wrote or edited, including the bestselling I, Robot, the Foundation series and Lecherous Limericks. The story is The Last Question. First published in the...
TheCollector
What Do Adventists Believe? The Adventist Church has a unique set of beliefs on several doctrines that set them apart from other...
3 weeks ago
10
3 weeks ago
The Adventist Church has a unique set of beliefs on several doctrines that set them apart from other denominations. Their theology focuses on the Hebrew Sanctuary, they keep the seventh-day Sabbath, they believe people enter an unconscious state when they die, and they highly...
Open Culture
What Was Smoot-Hawley, and Why Are We Doing It Again? Anyone? Anyone? When most Americans think of the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs, they think of economic disaster. But if you...
3 weeks ago
15
3 weeks ago
When most Americans think of the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs, they think of economic disaster. But if you ask why, most Americans may need a short refresher course. Below, you will find just that. Appearing on Derek Thompson’s Plain History podcast, Douglas Irwin (an economist and...
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
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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...
Flashbak
A Stroll Through Amsterdam’s Red Light District by Huub Prickaert in the 1990s Huub Prickaerts was walking around the De Wallen area of Amsterdam’s red light district between 1993...
2 weeks ago
16
2 weeks ago
Huub Prickaerts was walking around the De Wallen area of Amsterdam’s red light district between 1993 and 1996. Prickaerts moved to the Dutch capital in the early 1990s after a client agreed to let him stay in his home in exchange for keeping an eye on his restaurant. Things have...
Open Culture
The Experimental Movement That Created The Beatles’ Weirdest Song, “Revolution 9” As of this writing, the Beatles’ “Revolution 9″ has more than 13,800,000 plays on Spotify. This has...
2 months ago
21
2 months ago
As of this writing, the Beatles’ “Revolution 9″ has more than 13,800,000 plays on Spotify. This has no doubt generated decent revenue, even given the platform’s oft-lamented payout rates. But compare that number to the more than half-a-billion streams of “Blackbird,” also on the...
TheCollector
Who Won the Battle of Hampton Roads? The Union blockaded the Confederate coast during the American Civil War as part of the Anaconda...
2 months ago
18
2 months ago
The Union blockaded the Confederate coast during the American Civil War as part of the Anaconda Plan. To fight the overwhelming Union advantage in manpower and ships, the Confederacy adopted a new technology: the ironclad vessel. These low-profile ships were covered in metal...
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...
10 months ago
41
10 months 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...
TheCollector
10 Ancient Cities That You Can Still Visit Today The term ancient times generally refers to the period before the Middle Ages, spanning from the rise...
2 months ago
19
2 months ago
The term ancient times generally refers to the period before the Middle Ages, spanning from the rise of the first civilizations around 3000 BCE to roughly 500 CE. It was an era defined by towering empires, complex societies, and monumental achievements in art, architecture, and...
Dreams of Space -...
Die Mondexpedition (1966) Die Mondexpedition is the original  German book that was translated into English in 1969 as The Log...
2 months ago
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2 months ago
Die Mondexpedition is the original  German book that was translated into English in 1969 as The Log of a Moon Expedition. It's full title at the time was Die Mondexpedition: 14 Mal 24 Stunden auf dem Mond roughly translated as The Lunar Expedition: 14 times on the moon for 24...
TheCollector
Why Is the Gospel of Mark so Short? Of the four gospels in the Biblical canon, the Gospel of Mark is the shortest by a significant...
3 weeks ago
12
3 weeks ago
Of the four gospels in the Biblical canon, the Gospel of Mark is the shortest by a significant margin. The writer of John had a different approach to compiling and describing the message he wished to convey, so a difference in length would be understandable. With Matthew and...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup The Ancient Novel
a year ago
Open Culture
Optical Poems by Oskar Fischinger: Discover the Avant-Garde Animator Despised by Hitler & Dissed by... At a time when much of animation was consumed with little anthropomorphized animals sporting white...
2 months ago
28
2 months ago
At a time when much of animation was consumed with little anthropomorphized animals sporting white gloves, Oskar Fischinger went in a completely different direction. His work is all about dancing geometric shapes and abstract forms spinning around a flat featureless background....
Overcoming Bias
Feels Gone Wrong The films A Complete Unknown, on Bob Dylan, and In Restless Dreams, on Paul Simon, make vivid to me...
4 months ago
60
4 months ago
The films A Complete Unknown, on Bob Dylan, and In Restless Dreams, on Paul Simon, make vivid to me the huge emotional appeal of becoming a musician like them.
Patterns in Humanity
The Effects of Immigration in Denmark First, I briefly summarize statistics on the fiscal impact of immigration in Denmark, taken from an...
over a year ago
18
over a year ago
First, I briefly summarize statistics on the fiscal impact of immigration in Denmark, taken from an official government report.
Hundred Rabbits
Summary of changes for April Hey everyone! This is the list of all the changes we've done to our projects and apps during the...
over a year ago
14
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 April. We'll also be reporting in our on position in the world, and on our future plans. Summary Of Changes Bicycle, released an Uxntal playground. See Varvara riding a...
TheCollector
When War Became Sport: The History of the Mesoamerican Ballgame Sports are an integral part of modern society. Going far beyond entertainment, sports and sports...
a month ago
12
a month ago
Sports are an integral part of modern society. Going far beyond entertainment, sports and sports teams, ranging from high school and local teams to national teams at the Olympics, are closely tied to group identity and feelings of belonging. It should come as no surprise, then,...
A Collection of...
Collections: The Siege of Eregion, Part III: What Catapults? This is the third part of our [I, II, I don’t know, a few more?] part series looking at Rings of...
a month ago
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a month ago
This is the third part of our [I, II, I don’t know, a few more?] part series looking at Rings of Power‘s Siege of Eregion from a military history perspective. Last week, we discussed the remarkably bad siege preparation of both sides: Adar’s complete lack of a fortified siege...
Open Culture
Hunter S. Thompson Remembers Jimmy Carter’s Captivating Bob Dylan Speech (1974) 51 years ago, Hunter S. Thompson wrote Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72, which “is still...
4 months ago
85
4 months ago
51 years ago, Hunter S. Thompson wrote Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72, which “is still considered a kind of bible of political reporting,” noted Matt Taibbi in a 40th anniversary edition of the book. Fear and Loathing ’72 entered the canon of American political...
TheCollector
Heracles Steals the Cattle of Geryon: The Hero’s Tenth Labor King Eurystheus tasked Heracles with stealing the cattle of the three-headed giant Geryon, ruler of...
2 months ago
19
2 months ago
King Eurystheus tasked Heracles with stealing the cattle of the three-headed giant Geryon, ruler of Erytheia, an island at the westernmost edge of the world. During his journey to the mysterious island, Heracles crossed the scorching Sahara Desert and argued with the god of the...
Classical Wisdom
LIVE Event: What is Plagiarism? With Harvard Professor James Hankins and 'History of Philosophy without any gaps' Peter Adamson.
a year ago
TheCollector
Why Were Germany’s Blitzkrieg Tactics So Effective in WWII? In 1940, French historian Marc Bloch witnessed the swift invasion of France by the Wehrmacht. He...
a month ago
7
a month ago
In 1940, French historian Marc Bloch witnessed the swift invasion of France by the Wehrmacht. He noted the Germans’ “embarrassing skill in appearing where they ought not to have appeared.” In 1939, the German army had similarly overcome Polish forces. During World War II, the...
TheCollector
The Devil Wears Galliano: A Look at Fashion’s Enfant Terrible The creative genius of John Galliano rose four decades ago but managed to remain relevant and...
a month ago
17
a month ago
The creative genius of John Galliano rose four decades ago but managed to remain relevant and exciting. He is known for being scandalous and provocative, both in his work and, sometimes, in his life. Despite all controversies and scandals, Galliano seems to have redeemed his...
TheCollector
Joya de Cerén: A Glimpse at the Mayan Pompeii While numerous Mayan discoveries and archeological sites can be found throughout Central America,...
2 months ago
13
2 months ago
While numerous Mayan discoveries and archeological sites can be found throughout Central America, the distinctiveness of Joya de Cerén provides a peek at Mayan life in a small farming settlement over 1,500 years ago. A volcanic eruption and the resulting ash that froze the city...
Global Inequality...
To be young, perchance to dream A review of Miloš Vojinović's “The political ideas of the Young Bosnia”
4 months ago
Classical Wisdom
How important are dreams? Should we pay attention to them?
a year ago
Flashbak
Watch The Alphabet, David Lynch’s horrific 1968 short, “There’s a connection between music, film, painting, writing, everything, you’re into, the more...
3 months ago
42
3 months ago
“There’s a connection between music, film, painting, writing, everything, you’re into, the more they’re going to help each other” – David Lynch     David Lynch’s 1968 short The Alphabet was inspired by his first wife Peggy’s niece reciting her ABCs during a nightmare then waking...
African History...
A muslim kingdom in the Ethiopian highlands: the history of Ifat and Adal ca. 1285-1520. During the late Middle Ages, the northern Horn of Africa was home to some of the continent's most...
10 months ago
59
10 months ago
During the late Middle Ages, the northern Horn of Africa was home to some of the continent's most powerful dynasties, whose history significantly shaped the region's social landscape. The history of one of these dynasties, often referred to as the Solomonids, has been...
Open Culture
Dante’s Inferno: A Visitor’s Guide to Hell In most places across the world, speak the name of Dante, and your listeners will think of Inferno....
a month ago
15
a month ago
In most places across the world, speak the name of Dante, and your listeners will think of Inferno. Since its first publication more than 700 years ago, its depiction of Hell has become influential enough to shape the perceptions of even those who don’t believe that such a place...
Flashbak
William Blake, The Great Red Dragon Paintings “And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads....
a year ago
30
a year ago
“And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth” — Revelations 12:3-4, King James Bible   The Red Dragon Paintings are four watercolours by...
Flashbak
The Yule Goat: Photographs of Finland’s Nuuttipukki (1928) “Good Thomas brought Christmas and bad Nuutti took it away” – Finnish saying     On January 13, it’s...
5 months ago
45
5 months ago
“Good Thomas brought Christmas and bad Nuutti took it away” – Finnish saying     On January 13, it’s Saint Knut’s day in Finland, which usually marks the end of the Christmas season. And the Nuuttipukki is at your door. The strange, goat-like creature is a thirsty man dressed in...
Global Inequality...
Rich life He would always set his alarm for 8.
a month ago
Hidden History
The Japanese Fugo Balloon Bomb During the Second World War, the Japanese launched thousands of incendiary bombs against the United...
a week ago
2
a week ago
During the Second World War, the Japanese launched thousands of incendiary bombs against the United States that were carried by top secret balloons. In April 1942, the United States launched a daring raid on Japan using 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers under the command of Lt Col Jimmy...
The Universe of...
Proof by insufficient information Content warning: rambly Given the coordinates of the three vertices of a triangle, can we find the...
3 months ago
1
3 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
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...
5 months ago
42
5 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...
TheCollector
Augustine vs Baudrillard: Are Words Signs of Reality or Hyperreality? To say that the famous pessimist Augustine wrote prolifically because of his hope in the power of...
2 months ago
20
2 months ago
To say that the famous pessimist Augustine wrote prolifically because of his hope in the power of the word is not to speak rashly. Words, Augustine thought, illuminate the ontology of human existence. Contrastingly, the French postmodern philosopher and cultural theorist, Jean...