TheCollector
What Criticisms Are Directed Towards Anti-Natalism?
undefined
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup
The Secrets of Crete
a year ago
Dr Alun Withey
Beard Fashions and Class
Over the past few centuries, fashions in facial hair have changed substantially. In the mid...
over a year ago
Over the past few centuries, fashions in facial hair have changed substantially. In the mid seventeenth century many men wore the ‘Van Dyke’ style of a small, pointy beard and moustaches. By the end of the 1600s, beards were in decline, leaving many men with just moustaches. The...
TheCollector
6 Unsettling Artworks by Mike Kelley
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
The Capture of the Ceryneian Hind: The Third Labor of Heracles
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
The 3 Greatest Nubian Kings of Egypt
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
10 Things an Art Lover Should Do in Paris
undefined
4 months ago
TheCollector
Viking Ship Technology: Daring and Dangerous Innovations
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
The Expanding Nation: How Westward Expansion Shaped Early US Elections
undefined
2 months ago
TheCollector
5 Famous Artists Who Were Inspired by Alphanumerics
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
When Was the Battle of Iwo Jima?
undefined
7 months ago
TheCollector
The Genealogy of Morals: Nietzsche vs. Morality
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
Banksy’s Animal Series Continues at London Zoo
undefined
4 months ago
Flashbak
Big Hair & True Love in 1980s Kentucky
For over a decade in the 1980s and 1990s Richard Bram photographed people at the Kentucky Derby...
2 months ago
For over a decade in the 1980s and 1990s Richard Bram photographed people at the Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville, an annual two-week event preceding the first Saturday in May, the day of the Kentucky Derby horse race. It was all about the gigantic hair. You can see his...
TheCollector
What Was the Biggest Art Theft in History?
undefined
11 months ago
History Today Feed
Maria Graham and the Valparaíso Earthquake
Maria Graham and the Valparaíso Earthquake
j.hoare
Mon, 01/15/2024 - 11:12
11 months ago
Maria Graham and the Valparaíso Earthquake
j.hoare
Mon, 01/15/2024 - 11:12
TheCollector
Shays’ Rebellion Explained: A New Governing System for the New US
undefined
11 months ago
Flashbak
Windows In Time: The New York City Years, 1975 – 1980
We are delighted to share reader Philip Flip Collier’s photographs of New York City in the late...
3 months ago
We are delighted to share reader Philip Flip Collier’s photographs of New York City in the late 1970s to 1980. Upon graduating from The New England School of Photography in Boston, Massachusetts in 1974, he immediately took to the streets. Here he tell us his story of living in...
TheCollector
Terragni’s Danteum: An Architectural Masterpiece on Paper
undefined
a year ago
History Today Feed
Gustav Vasa: The Father of Modern Sweden?
Gustav Vasa: The Father of Modern Sweden?
JamesHoare
Fri, 08/23/2024 - 08:40
4 months ago
Gustav Vasa: The Father of Modern Sweden?
JamesHoare
Fri, 08/23/2024 - 08:40
TheCollector
How Did Claude Monet Capture the Passing of Time?
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
New Alphonse Mucha Museum to Open in Prague
undefined
a month 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”
4 months ago
A review of Gary Gerstle’s “The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order”
Classical Wisdom
Why Aren’t We Happy?
Count no man happy until the end is known
5 months ago
Count no man happy until the end is known
Patterns in Humanity
Immigration and crime: Sweden
Worrying crime trends in the land of Pippi Longstocking
4 months ago
Worrying crime trends in the land of Pippi Longstocking
African History...
Textile trade and Industry in the kingdom of Kongo: 1483-1914
the social and economic significance of Kongo's iconic raffia velvets
a year ago
the social and economic significance of Kongo's iconic raffia velvets
Trying to Understand...
Everything is (Somewhat) Connected.
But some things are more connected than others.
a year ago
But some things are more connected than others.
TheCollector
How to Read Film Like a Language
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
Cecil John Rhodes: Life and Legacy of a British Imperialist
undefined
7 months ago
History Today Feed
‘Sparta and the Commemoration of War’ and ‘The Killing Ground’ review
‘Sparta and the Commemoration of War’ and ‘The Killing Ground’ review
JamesHoare
Mon, 03/11/2024 -...
9 months ago
‘Sparta and the Commemoration of War’ and ‘The Killing Ground’ review
JamesHoare
Mon, 03/11/2024 - 15:56
TheCollector
Machu Picchu Unveiled: Why Hiram Bingham Didn’t “Discover” It
undefined
3 months ago
TheCollector
10 Must-Visit Historic Towns in Japan
undefined
yesterday
TheCollector
Sartre’s ‘Being and Nothingness’: An Introduction to Existentialism
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
A George Washington Portrait Goes on Sale, Held at the Met
undefined
11 months ago
TheCollector
Was Honorius’ Letter Really Sent to Britain?
undefined
a year ago
History Today Feed
The French Resistance: Fantasy and Failure
The French Resistance: Fantasy and Failure
JamesHoare
Tue, 09/17/2024 - 06:00
3 months ago
The French Resistance: Fantasy and Failure
JamesHoare
Tue, 09/17/2024 - 06:00
TheCollector
“I Am Because We Are”: Introducing Ubuntu Philosophy
undefined
11 months ago
Global Inequality...
The abolition of paper and the pompous rule of the present
China is considered to have been the first country (civilization) to have created the modern version...
11 months ago
China is considered to have been the first country (civilization) to have created the modern version of paper. Paper is listed as one among the four big Chinese inventions (the other three are compass, gun powder and printing). Perhaps it will be the first country to desinvent...
Res Obscura
I talked to Terry Gross!
A brief update about the publication of "Tripping on Utopia" before we return to regularly scheduled...
11 months ago
A brief update about the publication of "Tripping on Utopia" before we return to regularly scheduled posting
African History...
The stone ruins of South Africa: a history of Mapungubwe, Thulamela and Dzata. ca. 1000-1750CE.
The dzimbabwe ruins of south-eastern Africa are often described as the largest collection of stone...
3 months ago
The dzimbabwe ruins of south-eastern Africa are often described as the largest collection of stone monuments in Africa south of Nubia.
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic, Part V: The Courts
This is the fifth part of our five part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IV) on the structure of the...
a year ago
This is the fifth part of our five part series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IIIc, IV) on the structure of the Roman Republic during the third and second centuries BC, the ‘Middle Republic.’ Last time we looked at the odd but very important role played by the ROman Senate as the central...
Patterns in Humanity
Immigrant assimilation in Denmark
A brief overview of the school performance of 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation immigrants in Denmark
7 months ago
A brief overview of the school performance of 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation immigrants in Denmark
TheCollector
The Holodomor, Ukraine’s Great Famine
undefined
11 months ago
History Today Feed
Why the Oracle of Delphi Still Beguiles
Why the Oracle of Delphi Still Beguiles
j.hoare
Wed, 12/13/2023 - 10:08
a year ago
Why the Oracle of Delphi Still Beguiles
j.hoare
Wed, 12/13/2023 - 10:08
TheCollector
What Are the 5 Longest Rivers in the World?
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
Pyramid in Java Predates Egypt’s Oldest Pyramid?
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
What Makes Jean-Luc Godard An Iconic Film Director?
undefined
9 months ago
TheCollector
What Was the Relationship Between Cezanne and Zola?
undefined
10 months ago
Flashbak
The Mongrel Mob of Aotearoa New Zealand
Photographer Jono Rotman’s arresting portraits of the Mongrel Mob of Aotearoa New Zealand show us...
8 hours ago
Photographer Jono Rotman’s arresting portraits of the Mongrel Mob of Aotearoa New Zealand show us the gang’s members in isolation. To avoid controlling the narrative and anaesthetising their spirit, while “still letting them retain their mystery and privacy”, Rotman took the...
TheCollector
A Brief History of the Aboriginal Lands Right Movement
undefined
2 months ago
TheCollector
Marx’s German Ideology: What is Historical and Dialectical Materialism?
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
How Important Was Theseus for Athens? Theseus: Get to Know the Mythical King of Athens
undefined
9 months ago
TheCollector
What Can Psychoanalysis Tell Us About Hamlet?
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
Istanbul’s Top 7 Historic Gems
undefined
8 months ago
Flashbak
Teenagers at Home In the 1980s and 90s In 38 Photos
“As a teenager you are at the last stage in your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone...
9 months ago
“As a teenager you are at the last stage in your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you.” ― Fran Lebowitz We’re back looking at teenagers at home and in their bedrooms in the 1980 an 1990s. We’ve been back there before, checking our the snapshot …...
TheCollector
Phoolan Devi, Bandit Queen of India
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
How Often Are U.S. Presidential Elections Held?
undefined
3 months ago
TheCollector
7 of the Most Iconic Monuments in Russia
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
When Was the Battle of Stalingrad?
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
10 Palazzos (Palaces) in Venice You Must Visit
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
Why Has Stoicism Gained Popularity in Modern Times?
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
What Was Jim Crow?
undefined
9 months ago
TheCollector
What Defined the Roaring Twenties?
undefined
2 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Is Subjective Equal to Objective?
Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, I remember the day vividly. I had moved to Moscow unwisely in the...
a year ago
Dear Classical Wisdom Reader, I remember the day vividly. I had moved to Moscow unwisely in the middle of winter, and finally, around four months later, the first real spring day had arrived. The sun bore her rays magnificently, forcing the city’s residents into an ant-like...
Flashbak
The Kaikidan Ekotoba Monster Scroll from 19th Century Japan
The Kaikidan Ekotoba scroll features paintings of 33 monsters, both fantastic and plain odd from...
5 months ago
The Kaikidan Ekotoba scroll features paintings of 33 monsters, both fantastic and plain odd from Japan. It’s a subject we’ve visited before with the Yokai Horrors from the 18th Century Bakemono Zukushi Scroll. Thought to originate in the mid 1800s, the artist behind the Kaikidan...
A Collection of...
Gap Week: December 29, 2023 (Year In Review)
Hey folks! I had planned to do a Fireside for this week with a sort of ‘year-in-review’ musing, but...
11 months ago
Hey folks! I had planned to do a Fireside for this week with a sort of ‘year-in-review’ musing, but between the holidays and the whole pedant household coming down with a nasty cold, I’m a bit short of the time and energy to put together a full fireside with...
TheCollector
FDR: How Roosevelt Won Unprecedented Four Presidential Elections
undefined
2 months ago
TheCollector
The Apocrypha: Were Books Left Out of the Protestant Bible?
undefined
4 months ago
History Today Feed
‘With Her Own Hair’: A Victorian Prisoner’s Art
‘With Her Own Hair’: A Victorian Prisoner’s Art
JamesHoare
Thu, 01/18/2024 - 10:25
11 months ago
‘With Her Own Hair’: A Victorian Prisoner’s Art
JamesHoare
Thu, 01/18/2024 - 10:25
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup
Secret of the Stoics
3 months ago
TheCollector
Pace Gallery Will Represent the Robert Indiana Legacy Initiative
undefined
8 months ago
TheCollector
Achaian War: How the Romans Defeated the Last Free State in Greece
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
10 Ancient Sites in New Mexico You Should Visit
undefined
a week ago
African History...
A history of Zanzibar before the Omanis (600-1873)
Journal of African cities chapter 7
a year ago
Journal of African cities chapter 7
TheCollector
The “New” Norman Rockwell Turns Toward Civil Rights
undefined
2 months ago
History Today Feed
Solving the Victorian Housing Crisis
Solving the Victorian Housing Crisis
JamesHoare
Thu, 10/03/2024 - 08:25
2 months ago
Solving the Victorian Housing Crisis
JamesHoare
Thu, 10/03/2024 - 08:25
Classical Wisdom
Can We Be Humane In the Face of Horror?
What is needed to stop violent cycles?
a year ago
What is needed to stop violent cycles?
TheCollector
10 Women Artists Who Achieved Greatness
undefined
a year ago
History Today Feed
Nottinghamshire’s Bitter 1593 Election
Nottinghamshire’s Bitter 1593 Election
JamesHoare
Mon, 04/29/2024 - 11:05
7 months ago
Nottinghamshire’s Bitter 1593 Election
JamesHoare
Mon, 04/29/2024 - 11:05
TheCollector
Catholicism: The 10 Most Unusual Patron Saints
undefined
4 months ago
TheCollector
Egypt’s Giza Restoration Bid Faces Backlash From Archaeologists
undefined
10 months ago
TheCollector
5 Unique Gods & Goddesses Worshipped in the Incan Empire
undefined
10 months ago
TheCollector
What Is Alice in Wonderland Syndrome?
undefined
a year ago
Res Obscura
How well can AI imitate a 17th century doctor?
Arcadio Huang is ill in 1710s Paris. Can GPT-4 and Gemini find a cure?
10 months ago
Arcadio Huang is ill in 1710s Paris. Can GPT-4 and Gemini find a cure?
TheCollector
The Mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke
undefined
a year ago
Dreams of Space -...
Техника Молодежи (Youth Technology) Issue 4 (1973 )
“ХОРОВОД КОСМИЧЕСКИХ ЛАБОРАТОРИЙ ‘Round Dance of Space Laboratories’
A re-run from a few years ago....
a year ago
“ХОРОВОД КОСМИЧЕСКИХ ЛАБОРАТОРИЙ ‘Round Dance of Space Laboratories’
A re-run from a few years ago. I really like this 1973 issue of Youth Technology. The issue was dedicated to Soviet past and future in space. It has some great illustration of what they had done and what they...
TheCollector
Emily Brontë: Misanthrope or Literary Genius (or Both)?
undefined
7 months ago
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...
a week 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...
History Today Feed
50 Years of Cyprus Divided
50 Years of Cyprus Divided
JamesHoare
Thu, 07/18/2024 - 09:24
5 months ago
50 Years of Cyprus Divided
JamesHoare
Thu, 07/18/2024 - 09:24
TheCollector
10 Must-Visit Places Around the World for History Buffs
undefined
2 months ago
Flashbak
Plants With Faces From A 15th-Century Italian Medicine Book
The 15th-century Italian herbalist could consult the illustrated Erbario and thereby know the latest...
a year ago
The 15th-century Italian herbalist could consult the illustrated Erbario and thereby know the latest medieval conventions, sometimes depicted in water colour with fantastic elements such as human faces. The medicinal properties and preparations of the plants. Via University...
TheCollector
15 Surprising Facts about Adolf Hitler, The World’s Most Hated Man
undefined
10 months ago
TheCollector
6 American Film Noirs Influenced by German Expressionism
undefined
11 months ago
TheCollector
How Accurate Were Aristotle’s Views on Science?
undefined
9 months ago
TheCollector
Afghanistan Historic Monuments Destroyed in Earthquakes
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
Why Are There Two Virginias?
undefined
a year ago
Wrong Side of...
Inside the Catholic State
The world that created Caravaggio
a month ago
The world that created Caravaggio
TheCollector
6 Assassinations That Changed History
undefined
7 months ago
TheCollector
The History and Beauty of the Moscow Metro
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
How Video Killed the Kamishibai Star
undefined
11 months ago
Hundred Rabbits
internet in paradise
Huahine, one of the many grouped islands in French Polynesia. Our plans for future ocean voyaging...
over a year ago
Huahine, one of the many grouped islands in French Polynesia. Our plans for future ocean voyaging could have ended here, because we almost crashed onto a reef.
Because we always time our arrival with the morning sun, I always get the first look of every island. Huahine stood in...
Classical Wisdom
Should We Follow a Person’s Words... or Actions?
What should we do with Seneca?
a year ago
What should we do with Seneca?
TheCollector
St. Petersburg: A History of the City Built on Bones
undefined
4 months ago
TheCollector
Christie’s Nets $413 Million in 20th Century Evening Sale
undefined
7 months ago
Flashbak
AREA: Cards and Invitations from the Fabulous New York Nightclub, 1983–1986
From 1983 to 1987, 157 Hudson Street in Manhattan, New York City, was home to Area. Frequented by he...
11 months ago
From 1983 to 1987, 157 Hudson Street in Manhattan, New York City, was home to Area. Frequented by he great and good, the club was known for its changing themes (every six weeks the place got a new look – an approach inspired by Zurich’s 1916 Dadaist club Cabaret Voltaire) and...
African History...
a brief note on new discoveries in African archeology and the stone ruins of Cameroon.
Among the first ancient Egyptian accounts on its southern neighbors is an old kingdom inscription...
4 months ago
Among the first ancient Egyptian accounts on its southern neighbors is an old kingdom inscription that describes a trading expedition to an unspecified region called the land of Punt. Egyptologists had long debated about the location of this mysterious territory before recent...
TheCollector
Who Won the Battle of Atlanta?
undefined
9 months ago
TheCollector
Who Was Mahavira? The Founder of Jainism
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
What Is the Book of Galatians About?
undefined
a month ago
Dreams of Space -...
Stations in Space: Our Stepping Stones to the Stars (1960)
Just another quick re-run of an older book, enjoy!
Cox, Donald W. Illustrated by Kocher, W. A....
a year ago
Just another quick re-run of an older book, enjoy!
Cox, Donald W. Illustrated by Kocher, W. A. Stations in Space: Our Stepping Stones to the Stars. New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston. (55 p.) 1960.
TheCollector
What Ancient Rituals Do We Still Celebrate at Halloween?
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
How Did the Opium Wars Impact China?
undefined
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Aristotle on Luck
Do You Feel Lucky?
a year ago
History Today Feed
How the British Council Made a Soft Power Superpower
How the British Council Made a Soft Power Superpower
j.hoare
Mon, 12/11/2023 - 11:26
a year ago
How the British Council Made a Soft Power Superpower
j.hoare
Mon, 12/11/2023 - 11:26
TheCollector
4 Samurai Swords that Defined an Era
undefined
a year ago
Flashbak
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...
2 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...
History Today Feed
The Yellow Trade in Counterfeit Coins
The Yellow Trade in Counterfeit Coins
j.hoare
Mon, 11/27/2023 - 12:04
a year ago
The Yellow Trade in Counterfeit Coins
j.hoare
Mon, 11/27/2023 - 12:04
TheCollector
Scientism and Anti-Scientism: What Is the Difference?
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
What Was a Peasant’s Life in Medieval England Like?
undefined
11 months ago
TheCollector
Who Is Kiki Smith?
undefined
2 months ago
TheCollector
What Is the Legacy of the Battle of Gettysburg?
undefined
9 months ago
TheCollector
The Met Returns Looted “Golden Boy” Statue to Thailand
undefined
7 months ago
Overcoming Bias
Drift Poll Winner: Rational Culture
Over the last day, I did two sets of polls comparing 16 cultural drift scenarios (detailed here) re...
a month ago
Over the last day, I did two sets of polls comparing 16 cultural drift scenarios (detailed here) re their likelihood and desirability. (I later added influence.) Here are best fit priorities (relative to 100 max), sorted by priority sum:
TheCollector
5 Captivating Photographs by Steve McCurry
undefined
11 months ago
History Today Feed
The Original Bonfire of the Vanities
The Original Bonfire of the Vanities
JamesHoare
Wed, 02/07/2024 - 09:45
10 months ago
The Original Bonfire of the Vanities
JamesHoare
Wed, 02/07/2024 - 09:45
TheCollector
How Bayonets Revolutionized Warfare
undefined
7 months ago
TheCollector
10 Must-Visit Historical Landmarks in the US Midwest
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
What Are the Five French Republics?
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
What Was the Kido Butai?
undefined
11 months ago
TheCollector
Commodus: The Gladiator Emperor of Rome
undefined
2 weeks ago
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...
6 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’s the Best Time to See Mount Fuji?
undefined
5 months ago
TheCollector
What Pets Did the Ancient Romans Have?
undefined
9 months ago
Classical Wisdom
What is Plagiarism?
Is it possible to have a TRULY original thought?
11 months ago
Is it possible to have a TRULY original thought?
TheCollector
6 Magical Realists to Read after Borges
undefined
a year ago
Flashbak
At Large in Leyton – A Walk Around The East London Manor 1989-1994
On Monday November 28th, 1994, the police riot squad arrived to evacuate Claremont Road in the...
11 months ago
On Monday November 28th, 1994, the police riot squad arrived to evacuate Claremont Road in the so-called “autonomous republic” of “Wanstonia”. The protest against the demolition of housing to make way for the M11 Link Road was lost. Harry Cohen, MP for Leyton said “the Department...
TheCollector
The Harrowing History of the Trail of Tears
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
Coach Rusty’s Art Goes Interactive With Top Tier Authentics
undefined
9 months ago
Classical Wisdom
The First Philosopher?
And the Boundless Universe
6 months ago
And the Boundless Universe
TheCollector
The Mid-19th Century California Gold Rush
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
The Tragic Life of Kermit Roosevelt & the Burden of Legacy
undefined
2 months ago
Flashbak
Things To Come : The 1950s Science Fiction Book Club Newsletter
Things To Come was the monthly newsletter (originally bi-monthly) of publisher Doubleday’s Science...
6 months ago
Things To Come was the monthly newsletter (originally bi-monthly) of publisher Doubleday’s Science Fiction Book Club (SFBC). The short, typically four-page issues promoted the book club’s coming selections and best of volumes from Galaxy and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science...
TheCollector
What Is the (Delicious) History of Pizza?
undefined
5 months ago
TheCollector
10 Historic Towns in Nevada Worth Visiting
undefined
a week ago
Flashbak
Snapshots of London Going Mad For Christmas In the 1980s
When they unpacked the 76h Christmas tree sent to the people of London from the City of Oslo as a...
a year ago
When they unpacked the 76h Christmas tree sent to the people of London from the City of Oslo as a token of gratitude for British support to Norway during the Second World War, it looked bedraggled. So before it went up on Trafalgar Square, the decorators nailed some of the...
TheCollector
UNESCO Creates a Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Artifacts
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
10 Curious Facts About Johnny Cash
undefined
8 months ago
TheCollector
How Did Socrates Shape Classical Greek Philosophy?
undefined
11 months ago
TheCollector
The Beguines: The Hermits Who Became Medieval Celebrities
undefined
3 months ago
Trying to Understand...
Another Of My Essays In French
And some odds and ends.
5 months ago
Res Obscura
A very deep history of Halloween
Or, how far back can historical analysis take us?
a month ago
Or, how far back can historical analysis take us?
TheCollector
Who Was Ho Chi Minh?
undefined
7 months ago
TheCollector
Who Was Paracelsus? 11 Things You Should Know
undefined
8 months ago
TheCollector
Cinco de Mayo: 5 Facts About the Mexican Celebration
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
6 Appalachian Folk Stories That Will Keep You Up at Night
undefined
a year ago
Flashbak
Black Woodstock: The Harlem Cultural Festival, NYC – 1969
Away from the “peace and love” at Woodstock in 1969, New York City’s Harlem was the venue for a...
3 months ago
Away from the “peace and love” at Woodstock in 1969, New York City’s Harlem was the venue for a series of shows that became known as Black Woodstock. Held at 3pm on Sundays in Mount Morris Park between 29 June and 24 August, 1969, as many as 300,000 people attended the festival...
TheCollector
7 Facts About Banana Republics & Their Role in History and Politics
undefined
8 months ago
TheCollector
Who Won the First Battle of Bull Run in the Civil War?
undefined
7 months ago
TheCollector
Quechua: A Dead Language? Not at All
undefined
9 months ago
History Today Feed
The Theft of the Ghent Altarpiece
The Theft of the Ghent Altarpiece
JamesHoare
Thu, 06/13/2024 - 09:20
6 months ago
The Theft of the Ghent Altarpiece
JamesHoare
Thu, 06/13/2024 - 09:20
TheCollector
5 Quotes from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations Explained
undefined
a year ago
Hidden History
Museum Ship Destroyer USS Kidd
The Fletcher-class destroyer USS Kidd was named, not after the famous British pirate, but after a...
a month ago
The Fletcher-class destroyer USS Kidd was named, not after the famous British pirate, but after a Rear Admiral who was killed on board the Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Kidd served in both the Second World War and the Korean War. The destroyer USS Kidd was...
TheCollector
Bouquets, Veils and White Dresses: Where Did Western Wedding Traditions Come From?
undefined
5 months ago
TheCollector
Who are the Yazidis & What Are Their Beliefs?
undefined
10 months ago
TheCollector
11 Events in the 19th Century that Changed the World
undefined
11 months ago
Flashbak
Creating Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa – An Illustrated History
“At 110, everything I create; a dot, a line, will jump to life as never before. To all of you who...
6 months ago
“At 110, everything I create; a dot, a line, will jump to life as never before. To all of you who are going to live as long as I do, I promise to keep my word. I am writing this in my old age. I used to call myself Hokusai, but today I sign my … Continue reading "Creating...
TheCollector
How Did Francisco Goya Criticize the Spanish Society?
undefined
5 months ago
TheCollector
What Are the Seven Wonders of the Natural World?
undefined
4 months ago
TheCollector
Just How Christian Was the Kingdom of Kongo?
undefined
9 months ago
TheCollector
The Life of Malcolm X: “You Had Better Make Some Noise”
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
“Singular” Spanish Painting Reappears After Vanishing in 1890
undefined
2 weeks ago
TheCollector
The Forgotten Tomb of Henry VIII: Why Was He Buried Somewhere Else?
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
A Brief History of Guacamole (And It’s Not What You’d Expect!)
undefined
10 months ago
African History...
Anti-slavery laws and Abolitionist thought in pre-colonial Africa
the view from Benin, Kongo, Songhai and Ethiopia.
8 months ago
the view from Benin, Kongo, Songhai and Ethiopia.
TheCollector
When Did the Korean War Start?
undefined
5 months ago
TheCollector
Trench Warfare in World War I: Rot, Rats, Ruin
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
Martha Graham: 15 Facts About the Mother of Modern Dance
undefined
5 months ago
TheCollector
Two ‘Great Wave’ Prints Fetch Over $800,000 Each
undefined
2 months ago
TheCollector
KAWS Show Shut Down by Protestors
undefined
10 months ago
African History...
Guns and Spears: a military history of the Zulu kingdom.
Popular history of Africa before the colonial era often divides the continent’s military systems...
a year ago
Popular history of Africa before the colonial era often divides the continent’s military systems into two broad categories —the relatively modern armies along the Atlantic coast which used firearms, versus the 'traditional' armies in the interior that fought with arrows and...
Dreams of Space -...
The Boy Who Discovered the Earth (1955)
Continuing with a bit of a flying saucer theme today is The Boy Who Discovered The Earth. It is a...
3 months ago
Continuing with a bit of a flying saucer theme today is The Boy Who Discovered The Earth. It is a pleasant science fiction novel for kids about an alien boy who is left behind on Earth. He makes friends with the locals and learns about dogs, baseball, and the life of children on...
Dr Alun Withey
Health and the Habitual Traveller in the 19th Century
Recently I’ve been contributing to a new series of stories, drawing on the archives of Lloyds’...
over a year ago
Recently I’ve been contributing to a new series of stories, drawing on the archives of Lloyds’ Register – a fantastic archive, with a wealth of sources on many aspects of maritime, but also broader social, history. The full series can be found here:...
TheCollector
What Was the Italian Risorgimento?
undefined
5 months ago
TheCollector
6 Artists Associated With Magic Realism You Should Know
undefined
8 months ago
History Today Feed
Why Do Religions Decline?
Why Do Religions Decline?
JamesHoare
Thu, 11/21/2024 - 09:06
a month ago
Why Do Religions Decline?
JamesHoare
Thu, 11/21/2024 - 09:06
History Today Feed
‘Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans’ by Daniel Cowling review
‘Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans’ by Daniel Cowling review
JamesHoare
Mon, 06/10/2024 - 09:48
6 months ago
‘Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans’ by Daniel Cowling review
JamesHoare
Mon, 06/10/2024 - 09:48
TheCollector
Artist Steals 17th-Century Coin From British Museum
undefined
5 months ago
TheCollector
13 Logical Fallacies from Aristotle’s ‘Sophistical Refutations’
undefined
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup
Last Chance!
a year ago
TheCollector
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Who is the Real FDR?
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
Who Was Josiah Wedgwood? Potter, Innovator, Entrepreneurial Genius
undefined
10 months ago
TheCollector
The Disaster That Was Napoleon’s Russian Campaign: An Overview
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
What Did Ralph Waldo Emerson Think of Poetry?
undefined
11 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup
Essential Greeks Course Begins Tomorrow!
a year ago
Essential Greeks Course Begins Tomorrow!
TheCollector
A History Lover’s Guide to Rio de Janeiro
undefined
4 months ago
Flashbak
Looking For Tibet And A Llama At England’s Pestalozzi Children’s Village – 1959 – 1965
We love to hear from our readers and earlier this year got a call from Len Clarke who told us about...
11 months ago
We love to hear from our readers and earlier this year got a call from Len Clarke who told us about his memories of the Pestalozzi Children’s Village in East Sussex, England, in the 1960s. Len had seen an image on Flashback of a group of Tibetan children playing ball at the...
TheCollector
Shaka Zulu: The Life of Africa’s Legendary Warrior King
undefined
10 months ago
TheCollector
Egyptian Demons: Guardians and Wanders
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
5 Actions of the American Indian Movement
undefined
5 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Can you REALLY be offended on behalf of someone else??
Lessons from Borat
a year ago
African History...
An episode of Naval warfare on the East African coast: the Sakalava invasions of 1792-1817
Between Madagascar and the Swahili world.
a year ago
Between Madagascar and the Swahili world.
TheCollector
The History of the Ancient Olympics: Footraces in the Nude
undefined
a year ago
Flashbak
Emma Willard’s Time Maps
“Education cannot prosper in any community unless…the best and most cultivated talents of that...
7 months ago
“Education cannot prosper in any community unless…the best and most cultivated talents of that community can be brought in to exercise the way.” – Emma Hart Willard Emma Willard (February 23, 1787 – April 15, 1870) was a trailblazing American educator who founded the first...
History Today Feed
‘The Wild Men’, ‘The Men of 1924’ and ‘A Century of Labour’ review
‘The Wild Men’, ‘The Men of 1924’ and ‘A Century of Labour’ review
JamesHoare
Tue, 01/30/2024 -...
10 months ago
‘The Wild Men’, ‘The Men of 1924’ and ‘A Century of Labour’ review
JamesHoare
Tue, 01/30/2024 - 10:13
Classical Wisdom
Secrets of the Sibyls
Ancient Prophetesses
a year ago
TheCollector
Naumachia: The Gladiatorial Naval Battles of Ancient Rome
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
What Was the Sturmabteilung?
undefined
10 months ago
Res Obscura
Experiencing scientific revolutions: the 1660s and the 2020s
Lessons from Boyle's scientific desiderata and the Midgley Effect
a year ago
Lessons from Boyle's scientific desiderata and the Midgley Effect
TheCollector
How Is Ben Black Elk Associated with Mount Rushmore?
undefined
6 months ago
TheCollector
The Man-Eating Lions of Tsavo: A Dark & Strange Story
undefined
11 months ago
Hundred Rabbits
captain what is this
After 15 days on the water, we were to get into port. It was the 27th of June, and we'd left Opua on...
over a year ago
After 15 days on the water, we were to get into port. It was the 27th of June, and we'd left Opua on the 12th. We hove-to for the night, waiting for sunrise before entering Savusavu bay. 'Entering a strange harbor at night is for morons and fools,' people told us. We didn't...
Classical Wisdom
What is the Tall Poppy Syndrome?
Is it good, bad or relative?
6 months ago
Is it good, bad or relative?
TheCollector
Two Paintings Once Stolen by Nazis Are Donated to the Louvre Museum
undefined
6 months ago
TheCollector
Sotheby’s Sells Monet’s Water Lilies For $65.5 Million
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
Bull of Nimrud Replica Goes Back to Iraq
undefined
10 months ago
TheCollector
Face to Face Exhibit Offers Face Time With Fayum Portraits
undefined
8 months ago
TheCollector
How Did the Capetian Dynasty Turn France Into a Superpower?
undefined
5 months ago
TheCollector
10 Must-See Historic Sites in Armenia
undefined
4 months ago
TheCollector
Amerigo Vespucci & The Naming of the Americas
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
The Irish Migrations That Transformed Britain in the Dark Ages
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
Siege of the Sogdian Rock, 327 BCE: Alexander’s Winged Men
undefined
2 months ago
TheCollector
What Was the Gran Sasso Raid?
undefined
4 months ago
Global Inequality...
2x2 geopolitics
Wars and ideology simplified
5 months ago
Wars and ideology simplified
Flashbak
Gas Mask Photos: An Alternative Mask for the Halloween Season
The idea of disguise and wearing masks is central to art. From Saul Steinberg’s paper bag masks to...
2 months ago
The idea of disguise and wearing masks is central to art. From Saul Steinberg’s paper bag masks to those incredible masks of the African phantom, Wladyslaw T. Benda’s living masks and William Mortensen’s haunting portraits from West of Zanzibar, appearances are changed to deceive...
TheCollector
Cinema’s Epic History: From Then to Now
undefined
10 months ago
TheCollector
7 Rococo Artists You Need to Know
undefined
11 months ago
History Today Feed
Free French Bombers Over France
Free French Bombers Over France
JamesHoare
Mon, 09/16/2024 - 07:00
3 months ago
Free French Bombers Over France
JamesHoare
Mon, 09/16/2024 - 07:00
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup
Julius Caesar
9 months ago
TheCollector
Soviet Agent: Who Was Richard Sorge?
undefined
8 months ago
TheCollector
The Story of Atlas and His Eternal Burden: The God Who Holds the World
undefined
6 days ago
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup
Ancient Advice on Health & Fitness
4 months ago
Ancient Advice on Health & Fitness
TheCollector
10 Women Thinkers of the Enlightenment You Should Know
undefined
a year ago
Classical Wisdom
Secrets of the Sirens
The Original Femme Fatales?
a year ago
The Original Femme Fatales?
TheCollector
Anglo-Saxon England’s Last 50 Years: A True Game of Thrones
undefined
7 months ago
TheCollector
10 Historical Places to Visit in Hampshire
undefined
6 months ago
Res Obscura
How to use generative AI for historical research
Four real-world case studies, and some thoughts on what not to do
a year ago
Four real-world case studies, and some thoughts on what not to do
TheCollector
What Is Nestorianism?
undefined
2 months ago
TheCollector
The History of Chocolate: A Treat with a Dark Side?
undefined
10 months ago
TheCollector
Fascism vs. Modernism: Clash in Art & Design
undefined
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
What Did Christopher Columbus Discover?
undefined
a year ago
Flashbak
London By Tube, DLR and Overground in The Early 1990s
Today, I’m gonna take my bike ‘Cause once again the Tube’s on strike The greedy bastards want extra...
4 months ago
Today, I’m gonna take my bike ‘Cause once again the Tube’s on strike The greedy bastards want extra pay For sitting on their arse all day! – London Underground by The Amateur Transplants Peter Marshall shows us pictures of stations on the London Underground, Docklands light...
History Today Feed
The Powers of Soviet Puppetry
The Powers of Soviet Puppetry
JamesHoare
Tue, 08/06/2024 - 10:35
4 months ago
The Powers of Soviet Puppetry
JamesHoare
Tue, 08/06/2024 - 10:35
Classical Wisdom
The "New" Ancient City
Discovering Kavala...
7 months ago
Flashbak
Édouard Manet’s Illustrations of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’, 1875
The French poet and essayist Charles Baudelaire (1821-67) introduced Edgar Allan Poe to French...
a month ago
The French poet and essayist Charles Baudelaire (1821-67) introduced Edgar Allan Poe to French readers in 1847. Baudelaire, who saw Poe as a “sacred soul” and something of a kindred spirit, translated many of the American writer’s words into French, including Poe’s poem The...
TheCollector
6 (In)Famous Gunslingers of the Wild West
undefined
11 months ago
TheCollector
How the Nazis Looted Art in the Netherlands: Dienststelle Mühlmann
undefined
7 months ago
TheCollector
7 Iconic Works of the De Stijl Movement
undefined
7 months ago
TheCollector
Why Is Boston Called Beantown?
undefined
4 months ago
TheCollector
Margaret Fuller’s Dazzling Life: Interview with Dr. John T. Matteson
undefined
10 months ago
TheCollector
10 Must-Visit Towns With Thanksgiving Traditions
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
What is Objectivism? Ayn Rand’s Philosophy
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
The 6 Major Causes of the French Revolution
undefined
10 months 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...
4 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...
TheCollector
How Did Romania Become a Country?
undefined
2 months ago
TheCollector
What Is Hagia Sophia & Who Built It?
undefined
6 months ago
Flashbak
48 Hours In The Life of Andy Warhol, 1981
In spring of 1981, Andy Warhol (August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was setting up Myths, a...
a week ago
In spring of 1981, Andy Warhol (August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was setting up Myths, a portfolio of ten screenprints featuring fictional characters: The Star (Greta Garbo in her titular role in the 1931 film Mata Hari), Uncle Sam, The Witch (Margaret Hamilton, star of the...
TheCollector
10 Facts About the Curious Calvin Coolidge: The Coolest President?
undefined
a month ago
TheCollector
The 5 Most Significant Queens and Kings of Jerusalem
undefined
3 months ago
TheCollector
10 Facts About Odin the All-Father: Norse God of War & Wisdom
undefined
9 months ago
TheCollector
Who Was Frantz Fanon?
undefined
3 months ago
TheCollector
What Does it Mean to Break the Fourth Wall?
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
The Greek Revolution: How Greece Was Freed From the Ottomans
undefined
9 hours ago
Trying to Understand...
The Coming Of Neo-Tribalism.
Of honour, gangsters, nomadic tribes and of course identity politics.
6 months ago
Of honour, gangsters, nomadic tribes and of course identity politics.
TheCollector
Discover the Klondike Gold Rush: Frozen Riches
undefined
11 months ago
TheCollector
The Mind & Body Problem in the Philosophy of Baruch Spinoza
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
‘A Priori’ and ‘A Posteriori’ Knowledge: What Are They?
undefined
8 months ago
TheCollector
The Story of the Calydonian Boar Hunt in Greek Mythology
undefined
2 months ago
TheCollector
7 Wars That Nearly Happened (But Didn’t)
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
Two Major Native Rebellions Against Hellenistic Kings
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
How Found Objects Became Central to Modern Art
undefined
a week ago
TheCollector
5 Influential African Leaders of the 20th Century
undefined
a year ago
A Collection of...
Collections: Ancient Greek and Phoenician Colonization
Davis senatum consuluit a.d. III Idus Octobris apud aedem Patreontis; de colonis Graecis et Punicis...
a year ago
Davis senatum consuluit a.d. III Idus Octobris apud aedem Patreontis; de colonis Graecis et Punicis verba fecit… This week we’re taking a brief look, by ACOUP Senate request, at Greek and Phoenician colonization in the ancient Mediterranean. In particular, the focus requested was...
TheCollector
Rosemaling in America: Norwegian-American Folk Art (Origins & History)
undefined
a week ago
TheCollector
Jacques Lacan: Explaining the Imaginary, the Symbolic, and the Real
undefined
a year ago
Res Obscura
Post-postal
What did we lose when we stopped writing letters?
2 months ago
What did we lose when we stopped writing letters?
A Collection of...
Collections: How to Roman Republic 101, Part I: SPQR
This is the first of a planned five-part series looking at the structure of the Roman Republic as...
a year ago
This is the first of a planned five-part series looking at the structure of the Roman Republic as another example of civic governance structures in antiquity, to match our series on the Greek polis. As with that series, we’re going to start by defining our community and its...
TheCollector
Does Descartes Believe God Is Essential to Knowledge?
undefined
11 months ago
Classical Wisdom
Why Don’t We WANT To Be Wrong?
How can we develop our Many-sidedness?
10 months ago
How can we develop our Many-sidedness?
TheCollector
Medieval Anglo-French Wars (1076-1453): A Brief History
undefined
a month ago
Wrong Side of...
Your favourite half-British president
We could win bigly by courting Donald Trump
a month ago
We could win bigly by courting Donald Trump
History Today Feed
Spycraft and the Glorious Revolution
Spycraft and the Glorious Revolution
JamesHoare
Tue, 03/19/2024 - 09:20
9 months ago
Spycraft and the Glorious Revolution
JamesHoare
Tue, 03/19/2024 - 09:20
TheCollector
What Is the Will to Power?
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
Sorites Paradox: Why Traditional Logic Is Not Omnipotent
undefined
a month ago
Res Obscura
Simulating History with ChatGPT
The Case for LLMs as Hallucination Engines
a year ago
The Case for LLMs as Hallucination Engines
Trying to Understand...
Dealing With Foreigners ...
Is more complicated than you might think.
a year ago
Is more complicated than you might think.
TheCollector
Understanding Modern Art in 5 Artworks
undefined
10 months ago
TheCollector
The Nepalese Royal Massacre: Royalty Meets True Crime
undefined
4 months ago
Overcoming Bias
Tension-Filled Black Holes
Most matter pushes against nearby matter, via a positive “pressure.” That’s why Earth holds its...
a month ago
Most matter pushes against nearby matter, via a positive “pressure.” That’s why Earth holds its shape, instead of collapsing down to a point mass.
TheCollector
6 Inquisition Cases From Colonial Mexico
undefined
3 weeks ago
TheCollector
Ghiberti vs. Brunelleschi: The Renaissance Competition
undefined
6 months ago
Flashbak
Postcards From The First Bauhaus Exhibition, 1923
To promote their first major exhibition, from 15 August to 30 September 1923, members of Germany’s...
a month ago
To promote their first major exhibition, from 15 August to 30 September 1923, members of Germany’s Bauhaus design school (der Bauhäusler) produced a set of postcards. Fellow lovers of collecting postcards (deltiology) understand the joy of holding these small picturesque moments...
TheCollector
Edward Colston Statue to be Lastingly Installed in Bristol Museum
undefined
10 months ago
TheCollector
3 Most Notable Republican Presidents in US History
undefined
2 months ago
TheCollector
10 Historic Towns in Oregon Worth Visiting
undefined
a week ago
TheCollector
What Were the Most Controversial Suffragette Protests?
undefined
4 months ago
TheCollector
Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Everything You Need to Know About the Tragedy
undefined
4 months ago
TheCollector
7 Scientific Tools Archaeologists Use to Uncover the Viking World
undefined
9 months ago
TheCollector
When Henry VIII Met Francis I: The Field of the Cloth of Gold
undefined
6 months ago
TheCollector
The Dallas Museum of Art Laid Off Eight Percent of Its Staff
undefined
a year ago
TheCollector
Get to Know Audrey Flack, Icon of Photorealism
undefined
7 months ago
Full Width 
Shortcuts 
Sign Up 
Log In 
Articles 
Reading List 