Full Width 
Shortcuts 
Sign Up 
Log In 
Articles 
Reading List More from Open Culture
?si=yeo1Xsu2ZLuCpQbC Most scientists are prepared to answer questions about their research from other members of their field; rather fewer have equipped themselves to answer questions from the general public about what Douglas Adams called life, the universe, and everything. Carl Sagan was one of that minority, an expert “science communicator” before science communication was recognized […]
In 22 lectures, Yale historian Paul Freedman takes you on a 700-year tour of medieval history. Moving from 284‑1000 AD, this free online course covers “the conversion of Europe to Christianity, the fall of the Roman Empire, the rise of Islam and the Arabs, the ‘Dark Ages,’ Charlemagne and the Carolingian renaissance, and the […]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sQ_cfZ8q9kVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled: Jackson Pollock: the Myth of the Modern Artist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sQ_cfZ8q9k) In his lifetime, Jackson Pollock had only one successful art show. It took place at the Betty Parsons Gallery in New York in November 1949, and afterward, his fellow abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning declared that “Jackson has […]
Image by Mario Casciano via Wikimedia Commons Music is dangerous and powerful, and can be, without intending to, a political weapon. All authoritarian regimes have understood this, including repressive elements in the U.S. throughout the Cold War. I remember having books handed to me before the Berlin Wall came down, by family friends fearful of […]
This week, Brian Wilson became the last of the Wilson brothers to shuffle off this mortal coil. Dennis, the first of the Wilsons to go, died young in 1983 — but not before offering this memorable assessment of the family musical project: “Brian Wilson is the Beach Boys. He is the band. We’re his messengers. […]
More in history
‘Strike’ by Sarah E. Bond review JamesHoare Tue, 06/17/2025 - 08:00
“Each of us … constructs and lives a ‘narrative’ and is defined by this narrative … I suspect that a feeling for stories, for narrative, is a universal human disposition, going with our powers of language, consciousness of self, and autobiographical memory.” – Oliver Sacks, the writer and neurologist whose writing gave insight to his … Continue reading "Oliver Sacks: Why the Oxford English Dictionary is the most ‘coveted and desirable book in the world’" The post Oliver Sacks: Why the Oxford English Dictionary is the most ‘coveted and desirable book in the world’ appeared first on Flashbak.
Some famous paintings are not what they seem at first glance. Some symbols and forms transform over the years, leaving viewers unable to decode the true intentions of artists, even if it is a well-known and revered one. For example, for almost two centuries, art historians debated the gender identity of one of Caravaggio’s […]
In 1984, Melanie turned 18. Margaret Thatcher was prime Minister and the UK was mired by the seismic Miners’ Strike (here, here, here and here). Home to Leeds for the Christmas holidays, Melanie’s daughter Victoria Gill was going through her stuff when she spotted two old boxes of photos under the bed. She found … Continue reading "Melanie’s ‘Average Weekends’ out in Leeds in 1984" The post Melanie’s ‘Average Weekends’ out in Leeds in 1984 appeared first on Flashbak.
The post-Roman era of Britain is synonymous with the Dark Ages. Due to the very name of this era, many today view it as a time during which society had collapsed and Britain was in chaos. While such a view is not entirely without basis, there was still considerable development and intellectual progress. In […]
