BoredReading

The Mad Genius Who Gave Us the Elements

3 weeks ago

from Classical Wisdom in history

Empedocles: The Eccentric Philosopher

How Dark Age Britain Created Welsh Mythology

3 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

Many mythologies from around the world are based in a historical setting. For example, in the case of ancient Greek mythology, many scholars agree...

London’s World West: Harlesden in 1997

3 weeks ago

from Flashbak in history

Harlesden was once a Saxon settlement. The Domesday Book calls it “Hervlvestvne”. In 1997, Harlesden was in the London borough of Brent, as it remains...

What Did an Ottoman Sultan Eat In a Day?

3 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ottoman palace kitchens were places where delicious and innovative foods emerged. A sultan’s personal tastes,...

A Little Intelligence ...

3 weeks ago

from Trying to Understand the World in history

... about Intelligence.

The Unique History of Wales (From the Stone Age)

3 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

Many people are confused and think that Wales, in the United Kingdom, is a part of England, something that angers most Welsh people due to the...

How to Have Willpower

3 weeks ago

from Classical Wisdom in history

Ancient Meditations and Modern Psychology on Self-Control

What Were the Founding Principles of Monophysitism?

3 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

Monophysitism is a belief that Jesus Christ had only one divine nature, rather than a nature that was both fully divine and fully human within one...

How Hertha Ayrton Made Waves

3 weeks ago

from History Today Feed in history

How Hertha Ayrton Made Waves JamesHoare Wed, 07/16/2025 - 09:05

Hygiene and Bathing in the Middle Ages

3 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

The Middle Ages has a reputation for being a time when the average person lived in filth and squalor, bathing was unheard of, and personal hygiene was...

Ulissi Aldrovandi’s Monstrorum Historia: Dragons And Other Real Monsters

3 weeks ago

from Flashbak in history

“I have never described any thing without first having seen it with my eyes” – Ulissi Aldrovandi, who shows us dragons and other monsters in his...

Get to Know Venerable Bede, the Father of English History

3 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

Bede is remembered today chiefly as a historian. Yet he was a dynamic intellectual giant in the Early Middle Ages and his most famous historical work...

On the Spot: Kathleen DuVal

3 weeks ago

from History Today Feed in history

On the Spot: Kathleen DuVal JamesHoare Tue, 07/15/2025 - 08:09

What Did the Emancipation Proclamation Do?

3 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

Issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, this executive order declared freedom for enslaved people in Confederate territories....

A Tale of Zeus as a Goose

3 weeks ago

from Classical Wisdom in history

The Totally Unhinged Story Behind the Stars

What Was the Significance of Philippi and Colossae in Biblical History?

3 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

The Apostle Paul traveled throughout much of the Roman Empire in the first century spreading Christianity and preaching to people and churches. Two of...

‘I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer’ by Mary Beth North review

3 weeks ago

from History Today Feed in history

‘I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer’ by Mary Beth North review JamesHoare Mon, 07/14/2025 - 08:42

An Anciente Mappe of Fairyland by Bernard Sleigh, 1920

3 weeks ago

from Flashbak in history

“I believe in Faeries. It is very natural and not a bit foolish; for in these days we are quickly learning how little we know of any other world than...

How Solomon’s Wisdom Shaped a Kingdom

3 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

Solomon is synonymous with the honor, prosperity, and riches of Israel. These material things were never his goal but were the result of his desire to...

Weekly Wisdom Quiz

3 weeks ago

from Classical Wisdom in history

Destiny and... Death Rays?

The Passionate (& Controversial) Relationship of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

3 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

In 1929, 22-year-old Mexican painter Frida Kahlo married muralist Diego Rivera, who was two decades her senior. More than lovers, their mutual...

Stephen Salmieri: First Photos of Coney Island, 1967 – 1972

3 weeks ago

from Flashbak in history

“I used to be a fireball of energy – if I had two or three days a week to spare where I wasn’t on an assignment I was out with my camera in the city....

What Is Structuralism? (Definition & Facts)

3 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

Structuralists say structures can be uncovered anywhere—from human behavior to star clusters and snowflakes to mathematics. In fact, structuralism...

The Fireworks King: Brock’s Pyrotechnics: The History and Art of Firework Making, 1922

3 weeks ago

from Flashbak in history

“My object has not been to write a text-book on firework-making, but rather to trace the art from earliest times, and to give a description of the...

How the Roman Aeminium Became Coimbra, One of Portugal’s Oldest Cities

3 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

Present-day Coimbra hides an extraordinary past. Here, you can find the most well-preserved cryptoporticus from the Roman Empire and the richest...

Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part I: Households

4 weeks ago

from A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry in history

This is the first post in a series discussing the basic contours of life – birth, marriage, labor, subsistence, death – of pre-modern peasants and...

What Are the 5 Biggest Islands in the World?

4 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

Less than 30 percent of the world’s surface is covered in land, yet this is still a massive amount of space that humans have sought to explore and...

Fate and Free Will

4 weeks ago

from Classical Wisdom in history

The Stoic Perspective

The Real Story of Henry V, England’s Warrior King

4 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

Few monarchs have captured the imagination of a nation as much as King Henry V (r. 1413-22). The inspiration behind hundreds of books, plays, and...

1960s London Through A Russian Horizont Panoramic Camera

4 weeks ago

from Flashbak in history

We’ve been to East London in the 1960s with Tony Hall before, heading down the pub and to the shops. Now we get to see the streets in panoramic...

Medieval Battles Marked by Stunning Underdog Victories

4 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

Medieval battles were brutal, blood-soaked grind. Clever tactics and strong leadership often mattered, yet true upsets happened only when the weaker...

God’s Machines: Descartes and Nature

4 weeks ago

from History Today Feed in history

God’s Machines: Descartes and Nature JamesHoare Thu, 07/10/2025 - 09:08

Can the Real King Arthur Be Identified as Athrwys of Gwent?

4 weeks ago

from TheCollector in history

The search for the real King Arthur has occupied historians for centuries. Often, arguments center on the idea that a real historical person was the...

Archimedes The Super Villain

a month ago

from Classical Wisdom in history

The Death Ray Of Syracuse

How the Plantation of Ulster Transformed Irish Society

a month ago

from TheCollector in history

The Plantation of Ulster was a major colonial enterprise that transformed a formerly rebellious province into a stronghold for the British Crown in...

Jürgen Schadeberg: Happy Hour

a month ago

from Flashbak in history

Flashbak: What makes a good photograph? Jürgen Schadeberg: Content, composition and training. In the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Jürgen Schadeberg (18...

Which Is the “Better” Sword? Katana vs Longsword

a month ago

from TheCollector in history

Among martial arts enthusiasts and certain internet circles, a fierce debate rages: between the knightly longsword and the Japanese katana, which is...

The Long And The Short Of It.

a month ago

from Trying to Understand the World in history

Or, in defence of nuance.

What Is the Venice Biennale? History, Highlights, and Global Art Impact

a month ago

from TheCollector in history

Every other year, Venice transforms its winding network of canals into a citywide art gallery. The Venice Biennale is often referred to as “the...