In the environs of modern Iraq the Yazidi peoples have continuously practiced Sharfadin, an ancient and swiftly diminishing (because of horrific religious persecution) religion, for thousands of years. Although elements of the Abrahamic religions and Zoroastrianism appear in Sharfadin, it it a religion into its own self. It teaches monotheism, but also that seven angels
The “Peacock Angel” of Sharfadin Read More »
In the midst of the Gila National Forest in New Mexico stands this cross-topped mound. It marks the crypt and burial site of Sergeant James Cooney, and the marker besides the grave tells readers that Cooney was killed by Indians in 1880 as he tried to warn settlers about an upcoming Indian raid. What the
New Mexico’s Gila National Forest Read More »
Squint a bit, and you will be able to see things that look like white circles along a horizontal axis in the center of this photo. They are not raindrops, but six of the twenty-seven enormous radio telescopes that make up the Very Large Array. Located on a remote plain off Highway 60 in central
Very Large Array Telescopes of New Mexico Read More »
In the very late 19th- and early 20th- centuries, the Spiritualist movement had a strong influence in Western Europe and the United States. Many adherents believed that spiritual mediums could guide listeners in conversations among the living and dead during seances. One of the oddest components of these otherworldly gatherings was a substance called ectoplasm,
Seances and Ectoplasm Read More »
Rapunzel Syndrome gets its name from the fairy tale first published in writing in 1790, although earlier renditions go back to the early 1600s. Whereas the character Rapunzel uses her long hair to let a prince into her tower, in the syndrome, the person with the illness eats their hair. The hairball settles in the
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This first photo is of Francis Scott Key’s original manuscript for the lyrics to “The Star Spangled Banner,” the American national anthem, written in 1814. The second photo highlights a portion of the lesser-known third stanza, which castigates the “hireling and slave” fighting against the U.S. side, promising them “no refuge.” Drawing attention to these
The Third Stanza of “The Star Spangled Banner” Read More »
Death by hanging was practiced in the UK until the abolition of the death penalty in 1964/5. Those who befell this execution did not all die easily, sometimes gasping for breath for a quarter of an hour before their lives mercifully ended. This is why the contraption invented by a man from Early Modern England,
Early Modern European Death Penalties Read More »
This mother chimpanzee is using stones to crack open a nut, as a child watches and learns. The skill-level needed for this operation is difficult (finding the right anvil-shaped stone, using another proper-sized stone to bang, learning how to position the nut, etc), and it will be until the young chimp is about six before
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In 1863, only four and a half months after the tide had turned for the Union armies in the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln gave the iconic “Gettsyburg Address” speech close to where this photo was taken. In just 271 words, he artfully articulated the goal of the United States government as one that
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Fallingwater is the most iconic home of the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright for good reason. The building was constructed during the Great Depression, and integrates the natural landscape of running water, stone, and woodlands throughout. Windows and walls beckon to rather than barricade from the outside terraces. Fallingwater was created in the middle of
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Great disoveries in mathematics and sciences ought to be celebrated, but a challenge for most of us non-specialists is understanding what exactly it is that we are supposed to be admiring. Amalie “Emmy” Noether (d. 1935) was, according to many great minds (such as Albert Einstein), the most important female mathematician in history. Her accomplishments
The Three Phases of Amalie “Emmy” Noether Read More »
Tomorrow, July 20, 2019, will mark the 50th anniversary of the landing of Apollo 11 on the moon: the module of the spacecraft called _Eagle_ settled on the _Sea of Tranquility_, a relatively smooth, basalt area of its surface. The poetic name Mare Tranquilitatis was coined by two astonomers: the first was the 17th-century scientist
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When Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed on the moon fifty years ago, one of their ritualistic actions was to place memorabilia on the surface that honored both American and Soviet cosmonauts who had died in their pursuit of forwarding humanity’s quest for discovery in outer space. One of the cosmonauts was Vladimir Komarov, pictured
Memories of Vladimir Komarov Read More »
The concentration of human-created beauty might be no greater than in Florence, where works by the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance overflow. Across the centuries, travelers have made their way to immerse themselves in the visual spectacle that abounds. So overpowering was the sense of beauty to the French author Marie-Henri Beyle (d. 1842),
Marie-Henri Beyle and the Human-Created Beauty of Florence Read More »
This is the private library of American business tycoon Pierpoint Morgan (d. 1913), and it is a wonder to behold. Its three balconies of books are reached by hidden staircases behind bookshelves. Sumptuous Renaissance-inspired bookcases pack thousands of rare volumes. The ceilings and upper walls are covered with ornate paintings of allegorical figures representing various
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Sheet music written by Franz Schubert in 1826, called the “Rondo Brilliant.” It was designed to showcase the vituosity of a specific violinist Schubert worked with, and was the only piece he wrote for violin and piano published in the artist’s lifetime. Schubert, who had many loves but suffered from bouts of depression throughout his
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The smallpox vaccination has been one of the greatest contributions science has made to better the human condition. Although Edward Jenner has justly earned credit for his development of the vaccine, an 18th-century British aristocratic woman named Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) also deserves recognition. Montagu was a “Turkophile,” and published many writings critiquing the confining
Mary Wortley Montagu and the Treatment of Smallpox Read More »
The small village of Mesilla in New Mexico was the site of archtypical American Old West cultural traditions: developing railroads, silver mines and cattle ranches, wars against the American Indians, and showdowns among ineffective government officials were commonplace in the Arizona and New Mexico territories of the late 19th century. Billy the Kid, ne Henry
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The Musee Horta (1898) embodies the style of Art Nouveau of the late 19th century. Known for its attention to beauty and incorporation of nature, Victor Horta designed this building in Brussels originally as his home. You can see the pronounced use of glass and steel – typical elements of his construction. The fluctuating movement
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Malaria has been an extraordinary shaper of history. Dated as far back as 30 million years old, this protoza really took off after the agricultural revolution (not surprising, since it thrives in mosquitos, who love the standing waters that frequently accompany cleared out lands). Some scientists believe Malaria to be the single-biggest killer in human
Malaria and its Shaping of History Read More »
