This view on top of the Beehive Trail in Acadia is enjoyed by hundreds of people every summer day in the national park. As one follows the adjoining Gorham Mountain and Bowl trails (in the picture the pond is the Bowl), the plaque on the fourth slide appears, dedicated to a “Waldron Bates” (d. 1909), […]
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“Snake Oil” earned the connotation of being a huckster’s fake medical treatment in the early 20th century thanks largely to the efforts of one Clarke Stanley, whose infamous product is featured here. However, the actual origins of snake oil as a medicinal product have a different and more legitimate background in Chinese traditional medicine. Clarke
Origins of Snake Oil Read More »
This quote has risen in the public consciousness since the premier of _Oppenheimer_, the film. The father of the atomic bomb recalled this phrase turning in his mind as he witnessed the first nuclear bomb explode at the Trinity test site on July 16, 1945. It turns out, Robert Oppenheimer was extremely well versed in
Oppenheimer and Philosophy Read More »
It’s not-so-nice to know that the Andrew Tates of this world were preceded by a long legacy of women haters. Take one Joseph Swetnam (d. 1621), an Englishman who is famous for the first extant fencing manual to be written in English but also a super-popular pamphlet called “The Arraignment of Lewd, Idle, Froward, and
Joseph Swetnam and Rebuttal to His Misogynist Pamphlet Read More »
Vlad “the Impaler” III, aka, one of the inspirations behind the Dracula character (he was also known as Vlad Dracula), just had a study published on him, and he might have had a condition that made him cry tears of blood. Metal. Just as a refresher, Vlad III (d 1476/7) was an Early Modern ruler
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Many are looking forward to the fall because of the cooler nights, pumpkin-spice everything, and the changing leaves: here’s a Medieval skeleton to enhance the mood. This chap, known to archaeologists as T US 380, lived between the 6th and 8th centuries among the Longobard peoples in Italy. He had had a hard life, dying
Early Medieval Knife Prothesis Read More »
IN CASE you were wondering whether Ancient Romans worshipped a God of genitalia, the answer is yes, yes they most certainly did. Let me introduce you to the deity Priapus. He is really not difficult to miss. Priapus was originally introduced to the Romans via the Greeks, as per usual. His gigantic erection was a
When the artist Larry Harvey first set fire to a 9-foot wooden effigy of a man and began a ceremony now celebrated annually at Black Rock City, Nevada, he had never heard of the famous 1973 cult horror film, “The Wicker Man,” which took its cue from an alleged Celtic practice of human sacrifice. In
Women’s interest in birth control can be traced back in time as far as historical records permit. This Ancient Egyptian condom might date from the Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Not shown – because we only have a description in the Kahun Medical Papyrus from 1825 BCE – is a pessary (a mixture of substances inserted into the
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General Flavius Aetius, considered by many to have been the last capable Roman leader in the Western Empire, defended Rome from the invasions of the Huns. He was assassinated by a weak Roman Emperor who allegedly boasted how well he had done by the act. Supposedly, one of the emperor’s courtiers responded: “whether you have
As the 1300s began, the Christian-held areas of Spain saw an influx of slaves from a variety of cultures: Greeks, Armenians, Turks, foreign Muslims, and sub-Saharan Africans. While Christians (as well as Muslims and Jews) had legally enslaved people for centuries, they were newly confronted with the fact that some of their Muslim neighbors were
Medieval slavery and blackness Read More »
This is the July 31, 1978 cover of Time magazine, heralding the origin of in vitro fertilization which had been made possible in the previous years with the efforts of Robert Edwards, Patrick Steptoe, Barry Bavister, and Jean Purdy. Purdy had been the one to actually create the first human embryo through IVF, and held the
This woodblock print from about 1787 is by the Japanese artist Torii Kiyonaga, and it’s one of the most elegant examples of the distinct art from the Edo period in Japan, a time when the country’s artistic creativity generated works admired both at home and by Europeans. “Interior of a bathhouse” shows several women in
Torii Kiyonaga the Woodcut Artist Who Focused on Women and Erotica Read More »
This is a beautiful modern artistic rendition of one of China’s most famous poets: Li Qingzhao (1084- ca. 1155). Her works reflect a sort of artistic craftsmanship that cannot be translated into English, and also a unique window into a woman’s mind from a time of strident patriarchy. Most of her writings have been lost,
Li Qingzhao the Famous Medieval Chinese Poetess Read More »
Automata are machines that operate on their own, and have been around since Ancient Egyptian times. Often they are automated animals or people designed to impress an audience. This one might give you nightmares. Tragically, the “Automaton of a Friar” that you see here is currently not on display at the National Museum of American
