The term “Renaissance Man” is a reasonably well known one, which draws a pretty wide set of definitions but which basically refers to someone who is accomplished in multiple fields seen as desirable by their peers and superiors. This, both in the Renaissance and the modern day, is a big ask. It comes with assumptions
Politics in the modern world is increasingly divisive. In the US political system labels matter, and it can be the death knell for a political career to be called “socialist” in reference to your ideas. Putting aside the fact that all federal and state-wide policies are by definition socialist, funded centrally from tax revenues, there
There are few symbols of the US as well-known as the Statue of Liberty. The enormous neoclassical sculpture, 46 meters tall and clad in copper, may be the single most recognizable emblem of the United States worldwide. The statue itself is filled with meaningful touches. Her foot stands on a broken shackle, which remembers the
For those with a mind to search for them, there are many rumoured lost treasures out there. Some are certainly waiting to be find, sunken ships loaded with valuables or hidden caches. Others are more fanciful. The sad truth is that most “lost” treasures were simply disappeared into the pockets of whoever happened to be
Ever wondered why proponents of medieval alchemy thought they could turn lead into gold? Such a transmogrification seems the stuff of fantasy to us with our modern understanding of matter, chemistry and physics, but alchemists had none of this. And, as it turns out, their thinking was quite sophisticated for the Middle Ages. Strip away
Nuclear power is among the most complex and advanced technologies we have developed as a species. Our fission reactors are some of the most complicated machines and systems ever built, which is hardly surprising given what occurs at their heart. Nuclear fission, whereby atoms of uranium are bombarded by neutrons which they absorb, causing them