Historical Events
The Julio Claudian Dynasty: First Caesars of Rome (Part Two)
It is the 24th of January, AD 41. The 28-year-old Emperor of the Roman Empire, a favorite mascot of the army who had ascended unchallenged to the throne only four years earlier…
The Roots of Carnival? New Finds Suggest Seasonal Parties in Pre-Columbian Brazil
Brazil is famous for its Carnival season, an almost week-long party which unifies the country in a spirit of feasting, drinking, and of course dancing. This is traditionally held just before Lent,…
The SS Bessemer: the Worst Idea in Nautical History?
This is a story about an inventor and his invention. It is the story of striving to create something new and innovation in problem solving. It is also, perhaps more than anything,…
Good Men Do Nothing: How Hitler Conquered Germany
From the perspective of history, there is a danger that Hitler is seen as an inevitability. Far more interesting to focus on the Nazi excesses once they were in power (more lurid),…
Right Man, Right Place, Right Time: The Rise of Napoleon
In 1799 France changed forever. After a decade of rumbling discontent regarding the concentration of wealth towards the powerful and the exploitation of the masses who were facing widespread starvation, the French…
Dracula, Stoker’s Vision and the Path to the Modern Vampire
When Dracula was published in 1897 it was an instant success, but one built on an old legend. The strange gothic count of the novel may have been new, but the legend…