During 2023, the landscape of historical literature was enriched by a diverse range of compelling and insightful books. These publications, hailed as some of the best history books of the year, stand out for their thorough research, engaging narratives, and innovative perspectives on past events. 1) Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation […]
What are the best history books of 2023? Read More »
Beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder, and while Xin Zhui was certainly a beautiful woman during her life, most wouldn’t consider her to be so 2,100 years later. But for a certain group of scientists and researchers, the mummy of Xin Zhui would be one of the more incredible, if
Xin Zhui: The amazingly preserved 2,100 year old mummy Read More »
Within the cockpit of her Yakovlev Yak-1, it’s possible that most of Lydia Litvyak’s enemies had little idea that it was a woman that would be their downfall. In a men-dominated field, Lydia Litvyak was as deadly a fighter pilot as any. Her career was short but bright, and even after her death, she would
Lydia Litvyak: The daring female Soviet fighter ace Read More »
From the sprawling fields of Rohan to the white spires of Minas Tirith, Middle Earth is so familiar, and so fully formed, that sometimes it’s hard to comprehend that it isn’t real. J.R.R Tolkien set out to write just a simple children’s book about a little Hobbit going on an adventure, and in the process,
JRR Tolkien and the creation of Middle Earth Read More »
One child can be a handful, and each additional one adds more responsibility and even stress on even the most even-keeled of parents. Families can come in all sorts of sizes, but eventually, a lot of parents ask themselves “How many kids are too many?”. For the Vassilyev family, the answer was quite unique. For
Feodor Vassilyev: The man who fathered 69 children Read More »
Shipwrecks–there’s something infinitely fascinating about them. Whether it be a wreck as famous as the Titanic or the lesser-known shipwrecks of the Great Lakes, every single one of them is interesting. These shipwrecks have spawned books, movies, and even songs like Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. Maritime history is full to the
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In the world of medieval Europe, there were many kingdoms that rose and fell, shaping the course of history both in their existence and in their destruction. In this time of kings and queens, some figures rose above the rest. One such figure is Clovis I, a king of France who is regarded as the
Clovis I: The king who united the Franks Read More »
During sunny, warm beach days, kids could be found on the shores of Brittany, France, dipping their feet in the water, building sandcastles, looking for seashells… And finding bright orange Garfield heads, buried in the sand among a graveyard of phone cords, receivers, and numerical buttons. You see, the beaches in Brittany didn’t just provide
Garfield phones have been washing ashore in France for years Read More »
Few civilizations have had as much of an impact on the modern world as ancient Greece. Once a collection of city-states, Greece was a haven for art, intellectualism, and education. But like so many other mighty civilizations of the time, Greece’s meteoric rise could only be ended by an equally intense fall. The decline of
Why did ancient Greece decline? Read More »
Today, school shootings are something we have become all too familiar with, even numb to. But back in the 70s, school shootings were unheard of. Brenda Ann Spencer was a 16 year old student who lived across the street from Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. On the morning of January 29, 1979, she
Brenda Ann Spencer: A Bad Case of the Mondays Read More »
