For today’s historical highlights let’s begin with some literary news…
A limited edition reproduction of the handwritten manuscript of Jane Eyre will be published next month. (If you’re curious, the pre-order price is $284 USD.)
If you’ve never heard of Operation Paperclip, read on.
How is technology used in archaeology? Geophysical techniques and ground-penetrating radar were used to uncover the cemetery at the largest monastic ruins in the UK.
This Columbian archaeological site reveals a city 650 years older than Machu Picchu.
This article includes the gem: “By complete accident, Flakall had invented the world’s first corn snack extruder.”
Learn about the connection between alchemy and illumination here.
Enjoy scrapbooking? You might like to revive the Victorian craze for collecting seaweed. “[N]ot only does each specimen’s strange color and shape present a design challenge, its gelatinous inner structure means that, when pressed onto paper, it actually glues itself to the page.”
Have you heard of “propaganda kimonos”?
This article on astronomical features in Roman Catholic churches includes a great quotation from Paul Mueller, administrative vice director of the Vatican Observatory: “If we are doing math, if we are doing science—for that matter, if we are doing art—any human activity done with generosity and reverence is acting in God’s image. Science is included in that.”
Here’s a directory of 66 museums that each collect one specific thing.
To end, here are two short, interesting videos:
- A 1955 video on how globes are made
- A video from ArtFundUK demonstrating how Picasso created the linocut “Still Life Under the Lamp”
