The Great Dionysia, also known as the Festival of Dionysus, was an ancient Greek dramatic festival held in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine, festivity and theatre, amongst other things. During the festival, playwrights would compete to entertain the Athenian masses. Many famous playwrights, as well as famous plays, have won the contests in the festival. For example, Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes won in 467 BC and Sophocles' Oedipus Rex took second place in 427 BC.
Bonus: A flyer I made for the festival with some added information about the events!
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16th-century Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe had a pet moose that lived inside Brahe's castle and also developed a love for Danish beer. At one dinner, the moose became extremely drunk and Brahe's biographer Pierre Gassendi writes, "the moose had ascended the castle stairs and drunk of the beer in such amounts that it had fallen down [them].” The moose died shortly after.
The Great Dionysia, also known as the Festival of Dionysus, was an ancient Greek dramatic festival held in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine, festivity and theatre, amongst other things. During the festival, playwrights would compete to entertain the Athenian masses. Many famous playwrights, as well as famous plays, have won the contests in the festival. For example, Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes won in 467 BC and Sophocles' Oedipus Rex took second place in 427 BC.
Bonus: A flyer I made for the festival with some added information about the events!
James Pomeroy, also known as the Boston Boy Fiend, was the youngest person in the history of Massachusetts to be convicted of first-degree murder, being 14 years old. He tortured several people and killed 2, making him the youngest serial killer in US history. He went on trial for the murder of 4 year old Horace Millen in 1874 and was sentenced to death, although this was commuted to life in prison in solitary confinement.
Portrait of Petrus Gonsalvus, circa 1580. Gonsalvus had hypertrichosis, also known as werewolf syndrome, which caused him to have abnormal amounts of hair growth on his body. At the age of ten, he was gifted to Henry II, King of France. Gonsalvus had seven children, four of whom also had hypertrichosis, and his life may have been a partial inspiration for the fairytale Beauty and the Beast.
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James Hemings (1765-1801), an enslaved chef who worked under Thomas Jefferson. He was the first American to train as a chef in France and is credited for introducing macaroni and cheese into American culture. In 1802, Jefferson served "macaroni pie" at a state dinner, which was very likely Hemings' recipe, and the dish grew in popularity from then on.
A decorated aluminum canteen, carved by a Russian soldier in a prisoner of war camp in Czersk, Poland during WW1. It is an example of "trench art", i.e. decorated items made by soldiers, POWs, or civilians during warfare/conflict.
Chess pieces made out of antler discovered in Northampton, England, circa the late 12th century. Chess, originally from the Arab world, was introduced to Europe via Persia, the Byzantine Empire, and the expanding Arabian empire. It became popular amongst the upper classes, who played with ornate pieces made out of elephant or walrus ivory. Less wealthy people played with less ornate pieces made out of materials such as antler and bone.
Belka (left) and Strelka (right), two dogs that were aboard Korabl-Sputnik 2 (aka Sputnik 5). Along with several mice and rats, they were the first animals to go into orbit and return alive. They spent one day in space, with Korabl-Sputnik 2 launching on August 19th, 1960, and landing on August 20th, 1960. One of Strelka's puppies, Pushinka, would later be gifted to the Kennedys.
Pushinka with her puppies on the White House Lawn, 1963, photographed by Cecil Stoughton.
Pushinka (Russian for "fluffy") was the daughter of Strelka, one of the dogs that the USSR had sent to space aboard the Korabl-Sputnik 2 on August 19th, 1960. Nikita Khrushchev gifted Pushinka to the Kennedys, marking a bright spot in the Cold War tensions. Pushinka and Charlie, one of the Kennedys' other dogs, had four puppies, which JFK called "the pupniks".
Below is a letter JFK wrote to Khrushchev, thanking him for Pushinka:
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cold war historiography: the post-revisionist view
During the 1970s, a new school of thought dubbed post-revisionism began to emerge, and argued that the foundations for the Cold War were neither the fault of the US nor the USSR. Post-revisionists attempted to strike a balance between revisionist and orthodox camps, identifying areas of responsibility on both sides. Overall, they argued that the Cold War was caused by miscommunication, conflicting interests, misunderstandings and poor diplomacy.
notable post-revisionists
John Lewis Gaddis: Argued that the Cold War was due to a) in 1945 the US policy changed, and the USSR was only trying to react to the change, b) the US misread Soviet intentions, c) the ideologies of the US and USSR were incompatible but did not need to lead to war, d) confusion surrounding foreign policy, both sides didn’t know if the other was being serious.
Thomas G. Paterson: Viewed Soviet hostility and United States efforts to dominate the postwar world as equally responsible for the Cold War
Revisionism reached its peak during the Vietnam War, when many historians were disillusioned by the US government and began to rethink the traditionalist view. Essentially, revisionists blamed the US for the Cold War. They argued that following World War 2, Stalin’s main priority was to recover from the devastation of the war years, whereas the US was trying to ensure an "open door" for American trade. They place the responsibility for the Cold War on the US' liberal economic policy, which allowed it to prosper in foreign markets and thus gain more political influence in those regions. Revisionists cite the US' involvement in postwar European reconstruction (e.g. the Marshall Plan) as an example of the US’ actions being motivated by the desire to establish economic dominance in Europe, which forced the USSR to consolidate its power and assets in central and eastern Europe to prevent American expansion. Overall, revisionists argued that the US was the aggressor while the USSR was defending itself.
notable revisionists
William Appleman Williams: A pioneer of the revisionist perspective. Argued that the US foreign policy was not attempting to spread democracy, but attempting to spread capitalism and free trade.
Gar Alperovitz: Argued that the US used atomic bombs to intimidate the Soviets and strengthen the US' standing while negotiating with the USSR.
Denna Fleming: Criticized Truman and the Truman Doctrine specifically, deeming it explicitly confrontational and aggressive. He argued that the Soviets did not have any desire to start a war against the West.
cold war historiography: the traditionalist/orthodox view
Traditionalists follow the official US government perspective: that the Cold War was a direct result of Stalin’s aggressive Soviet expansionism. This view was predominant until the 1960s, and remains a very popular and common perspective on the Cold War. Traditionalists argue that the USSR's aggressive intentions are reflected in the Communist coup in Czechoslovakia, the Berlin Blockade, the North Korean attack on South Korea, etc.; the Soviet expansionist policy forced the US to intervene, leading to the outbreak of the Cold War.
notable traditionalists
George Kennan: Advocated for a policy of containment during the Cold War since he believed the Soviet Union did not see the possibility for long-term peaceful co-existence, which he outlined in his "Long Telegram".
Herbert Feis: Argued that the Soviet aggression in Eastern Europe led to the Cold War. He also argued that Franklin Roosevelt's policies on Stalin and his “surrender” to him at the 1945 Yalta Conference led to the destabilizing of the European balance of power.
Thomas A. Bailey: Argued that the breakdown of postwar peace was the result of Soviet expansionism. He argued that Stalin had violated the agreements made at Yalta, imposed Soviet-dominated regimes on unwilling Eastern European populations, and conspired to spread communism throughout the world.
Tsutomu Yamaguchi, a Japanese engineer who survived both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, and the only person officially recognized as a survivor of the two events.
He lived in Nagasaki and was in Hiroshima on a business trip on August 6th, 1945. The first atomic bomb explosion ruptured his eardrums and gave him serious burns. The following day, he returned to Nagasaki. Despite being injured, he returned to work on August 9th and was describing the Hiroshima explosion to his boss, who said that Yamaguchi was crazy. While he was still trying to explain, a second atomic bomb was dropped over Nagasaki, although this time Yamaguchi was relatively unhurt.
Belka (left) and Strelka (right), two dogs that were aboard Korabl-Sputnik 2 (aka Sputnik 5). Along with several mice and rats, they were the first animals to go into orbit and return alive. They spent one day in space, with Korabl-Sputnik 2 launching on August 19th, 1960, and landing on August 20th, 1960. One of Strelka's puppies, Pushinka, would later be gifted to the Kennedys.
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Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman politician, elected as plebeian tribune (an office originally set up to protect the interests of the common people) in 133 BC. The same year, he was beaten to death along with his supporters in a riot sparked by his opponents. Gracchus' death commonly marks a key turning point and the beginning of the fall of the Roman Republic.
(1553 depiction of Tiberius Gracchus in Guillaume Rouille's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum)
According to Plutarch in his The Parallel Lives, Tiberius was more gentle, reasonable, and agreeable, while his younger brother Caius was fierier and more high-tempered. Nevertheless, when it came to "bravery in the face of the enemy, just dealings with subject peoples, scrupulous fidelity in public office, and restraint in pleasurable indulgence", the brothers were the same. Their father, also named TIberius Gracchus, was a Roman consul and a member of one of Rome's leading families, the gens Sempronia. Their mother, Cornelia, was a political and cultural figure, and the daughter of Scipio Africanus, the man who defeated Hannibal during the Second Punic War.
Prior to his political career, Tiberius served in the military and won renown for his courage, being one of the first to scale the enemy fortifications in Carthage during the Third Punic War. His individual merit, as well as his status and birth, allowed him to be elected as tribune of the people in 133 BC.
Tiberius proposed a new agrarian law: under it, no citizen was allowed to hold more than 500 jugera (around 330 acres) of ager publicus, i.e. state-owned land that had been acquired during wars. Excess land would be confiscated and redistributed among the poor. The law was vehemently opposed by the Senate, as it would result in many senators losing their land and thus the source of their wealth.
The law was eventually passed, but in the process Tiberius had to depose another tribune, Marcus Octavius, and animosity began to build against Tiberius. He sought re-election as tribune, an unprecendented move as re-election had not been practiced for 300 years, and a move that some saw as illegal.
During elections, Tiberius was told that he was to be assassinated, causing him to place his hands on his head. His enemies interpreted this as his desire to wear a crown and become king, and this news was carried to the Senate. Enraged, a posse of senators and their supporters, led by Tiberius' cousin Scipio Nasica, rushed to where Tiberius was observing the elections. Armed with stools, stones, clubs, and various weapons, they beat Tiberius and his supporters to death.
(The Death of Tiberius Gracchus by Lodovico Pogliaghi, circa 1890)
Tiberius Gracchus' actual motivation for his actions is disputed. Some argue that he was genuinely trying to make reforms and help the poor, while others argue he was exploiting social concerns and trying to gain power for himself.
Tiberius was succeeded by his brother Caius, who continued to make social reforms. In 121 BC, Caius was also killed (or committed suicide, sources give varying accounts), although this time with explicit Senate approval.
part 2/25 of a series introducing the assassinations outlined in Francis John's 1903 book, Famous Assassinations of History from Philip of Macedon, 336 B.C., to Alexander of Servia, A.D. 1903
Pushinka with her puppies on the White House Lawn, 1963, photographed by Cecil Stoughton.
Pushinka (Russian for "fluffy") was the daughter of Strelka, one of the dogs that the USSR had sent to space aboard the Korabl-Sputnik 2 on August 19th, 1960. Nikita Khrushchev gifted Pushinka to the Kennedys, marking a bright spot in the Cold War tensions. Pushinka and Charlie, one of the Kennedys' other dogs, had four puppies, which JFK called "the pupniks".
Below is a letter JFK wrote to Khrushchev, thanking him for Pushinka:
