The hottest History Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top World Politics Topics

Book Announcement: "The Expedition to Khiva" by Maksud Alikhanov-Avarsky

The Library of Alexandria Ultima • 11 implied HN points • 14 Feb 25
📚 Literature History
  1. The book 'The Expedition to Khiva' is a firsthand account of Russia's conquest of Khiva in 1873, providing both military details and adventure. It captures the journey across Central Asia, highlighting the culture and legends of the local people.
  2. Maksud Alikhanov-Avarsky, the author, offers unique insights because he spoke the local Turkic languages, allowing him to interact freely with Central Asians and report on their ways of life.
  3. Along with the text, the book includes a 15,000-word introduction with historical context about Khiva and Alikhanov's background, enhancing understanding of the expedition.

Two Ways of Approaching Marx's Capital

Philosophy for the People w/Ben Burgis • 2 HN points • 06 May 24
🚌 Education History
  1. Approach Marx's Capital as a critical reader, engaging with the arguments and questioning premises to truly understand the insights presented.
  2. Under capitalism, exploitation is centered on workers surrendering part of their labor to capitalists due to inherent power dynamics and lack of viable alternatives, not solely based on the Labor Theory of Value.
  3. Marx's Capital is primarily a class analysis of capitalism, emphasizing the structural inequalities embedded in the system and highlighting the potential for societal change.

Indoctrination or Ecstasy?

Daniel Pinchbeck’s Newsletter • 13 implied HN points • 20 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Allan Ginsberg was a key figure in connecting many artists and activists, shaping a large creative community. His influence is felt in the way people express themselves today.
  2. There are concerns about whether current ways of thinking and feeling are leading us to greater awareness or just more control over our lives. This tension is important to explore.
  3. The author reflects on personal losses and how they connect to larger themes of transformation in society, hinting at both destruction and potential renewal.
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What Makes Something Progressive?

Gideon's Substack • 31 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
🌍 World Politics History
  1. The term 'progressive' is often misunderstood and used as a catch-all for right-thinking attitudes about social causes, but the determination of these attitudes is crucial.
  2. Progressivism is centered around history and the belief that it has a discernible direction, influencing one's stance on various issues based on which 'side' of history they are on.
  3. The idea that history has a definite direction and a global left is debated, with a call to question preconceived notions and the importance of understanding the complexity and nuance of world politics.

Feminisation

Kvetch • 55 implied HN points • 03 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The conversation highlighted the concept of 'feminisation' as a social force.
  2. The discussion explored the idea of societal changes affecting gender roles.
  3. The dialogue delved into the impact of cultural shifts on various aspects of society.

AgFunder's reading list for new VC analysts & associates

Rob Leclerc • 79 implied HN points • 05 Feb 21
💼 Business History
  1. Venture capital can be challenging to understand and may take new analysts 6-18 months to fully grasp.
  2. Books, essays, interviews, videos, podcasts, websites, and blogs are great resources for new VC analysts to learn about the industry.
  3. Understanding the history, culture, and frameworks of venture capital is crucial for new VC analysts and associates.

We are as gods

Kvetch • 50 implied HN points • 23 Jul 23
🕹 Technology History
  1. The evolution of technology has allowed for incredible precision and complexity, such as the growth of jet engine blades from a single crystal of metal.
  2. The history of precision engineering is intertwined with the rise of different nations, from Britain to America to Japan.
  3. Advancements in engineering have led to mind-blowing feats, like printing transistors at atomic scales using extreme ultraviolet radiation.

Time and Tide

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 79 implied HN points • 12 Mar 21
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The tidal changes in Puget Sound create a unique and ever-changing ecosystem that affects plants and animals. It shows how life depends on the rhythm of nature.
  2. Many people today are unaware of how tides influence life, unlike in the past when tides were crucial for daily activities. This reflects a general disconnect from nature.
  3. Observing the tides can be a humbling experience, revealing the constant ebb and flow of water that many do not notice. It invites people to reconnect with the natural world.

Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs

Internal exile • 12 implied HN points • 07 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The film 'A Complete Unknown' surprisingly succeeds in portraying Bob Dylan's rise to fame in a fresh way. It focuses less on his life story and more on the idea of talent and genius.
  2. Instead of trying to explain Dylan's personality, the movie treats him as a unique force of nature. It shows what it's like to witness true talent instead of just a biography.
  3. The film assumes that viewers already understand Bob Dylan's significance and legacy. This makes it feel odd to make a movie about someone who is still alive and actively creating.

The Bomb, the Man, the Morality

Skeptic • 49 implied HN points • 24 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Christopher Nolan's film 'Oppenheimer' renews debate on the use of nuclear weapons to end World War II and the nature of moral conflicts.
  2. Human conditions are rarely black-and-white, and approach-avoidance conflicts are common in life, culture, and politics.
  3. The dropping of the atomic bombs, while not a moral act, was the least destructive option at the time and likely saved lives by ending the war and preventing a potentially higher death toll from prolonged conventional bombing or invasion.

The Sugar Conspiracy

KCKlatt’s Substack • 19 implied HN points • 28 Feb 23
🏥 Health & Wellness History
  1. The article talks about how politics and power issues can really affect our food guidelines. It suggests that decisions about what we should eat might not be as straightforward as we think.
  2. There’s a focus on the history of nutrition, particularly related to sugar. It raises questions about why certain foods are blamed or praised over others.
  3. It hints that our understanding of nutrition could be limited by outside influences. This means we should be cautious about only following mainstream dietary advice.

Graham Hancock's Ancient Apocalypse Theories Are Racist At Their Core.

C.O.P. Central Organizing Principle. • 12 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Ancient civilizations, like those that built the pyramids, were made by Black Africans, not aliens or lost technologies. The idea that they needed slaves to build these wonders is a false narrative.
  2. Throughout history, powerful empires, like Rome, often erased or altered histories to control narratives and maintain their power. This has led to misunderstandings about ancient technologies and cultures.
  3. Nuclear testing and environmental destruction have played big roles in climate change and could potentially trigger future ice ages. Humanity often learns through harsh consequences from past actions.

Liberation to Celebration: How Green Became the Color of St. Patrick's Day

JoeWrote • 29 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. St. Patrick's Day was initially a respectful commemoration of the patron saint of Ireland, but it evolved into a secular celebration of Irish culture internationally, with green becoming a key symbol.
  2. Before the 1800s, Ireland's national color was blue, but the rebellion of 1798 against British rule led to green becoming the color of Irish nationalism.
  3. The history of Ireland's struggle for independence teaches the importance of symbols like the color green as declarations of resistance against oppression and commitment to freedom.

Suffering wives

Kvetch • 55 implied HN points • 24 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Lady Bird Johnson subordinated herself to her ambitious husband, enduring his public humiliation and supporting his career with grace and dignity.
  2. Both LBJ and JFK had mistresses who were exceptional in beauty, talent, and glamour, paralleling the extraordinary qualities of their wives.
  3. Skyler White from Breaking Bad represents a different portrayal of a suffering wife, illustrating a contrasting dynamic where role reversal and descent into criminality occur in the relationship.

What to Us Now Is the Fourth of July?

Journal of Free Black Thought • 48 implied HN points • 04 Jul 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics History
  1. America's history includes both oppression and the struggle against it, like the anti-slavery movement.
  2. Revolutionary ideals of liberty and equality were pivotal in the fight against slavery in America.
  3. The Founders' hypocrisy in not immediately abolishing slavery does not erase the importance of their ideals that eventually led to the destruction of slavery.

O America

Eclecticism: Reflections on literature, writing and life • 10 implied HN points • 25 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The author has a long-standing love for America, starting from childhood visits to family members there. It's clear that these experiences deeply influenced his view of the country.
  2. The author appreciates America's diverse culture, big food portions, and the lively atmosphere of places like all-night bookstores and sunny streets.
  3. Despite political disagreements and tensions in America, the author remains fascinated and admires the country's history and achievements, like the civil rights movement and space exploration.

Most People Are Other People

The Classical Futurist • 40 implied HN points • 12 Oct 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Humans learn through imitation and culture plays a crucial role in passing knowledge through generations.
  2. Cultural evolutionists argue that humans excel due to cultural learning, not just genetics.
  3. When assessing greatness, consider the influence of social units like cultures rather than just individuals.

Nate Sloan: The Tradition of Posting

Do Not Research • 59 implied HN points • 20 Apr 21
🎨 Art & Illustration History
  1. Reactionary social media accounts are embracing 'tradition' without irony, advocating for a return to traditional art and architecture.
  2. Some accounts use anachronism to juxtapose historical periods and styles, challenging modernist aesthetics.
  3. Critique of contemporary architectural aesthetics includes a call for a clearer relationship between form and function, pointing out flaws and pitfalls in modern design.

Strikepost #1: The Kirkby Rent Strikes (1972)

The 21st Century Proletarian • 19 implied HN points • 28 Aug 22
🎭️ Culture History
  1. A self-organised women's group initiated a 14-month-long strike in the Kirkby Rent Strikes of 1972, highlighting the importance of worker-tenant collaboration.
  2. The Kirkby Rent Strikes failed due to a lack of national response and support from worker unions, showing the necessity for tenant and worker organizations to work together for impactful class struggle.
  3. Lessons from the Kirkby Rent Strikes emphasize the power of solidarity between tenants and workers, showcasing the need for strong unions to engage in timely initiatives for successful collective action.

Western Civilization And Genomics

ASeq Newsletter • 14 implied HN points • 06 Nov 24
🔬 Science History
  1. Western civilization has thrived for about 2500 years, with many achievements in science and knowledge. This long history has shaped our understanding of complex topics like genomics.
  2. Key figures like Isaac Newton helped establish scientific methods, moving society away from superstition to rational thinking. This paved the way for discoveries in inheritance and DNA.
  3. Today, we can sequence human genomes more easily than ever before. This ability can change how we understand our biology and ourselves in profound ways.

Middle East 201

The Cosmopolitan Globalist • 4 implied HN points • 09 Jul 25
🌍 World Politics History
  1. The Iran-Iraq War lasted from 1980 to 1988 and involved a lot of tragic events, including the use of chemical weapons and the impact on civilians.
  2. Understanding this war is crucial for grasping current Middle Eastern politics, especially the tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslims and Iran's nuclear aspirations.
  3. Reading recommended resources like 'The Iran-Iraq War' by Pierre Razoux and the graphic novel 'Persepolis' can provide deeper insights into the conflict and its consequences.

The Notebook of Leonardo da Vinci, The Codex Arundel

Axial • 14 implied HN points • 22 Oct 24
🎨 Art & Illustration History
  1. The Codex Arundel is a collection of Leonardo da Vinci's writings and drawings, showing his wide-ranging interests in math, engineering, and nature. It's written in a special left-handed mirror script, which makes it unique.
  2. Leonardo's work in the codex emphasizes observation and experimentation. He wrote about scientific principles through careful study of the natural world and practical experiments.
  3. The codex is important for understanding both art and science, showing how Leonardo blended these fields. It inspires modern thinkers by highlighting the value of connecting different areas of knowledge.

Essay Club: A Defence of Heraldry by G. K. Chesterton

Mind & Mythos • 1 HN point • 14 Jun 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Heraldry is not just about noble families; it's also a way for everyday people to express their identity. Signs and symbols have always played an important role in how we communicate who we are.
  2. Chesterton believes we lost something beautiful when we tried to make everyone equal. He thinks symbols and decorative art should be embraced, not rejected, to uplift everyone in society.
  3. Democracy, according to Chesterton, needs its own forms of pageantry and symbolism. When we value these things, we can inspire people to reach for greatness rather than settle for mediocrity.

The Tudors at The Met

Castalia • 19 implied HN points • 24 Dec 22
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The Tudors used art and fashion to show their power. Objects like Henry VIII's armor showcased their authority and the wealth of the crown.
  2. Importing talented artists from Europe helped England grow culturally. The artists brought new skills that enriched English art during the Tudor period.
  3. Some artists experimented with their styles and symbols in their portraits. This creativity reflected the vibrant and imaginative culture of Shakespeare's time.

In recognition and admiration

My Home Office Hacks • 10 implied HN points • 20 Jan 25
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Today is dedicated to honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his impactful legacy.
  2. You can listen to or read his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech to reflect on his message.
  3. Taking a break to appreciate important figures can inspire and motivate us in our daily lives.

Christopher Strachey and the Dawn of Interactive Text

50 Years of Text Games • 49 HN points • 16 May 23
🕹 Technology History
  1. Computers evolved quickly in their early years, with innovations being made and lost before becoming standardized.
  2. Computer games with text came before those with graphics, highlighting the initial challenge of dealing with language.
  3. Christopher Strachey, an early computer programmer, paved the way for text-based computer games and made significant contributions to the field of computer science.

Cyborg nostalgia

Vague Blue • 1 HN point • 13 Jun 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The concept of AI has transitioned from being a dystopian boogeyman to a normalized part of our tech landscape.
  2. Contemporary AI films tend to portray cyborgs in a more human-like manner, lacking the imaginative 'other-ness' seen in older movies.
  3. The evolution of AI representation in Hollywood reflects our changing relationship with technology, moving towards a more seamless integration of the physical and virtual worlds.

What Questions are in the Chinese College Entrance Exam?

Cheryl’s Substack • 1 HN point • 13 Jun 24
🚌 Education History
  1. The Chinese Gaokao is a highly competitive college entrance exam that is often compared to the SAT, but is considered more difficult and provides more insight into students' abilities at the top level.
  2. The history of the Gaokao system traces back to the Chinese civil service exam and has evolved over various dynasties, impacting the exam's structure and subjects over time.
  3. The Gaokao covers subjects like math, language and literature, and foreign languages (like English) with challenging questions that require deep analysis and critical thinking, setting a high standard for student assessment.

A New Map Of Medieval London

Londonist: Time Machine • 1 HN point • 12 Jun 24
🎨 Art & Illustration History
  1. A detailed map of medieval London has been created, showing intricate parish boundaries, city structures, and landmarks from the 13th century.
  2. The Historic Towns Trust has produced detailed maps of Tudor and medieval London, using extensive research and archaeological knowledge.
  3. Mapping the city's past presents challenges due to gaps in historical records, uncertainties in field boundaries, and complexities of plotting locations like churches in ancient London.

Did Dinosaurs Dance?

Who is Robert Malone • 11 implied HN points • 21 Dec 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Emus and other flightless birds, like ostriches, can dance, showing a joyful expression of life. This reminds us that dancing seems to be a natural behavior shared across different species.
  2. Dinosaurs, especially those closely related to modern birds, might have danced too, which adds a fascinating layer to our understanding of their behavior. Fossils suggest that at least some dinosaurs engaged in movements similar to dance.
  3. The idea of artificial intelligence possibly developing the ability to dream or dance raises questions about consciousness and the nature of the soul. If robots can mimic these human behaviors, it challenges our understanding of what it means to be alive and aware.

A Genealogy of Gentrification

Urben Field Notes • 48 implied HN points • 17 May 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Gentrification can have different meanings to different people, leading to a complex perspective on urban change.
  2. Historically, gentrification has roots in the ideologies and actions of the first-wave gentrifiers in Brooklyn.
  3. The narrative around gentrification has been influenced by brownstoners, shaping the understanding of urban inequality and development.

living in the city

the rohn report • 59 implied HN points • 18 Jan 21
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Cities have always been important centers of human activity and civilization, even in ancient times when structures like temples were located in cities.
  2. The evolution of cities has transformed human lifestyle from a hunter/gatherer existence to urban living, with concrete pathways and towering buildings replacing forests.
  3. The streets of modern cities host a diverse mix of people, from urban dwellers to street individuals, embodying distinct aspects of human adaptation and survival.

Blacks Should Never Give Up their Guns

Journal of Free Black Thought • 46 implied HN points • 09 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics History
  1. Gun control is seen as oppressive by some who believe it infringes on the liberty of citizens, especially those vulnerable to oppression.
  2. The right to bear arms is viewed as safeguard against government tyranny, based on historical examples of gun control leading to minority persecution.
  3. History shows that gun control laws have often disproportionately impacted minority groups, leading to the belief that all gun control is universally oppressive.

Links for Friday, March 15

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 25 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🌍 World Politics History
  1. Julius Caesar's death shows the delicate balance between democracy and dictatorship in leadership roles.
  2. A significant percentage of US parents are financially supporting their adult children, with variations in support based on generational groups.
  3. Climate Reanalyzer is a useful site for climate data and graphics, highlighting concerning trends like continuous record-breaking high ocean temperatures.

Vibe Shift

Santiago Pliego • 3 HN points • 24 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The Vibe Shift is about speaking unspeakable truths, embracing reality, and rejecting bureaucratic norms.
  2. The Vibe Shift signifies a return to courage, authenticity, and a rejection of conformity.
  3. The Vibe Shift involves challenging the status quo, embracing individuality, and prioritizing realness over fake trends.

Things I love about Chernobyl, the HBO series

Mindful Musings • 41 implied HN points • 02 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The show Chernobyl displayed restraint by keeping the content concise and focused on the reality of the events.
  2. The excellent use of language in the show added depth and authenticity to the characters and setting.
  3. The attention to detail in portraying the 1980s Soviet Union, from clothing to equipment, enhanced the immersive experience for viewers.

Exciting acceleration in community activity

Vesuvius Challenge • 12 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
🔬 Science History
  1. The Vesuvius Challenge is rewarding contributors with $48,500 in prizes for their innovative work on ancient scrolls. This money encourages creativity and progress in understanding these old texts.
  2. One exciting project introduced a new method for segmenting scrolls, which could make the process faster and more accurate. This kind of innovation is really important as it helps researchers figure out how to read the scrolls better.
  3. Several contributors are developing tools and techniques to improve ink detection and data analysis for the scrolls. These advancements are pushing the boundaries of what we can learn from these ancient artifacts.