The hottest History Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top World Politics Topics

Links for Autumn 2024

Telescopic Turnip • 2 implied HN points • 20 Oct 24
🔬 Science History
  1. The Bat Bomb was a WWII plan to drop bats with tiny explosives over Japan, showing how unusual military tactics can be.
  2. Researchers can measure brain chemicals while people play decision-making games during awake surgeries for Parkinson's, revealing how our brains react to rewards.
  3. There are big bacteria called Aureispirae that latch onto smaller bacteria and suck out their insides, showing the strange interactions in nature.

The Seed Grower - Part II

storyvoyager • 6 implied HN points • 06 Aug 23
📚 Literature History
  1. A farmer grows illegal seeds of resistance in a colony, life gets complicated with an unexpected guest
  2. At the Midsummer festival, alliances and tensions among colony members are revealed
  3. The protagonist faces challenges and secrets unfold during a corn lesson, leading to a moment of danger and revelation
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Introducing Gentle Density

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 7 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. A new series called Gentle Density explores dense, human-centered neighborhoods across the globe.
  2. The first episode of the series takes place in Park Slope, Brooklyn, focusing on the coexistence of beauty and density.
  3. Samuel Hughes, Head of Housing at the Centre for Policy Studies, stars in this series.

Inmovable Objects and Unstoppable Forces

Some Unpleasant Arithmetic • 7 implied HN points • 14 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Nepotism is common in various industries, giving advantages to those with connections.
  2. Parental influence plays a significant role in career paths, particularly in high-earning professions like medicine and law.
  3. Housing availability and policy have profound impacts on economic equality and opportunity for different groups.

Basso Continuo & Internet Search

Crossfade • 1 HN point • 24 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. AI is portrayed dramatically in media and technology, without reflecting reality.
  2. Internet search is where people first encounter AI in daily life, impacting how we access information.
  3. Transition from Baroque to Classical music notation can provide insights into the evolution of systems like internet search and AI, suggesting a focus on approximations rather than definitive answers.

Leadership in Context

Range Widely • 1 HN point • 11 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Leadership is more complex than the simplified narratives we often rely on.
  2. The interplay between individuals and institutions is crucial in understanding effective leadership.
  3. Balancing visionary ambition with real constraints is a key challenge for successful leadership.

Seeing Centuries

Chartography • 1 HN point • 17 May 23
🎨 Art & Illustration History
  1. Visualize history as a succession of 25-year generations with each generation represented by a single significant person.
  2. When creating historical data visualizations, identifying key dates, not just lifespans, is crucial for accurately representing each era.
  3. Leveraging technology, like AI, can help organize historical data and simplify the process of creating complex visual representations.

The wild history of MDMA: 5 Questions for author Rachel Nuwer

The Microdose • 1 HN point • 17 Jul 23
🔬 Science History
  1. The history of MDMA has surprising connections and was discovered by accident in a pharmaceutical context.
  2. The first person to try MDMA remains unclear, showing the stigma surrounding the drug in underground communities.
  3. Controversies and ethical dilemmas surrounding MDMA, like with drug dealers and researchers, highlight the complexities of its use despite its reputation for inducing love and empathy.

Becoming illiterate

Pigeon Meat • 1 HN point • 07 May 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The prevalence of audio entertainment like audiobooks and podcasts is on the rise.
  2. Shift towards spoken cultural communication may have unpredictable consequences with the rise of AI-generated audio.
  3. Written long-form content is being squeezed to the margin by the popularity of audio and video content.

Rabbit Holes 🕳 #27

Creative Destruction • 7 implied HN points • 22 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Universal Basic Capital proposes sharing wealth upfront through ownership stake to reduce inequality.
  2. Moving into an Age of 'Fewer' suggests embracing simplicity for environmental and personal well-being.
  3. The Original Affluent Society concept highlights how hunter-gatherer lifestyles were simpler and more satisfying, sparking discussions on modern work-life balance.

Middle East 101, Week XI

The Cosmopolitan Globalist • 3 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics History
  1. The Middle East 101 newsletter explores the Lebanon War from 1975 to 1991, offering an in-depth look at this complex period in history.
  2. The author is seeking feedback to make their posts more useful to readers who do not attend the class, indicating a commitment to engaging with the broader audience.
  3. Readers can access more content and a 7-day free trial by subscribing to The Cosmopolitan Globalist, showing an opportunity for further exploration and learning.

What is Prestige?

The Seat of Loss • 6 implied HN points • 06 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Prestige can sometimes be about being impressed by something you know is not genuine
  2. In the modern world, 'prestige' often involves creating a facade of quality to make profits
  3. 'Prestige' can be used to distract consumers from underlying issues or monetization tactics

Objectively Ranking the Presidents

Gideon's Substack • 3 HN points • 20 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics History
  1. Presidential rankings can be subjective and change over time based on historical perspectives and societal values.
  2. Greatness in a president can be defined by their impact, leadership style, and ability to navigate complex political landscapes.
  3. Moderates may provide a more objective evaluation of presidents due to potentially weaker ideological filters.

Regime Change Edition

As Ever • 5 implied HN points • 02 Apr 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics History
  1. The author reflects on the war and regime change twenty years ago, highlighting the thrills and consequences of vicarious excitement and activism.
  2. The author discusses the importance of staying true to beliefs, even if not fully informed, and the complexities of being wrong for the right reasons.
  3. The author shares insights on the lessons learned from the Iraq war, emphasizing the nuances of governance, individual responsibility, and the impact of making the right decisions.

VOL 65: Unsung Hero: Exploring Gary Kildall, the Man Who Almost Became Bill Gates

MAP's Tech Newsletter. • 4 implied HN points • 16 Jun 23
🕹 Technology History
  1. Gary Kildall was a key figure in computer history, creating CP/M and Digital Research, making personal computers accessible.
  2. IBM approached Kildall for an operating system, but a missed opportunity led to Microsoft purchasing a similar system instead.
  3. Kildall's failure to secure a deal with IBM and legal battles with Microsoft had a significant impact on his career and personal life.

GHOSTS OF THE MAGIC CITY

Marlene’s Newsletter • 4 implied HN points • 05 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Certain places in Miami are known for encounters with the paranormal, like the Alfred I. duPont Building.
  2. The Biltmore Hotel is not only famous for hosting celebrities but also for being haunted, with reports of ghostly sightings and unexplained phenomena.
  3. The Deering Estate has a rich history dating back to the early 1900s and is rumored to be haunted by several spirits, making it a place of interest for those intrigued by the supernatural.

A truly foreign language

Numb at the Lodge • 2 HN points • 12 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics History
  1. The concept of 'truly foreign languages' being spoken by migrants is explored, challenging the idea by highlighting historical examples of languages lost through violence.
  2. The idea of a 'language of things' as described by Walter Benjamin is discussed, suggesting a non-human language that permeates everything.
  3. The narrative weaves together themes of language, border politics, and the breakdown of English language in a dystopian setting, showing the power and consequences of language and isolation.

...Mantic Pixel Dream Girls

Donkeyspace • 4 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The author is exploring the intersection of AI and art, with a focus on past and present artistic influences related to AI.
  2. AI is seen as more than just a tool, but as an aesthetic that can transform industries like gaming, similar to how synthesizers revolutionized music.
  3. The tent metaphor symbolizes a space of exploration where the author contemplates the impact and future of AI within creative fields like art and game design.

Middle East 101, Week XII

The Cosmopolitan Globalist • 2 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🌍 World Politics History
  1. The Middle East 101 class decided to explore the Iranian Revolution for a week, even though it wasn't originally part of the syllabus.
  2. Guest speaker Shay Khatiri, born and raised in Iran, will contribute to the discussion about the Iranian Revolution's legacy.
  3. The class aims to first understand the historical events that led to the creation of the Islamic Republic before delving into current events.

Secularization Comes for the Religion of Technology: Or, how to make sense of techno-optimist manifestos, the Open Ai/Altman affair, EA/e-acc movements, and the general sense of cultural stagnation

The Convivial Society • 2 HN points • 23 Feb 24
🔬 Science History
  1. Secularization has affected the dominant religion of technology, shifting cultural beliefs and values.
  2. The concept of the 'religion of technology' involves a deep entanglement of religious and techno-scientific elements over time.
  3. The religion of technology peaked in the 1939 New York World's Fair, exemplifying a moment of cultural dominance that has since waned.

The 29th, and Other Calendar Quirks

Atlas of Wonders and Monsters • 2 HN points • 29 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The modern Gregorian calendar we use today has a quirky history, including reforms by Julius Caesar and Pope Gregory XIII.
  2. Efforts to reform the calendar in the past, like the World Calendar or the French Republican Calendar, faced challenges due to religious traditions and practical issues.
  3. While there have been proposals to create a more uniform calendar, quirks in our current calendar are not necessarily bad and can be celebrated as unique features.

Welcome!

Marc Andreessen Substack • 4 HN points • 28 Feb 23
🕹 Technology History
  1. Marc Andreessen will be writing daily on Substack, Twitter, and Farcaster.
  2. He will share his thoughts on tech, business, history, philosophy, and societal impacts of technology.
  3. He emphasizes exploring ideas freely, without worrying about consistency or criticism.

Did Bach Improvise?

Curiosity Sink__ • 2 HN points • 20 Feb 24
🎶 Music History
  1. Classical composers like Bach and Beethoven were known to heavily improvise, showcasing a skill akin to jazz improvisation, indicating a long history of improvisation in music.
  2. The invention of written notation wasn't to restrict music to rigid interpretations, but to preserve and transmit musical ideas when recordings were unavailable, highlighting the evolution of music preservation.
  3. Encouraging improvisation over classical compositions can bring new life to old melodies, allowing for personal expression, creativity, and the creation of unique musical interpretations.

What Happened To All The Futurists?

Theology • 2 HN points • 15 Dec 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Futurists now focus more on statistics and predictions for corporate and political purposes.
  2. Many self-proclaimed futurists lack real experience and rely on trendy topics.
  3. The future of futurism lies in combining science fiction with methodologies to imagine bigger possibilities.

The Purpose of the Novel

Novum Newsletter • 3 HN points • 31 May 23
📚 Literature History
  1. The lazy option tends to win when translating content, leading to lowered writing quality.
  2. Artificially-generated writing and art are becoming more prevalent, raising concerns about their impact on various industries.
  3. The novel is a uniquely human form of expression that AI struggles to replicate due to its social and historical origins.