The hottest History Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top World Politics Topics

5 Weekend Reads: 3 Sep 2023

Londonist: Time Machine • 0 implied HN points • 03 Sep 23
🏝 Travel History
  1. The post contains a roundup of five London history links for paid subscribers.
  2. One of the links discusses the Great Fire of London, which happened 357 years ago on September 3, 1666.
  3. Readers can access the full post archives with a 7-day free trial of Londonist: Time Machine.

5 Historical Quirks To Spot On Bankside

Londonist: Time Machine • 0 implied HN points • 25 Aug 23
🏝 Travel History
  1. The article highlights 5 historical quirks to spot around Shakespeare's Globe and Tate Modern in Bankside.
  2. Bankside is a unique area with ancient seats, unseen cannons, and misspelled plaques, adding character and charm to the neighborhood.
  3. The post is part of a paid newsletter, offering subscribers access to more historical insights and content about London.

Shhh don’t tell anyone

The Jolly Contrarian • 0 implied HN points • 26 Feb 21
🎭️ Culture History
  1. There's a push for an industry-standard non-disclosure agreement led by Electra Japonas and the Law Boutique.
  2. The challenge is in convincing legal professionals to agree on a 'pedantry amnesty.'
  3. Uncanny Valley, a concept from 1970, explains the discomfort with avatars that look almost human, rooted in an evolutionary instinct to be wary of deformities.

Rammstein, Early YouTube, & Teenage Angst in Rural America

Homo Ludens • 0 implied HN points • 18 Jun 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Growing up in rural America during difficult family situations can lead to anger and resentment.
  2. The experience of living in different places can offer contrasting perspectives on poverty and social dynamics.
  3. Music, like Rammstein, can have a profound impact on individuals by providing a sense of identity and hope in challenging times.

Disastrous Fun with Tanks

Homo Ludens • 0 implied HN points • 18 Jun 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. World of Tanks offers a unique gaming experience focused on tank battles and strategic gameplay.
  2. Tanks symbolize both technological might and intricate, cool war machines with strengths and flaws.
  3. The portrayal of tanks in media and games like World of Tanks offers insights into the realities and complexities of operating these powerful war vehicles.
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Gone West

Homo Ludens • 0 implied HN points • 04 May 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The concept of 'going west' holds a deep historical and symbolic significance, often associated with adventure, destiny, and challenges.
  2. Traditionally seen as a place of opportunity, the West also carries connotations of death and finality, as portrayed in various cultures and historical events.
  3. The duality of the West as a symbol of life and death highlights the complex and multifaceted nature of this concept.

The Why of World-Building

Homo Ludens • 0 implied HN points • 04 May 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Imagining and reimagining worlds and universes satisfies our human need for stories.
  2. World-building is integral to storytelling throughout history, establishing rules and frameworks for characters and situations.
  3. Engaging in world-building, whether as a hobby or for creative work, hones our imagination and is essential for exploring complex concepts and potential solutions.

Chariots of the Gods? Not Likely

Homo Ludens • 0 implied HN points • 22 Apr 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Euro-centrism has led to the unjust attribution of architectural and technological wonders to white Europeans, undermining the achievements of other civilizations.
  2. The propagation of Euro-centric narratives, such as the idea of aliens building ancient wonders, harms the recognition of the true creators and their agency in history.
  3. Academia and education systems need to address and move away from Euro-centric histories in order to respect the contributions and cultures of diverse civilizations worldwide.

Cats Playing Heavy Metal: Mongolia Finding Itself in the Modern World

Homo Ludens • 0 implied HN points • 19 Apr 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Karl Marx foresaw the power of capital and globalization in the modern era, but failed to account for capitalism's enticing nature and adaptability.
  2. The Mongolian transition from socialist-communist to democratic-capitalist society has brought wealth but also challenges in defining cultural identity and navigating global influences.
  3. Globalization and capitalism impact traditional cultures, like Mongolian heavy metal music, leading to a struggle for meaning and connection in the face of commodification.

Simulating the World (Pt. 2)

Homo Ludens • 0 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. War games like chess and Weiqi have long histories dating back centuries, serving as ultimate games of strategy and mental endurance.
  2. The modern concept of war games, including role-playing games, traces back to the invention of games like _Kriegsspiel_ by Prussian military strategists for training officers in tactics and strategy.
  3. The fascination with war games led to the growth of a leisure hobby around simulating combat situations, eventually paving the way for the commercial success of war games in the civilian world.

Walking Backwards Through Blockbuster

The Electric Circus • 0 implied HN points • 11 Jun 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. In the early 20th century, the transition from circus to cinema marked a shift in entertainment preferences towards longer narrative films over live performances.
  2. The birth of the first blockbuster film, 'Birth of the Nation', signified the rise of the film industry and the decline of traditional circuses.
  3. Modern streaming platforms have now replaced traditional theaters as the primary source of entertainment, offering different experiences that influence audience behavior and return.

Thư ngỏ gửi Bộ trưởng Văn - Thể - Du: hãy trả cái lon cho dân

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 0 implied HN points • 01 Jul 19
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The decision to ban cans by the Ministry of Culture has caused a lot of public discussion, emphasizing the importance of cans from a historical and philosophical perspective.
  2. Banning cans may lead to unnecessary confusion and anxiety among the people, affecting various aspects of daily life and even potentially impacting national security.
  3. The letter urges the Minister to reconsider the ban on cans and return this essential item to the people to avoid potential social unrest and misunderstandings.

Multi-lingual versions of lectures

Solresol • 0 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🚌 Education History
  1. Theme music in an artificial language sets the tone for lectures on text encoding.
  2. Speech-to-text translation for multi-lingual lectures can have challenges like warping sound and misidentifying speakers.
  3. Efforts to translate lectures into various languages can save time and resources compared to re-recording multiple versions.

The portal to newness is made of glass

New Things with Eric Athas • 0 implied HN points • 23 Jun 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Glass has played a significant role in our relationship with new things, from the Gilded Age to the present day.
  2. Department stores and small-town shops used illuminated glass displays to attract customers during the night, similar to modern-day screens' allure.
  3. Glass has become the portal to new things, as seen in the story of Steve Jobs demanding a perfect glass screen for the first iPhone.

Race: "A Dreadful Deceit"

Logos and Liberty • 0 implied HN points • 16 Mar 23
🚌 Education History
  1. Racism supports oligarchic power structures by dividing the poor and working classes, weakening resistance to exploitation.
  2. Race is a 'myth' and a 'fiction' that has shifted over time based on specific contexts, with black identity often being imposed rather than chosen.
  3. American racial ideology evolved from an exercise of raw power to discriminatory practices enforced by the white working class, hindering unity and progress for all workers.

Women & Technology: History & Future

The Digital Anthropologist • 0 implied HN points • 01 Apr 24
🕹 Technology History
  1. Evidence is emerging that women have played a significant historical role in technology development.
  2. Recent studies suggest that women adapt better to new and existing technologies than men, contributing to key inventions.
  3. Women are proving to be crucial in the successful development and adaptation of technologies, shaping the future and countering biases in AI.

A Global Mental Meltdown & Hope For The Future

The Digital Anthropologist • 0 implied HN points • 27 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The world may seem messy, but human history has shown that we always find a way through challenges and there are reasons to remain hopeful.
  2. Today's hyper-connected world allows us to be more aware of global issues, leading to increased stress and anxiety on a global scale.
  3. Technological advancements, like Artificial Intelligence and digital communications, play a significant role in shaping societies and cultures, but ultimately, it is human behavior and adaptation that determine the path forward.

Equality in the Digital Age

The Digital Anthropologist • 0 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics History
  1. Current global turbulence is driven by our advanced communication technologies revolution, leading to social upheavals but ultimately paving the way for progress.
  2. There is a growing desire for equality across various aspects of society, and while progress may not be guaranteed, history has shown a preference for more egalitarian societies.
  3. Information technologies enable the sharing of diverse stories and the amplification of minority voices, fostering important social movements crucial for sociocultural advancement.

On Humans And Our Love of Data

The Digital Anthropologist • 0 implied HN points • 16 Sep 23
🔬 Science History
  1. Our brains love patterns, math, and language to comprehend the world and shape realities.
  2. Humans have a deep-rooted history of creating, analyzing, and utilizing data for various purposes throughout civilizations.
  3. Data, when transformed into information and knowledge, holds significant value and potential for enhancing human evolution and species advancement.

What The Internet & Printing Press Have In Common

The Digital Anthropologist • 0 implied HN points • 14 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The printing press played a significant role in the technological evolution that led to the invention of the internet.
  2. Both the printing press and the internet serve as crucial means of cultural transmission and have had profound impacts on humanity.
  3. The printing press and the internet have led to an explosion of knowledge and a transformation in the way societies function, impacting everything from communication to individualism.

From myth to misery: the tragic story of the Pig-Faced Lady

The Quack Doctor • 0 implied HN points • 05 Jul 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The tragic exploitation of humans and animals in the name of entertainment throughout history.
  2. The story of the Pig-Faced Lady, from myths to real-life exploitation, sheds light on the exploitation and cruelty often hidden behind show business.
  3. The evolution of the Pig-Faced Lady character from fairground folklore to heartbreaking real-life exploitation represents a dark aspect of entertainment history.

Chemical warfare against the common cold

The Quack Doctor • 0 implied HN points • 14 Jun 24
🔬 Science History
  1. US Chemical Warfare Service experimented with chlorine for treating respiratory infections, like colds, and saw promising results in the 1920s
  2. Chlorine treatment gained initial popularity post-World War I but faced criticism for lack of control groups and evidence of effectiveness
  3. Commercial products like the 'Kilacold Chlorine Bomb' were promoted for treating various illnesses but eventually dwindled in use due to shifting priorities and lack of scientific support

The miseries of human life

The Quack Doctor • 0 implied HN points • 15 Dec 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. In 1808, Rev James Beresford wrote 'The Miseries of Human Life,' a humorous book detailing everyday complaints that garnered popularity.
  2. The book covered various aspects of a Georgian person's life, from health miseries like colds and dentistry to social awkwardness and the miseries of reading and writing.
  3. Beresford's work humorously portrayed relatable 'First World Problems' and showcased wit and originality, resonating with the Georgian reading public.

Book Review: The Loneliest Americans

Symbolic Capital(ism) • 0 implied HN points • 20 Feb 22
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Jay Caspian Kang's book
  2. 'Asian American' as an identity was born at the University of California Berkeley in 1968, shaped by shared challenges tied to U.S. military interventions abroad and domestic oppression
  3. Asian Americans, though often portrayed as a 'model minority', face socioeconomic disparities within their community, with some groups like Hmong and Cambodian Americans experiencing lower incomes and educational outcomes
  4. Younger Asian American migrants and professionals often grapple with a hyphenated identity, feeling like outsiders in both the U.S. and their ancestral countries, leading to a sense of 'loneliness' and complex challenges in education, workplace, and representation

Human Timelines Should Be Log Scale

Outlandish Claims • 0 implied HN points • 29 May 24
🔬 Science History
  1. Human timelines should be represented on a log scale to reflect exponential population growth and changing human experiences over time.
  2. Our intuition about historical events can be misleading, and measuring time in person-years can be awkward and imprecise.
  3. Plotting time on a log scale can help visualize history more accurately and prepare us for potential challenges in the future, like understanding time in different relativistic reference frames.

The Joeliad

Outlandish Claims • 0 implied HN points • 15 May 24
📚 Literature History
  1. The Treaty of Tripoli's Article 11, which states that the US is not founded on the Christian religion, was written by American poet Joel Barlow and ratified by John Adams, emphasizing separation of church and state since the founding of the nation.
  2. Joel Barlow, an American poet, started his career selling fraudulent land deeds but later became a key figure in advocating for freedom of religion and the separation of church and state.
  3. Barlow's writings, like 'The Columbiad,' reflect his vision of a federated and diverse religious landscape in the United States, advocating for a unity of religion that respects individual faiths.

Vintage Memes

Outlandish Claims • 0 implied HN points • 12 May 24
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Jefferson preferred traveling alone without bodyguards or assistants, allowing strangers to criticize him to his face without recognizing him, spawning the 'My name is Haines' meme.
  2. The 'Here's your mule!' meme originated from the South during the Civil War and later became associated with jerky behavior, linked to stealing mules and creating chaos during land grabs.
  3. Ancient Sumerians possibly created the first jokes, including riddles and humorous observations, showcasing early humor and wit in written form.

Introducing Mike’s Substack

America in Crisis • 0 implied HN points • 23 Jan 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics History
  1. Mike Alexander is a retired industrial scientist with a focus on 'big history' and the American political economy.
  2. He is particularly interested in studying the postwar era of shared prosperity in America and understanding why it occurred and ended.
  3. Mike aims to promote his book 'America in Crisis' through his free Substack by sharing articles on economic, political, and social topics related to the book and fostering a community for discussion.

Here's my new podcast: How Sears Used Catalogs to Reshape America

Ruben Ugarte's Growth Needle™ • 0 implied HN points • 30 Apr 24
🎙 Podcasts History
  1. A new podcast called Stratagems has been launched, focusing on strategies used by organizations. The first episode is about how Sears used catalogs to shape America.
  2. The series will explore different companies and their rapid growth tactics across eight episodes. It aims to dive into specific historical contexts and their impacts.
  3. The first episode lasts over two hours and highlights the early history of Sears before it became a well-known retail chain. It emphasizes the significance of mail-order catalogs in Sears' success.

The Balfour Declaration

Splattern • 0 implied HN points • 15 Dec 23
🌍 World Politics History
  1. Jews wanted a homeland due to rising anti-semitism in Europe, especially after events like the pogroms in Russia. This led to many Jews seeking safety and a place of their own.
  2. Britain supported the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine to align with its strategic interests and to gain support from influential Jews during World War I.
  3. Despite facing discrimination, Jews had significant influence in media and academia, allowing them to sway public opinion in favor of their cause at that time.

Truth and Lies in HBO's Chernobyl and Cat's Cradle

Tranquil Thoughts • 0 implied HN points • 09 Jul 23
📚 Literature History
  1. HBO's Chernobyl shows how lies can lead to awful consequences. It suggests that truth is crucial for solving problems, even though it has some historical inaccuracies in the story.
  2. In contrast, Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut argues that knowing the truth can be harmful. It presents lies as necessary for living a happier life, emphasizing the chaos of trying to find meaning.
  3. Both works offer different views on truth and lies. One sees truth as a way to fix problems, while the other sees it as something that can cause fear and despair.

Things I love about Chernobyl, the HBO series

Tranquil Thoughts • 0 implied HN points • 02 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. The show Chernobyl uses restraint in its storytelling, focusing on the reality of the disaster without overly dramatizing events. This makes the series feel more authentic and trustworthy.
  2. Language plays a big role in the show, showcasing unique phrases and expressions that reflect the culture and complexity of the Soviet Union. This adds depth and richness to the dialogue.
  3. Attention to detail is a standout feature of Chernobyl, with accurate depictions of the era's hairstyles, clothing, and technology. It helps to transport viewers back to the 1980s Soviet Union and makes the story more believable.

Mindful Musings #1

Tranquil Thoughts • 0 implied HN points • 02 Jan 23
🎭️ Culture History
  1. Love languages are more complex than we think; how you give love is often different from how you want to receive it. Only 14% of people express love in the same way they want to receive it.
  2. The ancient Babylonians were really smart! They figured out how to get the square root of 2 almost perfectly without modern tools, showing that limits can spark creativity.
  3. AI, like ChatGPT, will change how we work by taking over some tasks, but it won't replace jobs. Humans will still be needed to guide and correct the AI's output.

GOP Debate: Let's get historical!

Matt’s Five Points • 0 implied HN points • 19 Oct 11
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics History
  1. Candidates often reference U.S. history during debates, but it can sometimes lead to misunderstandings. For example, Gingrich made some points about the Declaration of Independence that were not entirely accurate.
  2. The idea of doing debates like the Lincoln-Douglas ones today raises questions about whether modern candidates would agree to it. Many campaigns prefer the controlled environments of current debates.
  3. Long debates might not hold voters' attention because people have shorter attention spans today. A three-hour format could be too much for audiences now, making it less effective.

On Civil Disobedience and draft card burning

Matt’s Five Points • 0 implied HN points • 15 Oct 11
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics History
  1. Conscription goes against the core ideas of libertarianism because it takes away individual freedom. People should not be forced to serve in the military; they should do so willingly.
  2. Civil disobedience can be a valid way to protest unjust laws, but it must be done peacefully and with the acceptance of any punishment. This means standing up for your beliefs without resorting to violence.
  3. Burning a draft card isn't the best form of civil disobedience. Critically, it often caused more division rather than highlighting the main issue of the war itself.

On iconic lunch spots that smell like public bathrooms

Matt’s Five Points • 0 implied HN points • 30 Aug 11
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics History
  1. Some lunch spots can be iconic even if they don't smell great. It shows that popularity is more about the experience than cleanliness.
  2. The Hawk n' Dove was a unique place where different types of people came together. It had a special charm that reflected life on Capitol Hill.
  3. Change is inevitable, and even beloved places have to close or change. It's a reminder to appreciate what we have while we still can.

End of an Era

Matt’s Five Points • 0 implied HN points • 08 Aug 11
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics History
  1. The Page Program, which allowed young people to work in the House of Representatives, has ended after being around since the 1820s. It's sad to see a program that provided valuable experiences to many young Americans come to a close.
  2. Technology has changed how work is done in Congress, making the need for Pages less important. With most communication happening electronically, Pages are no longer needed for tasks they used to perform.
  3. The cost of maintaining the Page Program was high, and many felt it wasn't justified given its diminishing benefits. Officials recognized that it was time to end the program and focus on new ways for young people to engage with Congress.

On Package Deals

Matt’s Five Points • 0 implied HN points • 20 Jul 11
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics History
  1. Logrolling is a strategy where different policies are bundled together so that people can vote for something they like even if it means accepting other policies they don't. This is often how large bills get passed.
  2. Sometimes, putting too many different policies into one big bill can backfire. If groups strongly oppose certain parts, they all might just vote against the entire bill instead.
  3. Breaking a big bill into smaller, separate pieces can help solve the problem. By doing this, legislators can get the support of those who can agree to individual parts without forcing everyone to compromise on what they strongly believe.