Tag Archives: history

Thanksgiving Weekend 2021: Puritans, Pandemic and Me

Americans celebrated Thanksgiving this week. Well, most Americans. Some folks in New England lamented injustices committed over the last few centuries. “Native American tribes are gathering in Plymouth to mourn on Thanksgiving” Associated Press, via NPR (November 25, 2021) Wisconsin: … Continue reading

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A Star by Any Other Name, and a Galilean Interlude

I started writing about stars, names, designations and how we got to a point where Sirius is also known as BD-16°1591, ADS 5423 and GJ 244. That started me thinking about telescopes, Galileo, Aristotle and Dante. One Star, Many Names: … Continue reading

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The Dark Ages: A New Book, an Old Idea and a Quick Post

I saw another The New York Times item in my Google News feed this morning: “Scholars Cringe at the Term ‘Dark Ages.’ Dan Jones Explains Why. The New York Times • Yesterday As I said Monday, I don’t and won’t … Continue reading

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Old St. Peter’s, Visigoths and a Henry

St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome isn’t nearly as old as it looks. Architects in ancient Rome often covered large interior spaces with barrel vaults and semicircular arches, although they hadn’t invented either. Someone started using arches and vaults, probably in … Continue reading

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Sifting Through the Ash Heap of History

Petrarch called Rome “a rubbish heap of history.” That’s what Ferdinand Gregorovius says Petrarch wrote in a letter, at any rate. “…Petrarch, who was then in Avignon, wrote on this occasion his patriotic epistle in Latin verses to Aeneas Tolomei … Continue reading

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