A late summer reflection on history, climate and the world.
Here's what I'm working on, writing and thinking about in August 2023.
The Verge
Historic Painting: "Home from Sea" by Arthur Hughes, 1862.
This beautiful painting shows many of the characteristics I love about 19th century art.
From the Moon to Jackson Park: Where are the Apollo space capsules now?
What happened to all the space capsules after they came back to Earth?
The future sucks! The year 1999, as envisioned from 1967.
See the bizarre result when a 1960s company that manufactures TVs tries to tell us what they think the future will be like.
Historic Painting: Winter Scene on Broadway by Hippolyte Sebron, 1855.
There's a lot going on in this famous scene of Manhattan in a mid-19th century winter.
The Leader is unavailable: The legend of Stalin's post-invasion breakdown.
Was Stalin so upset by the German invasion that he collapsed and went on a bender? Or is it a myth?
Free history books! The man who survived the end of the world.
George Sphrantzes survived the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. His book is online, for free.