#history

Accordion wars in Lesotho

Famo originated from “wayfarers’ hymns” accompanied by concertina or accordion.

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Life in a secret Chinese nuclear city

In 1958, thousands were mobilised to build a secret city called 404 in the Gobi Desert, enduring brutal sandstorms and living in makeshift shelters.

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Many Victorian cities grew tenfold in a century

Populations in many nineteenth-century cities expanded at extraordinary rates, often far outstripping the growth seen since 2010.

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Spanish requirement of 1513

Declares the Spanish monarchy’s divine right to claim and govern lands in the Americas.

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Hockney–Falco thesis

Proposes that Western art’s increasing realism from the early Renaissance resulted mainly from optical aids, such as the camera obscura and curved mirrors

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Henry Luce

Founded major publications, including Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, shaping American journalism and pioneering a multimedia corporation.

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The New Orleans tradition of pinning money to your shirt

Birthday celebrants in New Orleans pin dollar bills to their clothing to invite well-wishes and contributions.

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A letter to Karl Marx from his dad

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Slavery in modern America

Lola was taken into a household at age 18 and treated as a slave, doing all domestic chores without pay.

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One of the closest calls with nuclear war was Russia versus China

Tensions between the Soviet Union and China escalated in the 1960s, culminating in a seven-month border conflict in 1969

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Jimmy Lai’s fight for freedom

Escaped Communist China aged 12 by fishing boat and rose from factory worker to build a garment empire.

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Democracy and capitalism: can they be reconciled?

One view posits that democracy inevitably leads to socialism, citing fears of a “road to serfdom” and the logic of democratic egalitarianism.

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The Nobel Prize-winning case for a little monopoly

Innovation can be destructive in the short term, making old technologies obsolete while creating long-term potential.

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Why parents once used baby cages to hang infants out of windows

In the 1930s, parents in London resorted to hanging their babies in metal cages outside apartment windows for fresh air.

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Taking risks in the new age of creative destruction

Deregulating finance and industry in the past led to significant productivity gains, higher living standards and sustainable economic growth.

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Beauty is not a luxury

John Adams prioritised government and war over the arts for the sake of future generations, yet still believed in promoting culture through institutions.

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The United States didn't really grow its way out of WWII debt

Debt/GDP fell from 106% in 1946 to 23% in 1974, but further analysis shows primary budget surpluses, surprise inflation, and pegged interest rates were key contributors.

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Julia Margaret Cameron, photographer

Born in Calcutta and later part of the Anglo-Indian upper-class before moving to London

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Britain's fight to end the slave trade

Britain’s naval campaign against the Atlantic slave trade began small but grew to involve over 14% of the Royal Navy.

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Comancheria

The Comancheria once covered modern New Mexico, West Texas, and nearby areas, functioning as a powerful Comanche-controlled empire.

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Peter Hague on ends and means

Certain viewpoints ignore that modern comforts arise from the systems being criticised.

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The art of Paul Jacoulet

He was a French woodblock print artist who lived in Japan most of his life and survived the war in Karuizawa by growing produce and keeping poultry.

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Scopes trial

John T. Scopes was charged in 1925 with breaking the Butler Act, which banned teaching human evolution in Tennessee’s public schools.

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The old is dying and the new cannot be born

A crisis occurs when the old is dying and the new cannot yet be born.

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The Sydney Ducks: Australian criminals in San Francisco

The Sydney Ducks were a gang of criminal immigrants from Australia in mid-19th century San Francisco, blamed for rampant crime and the devastating 1849 fire.

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