What came first – all-seeing Gods or complex societies?
God the Father and Angel, Guercino Giovan Francesco Barbieri via Wikimedia Commons
God only started watching over us quite recently, according to a new study that analysed 414 societies from 30 world regions.
A balancing act.
szeke/Flickr.
Airbnb has been criticised for contributing to housing problems in cities across Europe – but history shows there could be a way forward.
Joseph Stalin’s old phone.
Reuters/David Gray
A century ago, a three-minute call from New York City to San Francisco on a landline cost $500. Today, you can make the same call on a cellphone for a few cents.
Two small figures guard the table holding the Buddha’s relics. Are they spearmen, or robots?
British Museum
Stories passed down from the ancient world tell of self-powered machines able to move on their own – robots – playing key roles in historic moments.
Aspasia. Wikimedia Commons
A new look at ancient texts allows for a pivotal perspective on the role of a certain Greek woman.
IR Stone/Shutterstock.com
We talk about artistic inspiration all the time – but science demands inspiration too.
‘American Progress’ by John Gast.
Wikipedia
Progress, in historical terms, has so often meant clearing places of their native inhabitants – both human and non-human.
When it comes to wealth, black families still lag far behind in the U.S.
Twinsterphoto/shutterstock.com
Thanks to a long history of exclusionary government programs, the typical black family now has only 10 cents for every dollar held by the typical white family.
Kaiser Wilhelm II and one of his generals in 1914.
PA Archive
A toxic mix of wishful thinking, brinksmanship, finger-pointing, and fatalism in July 1914 bear similarities to Brexit.
George Stinney, a 14-year old wrongfully executed for murder in 1944.
M. Watt Espy Papers, University at Albany
The National Death Penalty Archive collects documents and paraphernalia behind the thousands of executions that have taken place on American soil.
Henry W. Grady coined the phrase the ‘New South.’
C.W. Mates/Library of Congress
Henry W. Grady wanted to promote northern investment in the South – and he was willing to ignore lynchings and the exploitation of black labor.
David Davis and Mark Francois: both big fans of mentioning the war.
PA
Several pro-Brexit figures have made some spurious historical claims lately.
At some point, jazz went from the music of youthful rebellion to that of the cultured elite.
Freedom Master/shutterstock
Jazz used to be experienced on a dance floor. But over time, it became something to dissect and analyze.
Shutterstock
Britain has long dreamed of breaking away from the European continent but global trade has never replaced links with its close neighbours.
María was murdered in front of the San Agustin Church in Manila (pictured). Her killer was later executed on the same spot.
Wikipedia
The story of María invites us to consider how the powerless could assert personal autonomy in their lives and how we can hear traces of the voiceless in the archives.
An 1811 wood engraving depicts the coronation of King Henry.
Fine Art America
In 1811 a former slave named Henry Christophe anointed himself ‘First Monarch’ of the ‘New World.’ For 10 years, he ruled over a part of modern-day Haiti, becoming a global media sensation.
Deadlocked.
Pajor Pawel/Shutterstock
The problem with giving MPs indicative votes on a variety of options is the result is unlikely to please anybody.
Mamsizz via Shutterstock
Archaeologists have found cloves and black pepper corns they believe to be more than 1,000 years old at a site in Sri Lanka.
Eventide: A Scene in the Westminster Union from 1878.
Hubert von Herkomer
The desire to treat all those in poverty via one policy stems from the same impulses that led to reform of poor laws in the 19th century.
The auditorium at University of Göttingen today.
Daniel Schwen/Wikimedia
Anti-Semitism brought down one of the world’s greatest centers for mathematical research.